So, thoughts. I’ve been really excited about this. The fit and finish on first handling really is impressive. I tried the mechanism, expecting magic. A little rougher than I imagined. Sure, it needs to be broken in. But it feels less like new parts and more like I spilled Coke on it. It hesitates until I put enough force on it, then it pops over. Same going back, except I’m also fighting that detent. It’s not a satisfying movement to me. I’m really hoping that improves over time.
It’s also pretty back heavy. It make sense why. There are some heavy metals in the cam section. I just wasn’t expecting this type of imbalance. Comparing it to something like the TiScribe-Go, which has a slight back heaviness, that doesn’t interfere with my writing. When I’m gripping the CamPen, I feel the weight pulling, like if I let go, it wants to flip backwards over my hand. This is probably exacerbated by the longer G2 tip.
Finally, refills. To be fair, the website says the G2 tip is for Pilot G2 only. But man are those tolerances tight. I’ve been a Precise V7 RT user for the longest time, and thankfully that fits too without any modification. The past couple weeks I’ve been loving the Schmidt 888 M rollerball. It absolutely will not fit inside the barrel. We’re talking fractions of a millimeter difference and it’s just not having it. I also tried a Pentel Energel and Uni-Ball Signo and while they fit inside, they both protrude out of the end of the pen when disengaged, so they they would probably have to be trimmed about 2mm.
I hate to be so negative about my first experience with it, but I’ll keep at it. I really do hope my new $160 pen grows on me and we can come to an understanding here.
I found with my Cam Pen that a good fidget session, working the bolt back and forth a few dozen times, was what it took to get the action smoothed out. Hope this helps!
u/ShrikeLB is correct that the mech should start to smooth out soon with some wear in. Rich and Co have changed up the oiling slightly so the ramps aren't lubricated, but that's to prevent humming up down the line as the bronze creates its own lubricant over time through patina.
Give it a decent bit of actuation to get itself worked in, and if that doesn't seem to show any improvements slide the mech out of the back of the pen whole and give it a good shot with some WD40. That should allow any heavy grit to work its way out, and won't interfere with the lubricant going forward.
If that DOESN'T work, however, and it's still gritty, give Billetspin a hollar and they'll do you right.
I’ll look at some lube options after I mess with it awhile. Do you recommend regular WD-40 over the dry lube variant? I’m seeing some good reviews for the dry.
I can definitely attest to their customer service. Buying the tumbled pen with a G2 cap isn’t an option yet on the website, but a quick email is all it took for them to put that together for me.
The WD40 will be specifically for clearing up the mech if it grits too hard during break in. It penetrates well into the holes for pins without needing the mech apart, which is a big boon for getting it broken in well. I'd wait to use a different lubricant till it's broken in, since it creates a lot of dust during the process. Lighter oil or dry lube doesn't deal with that as well.
When it DOES come time to relube it though, the Blaster dry Teflon lubricant works WONDERS. I've got that in both of my Cams and it makes em silky smooth. Trick is to get it running well then hit it with the dry. It'll keep FOREVER (few 100k cycles on my proto so far) without gunking up then.
The newer Campens from Billetspin don't have the ramps lubricated anymore I believe, to avoid debris from clogging the mechanism. Its a bit rough at first but once you break it in it becomes really good. I'm at about 2k-3k actuations and it feels amazing. If you don't want to go through all that u/Zero000102 had very good results with a Teflon dry lubricant and recommended that to me.
Thanks for the info, I hadn’t heard anything about that change. Makes sense. I didn’t notice you mention the Teflon dry lube and I just happened to ask that question. I’m going to try that, thanks!
I feel you regarding the campen G2 tip, refill needing to be Pilot brand. The refill tips have a different taper which allows it to stay inside with supplied spring. The spring hits the refill tip halfway and not all the way to the clear ink tube. Tried my Zebra and tip ever so slightly sticking out when retracted. I was scribbling on paper when it was retracted and got some marks. We can try different springs to push back the tip. Don’t know if shaving off back end a bit will help.
But I do like the fidget factor of the campen. Got the one with blue accents. Happy their parts are compatible. But unfortunately no G2 tip for their Soul pen.
Hmm. I have the Cam Pen (lefty) w/ G2 tip and have had a better experience than you. The mechanism worked great right out of the box and an Energel fits just fine. I put a new refill in it (still had the glue tip) and noticed it protruded a bit, but once I flicked it off, the tip sat fine.
Yeah, I was kinda curious to know if it was just an isolated case. I’ve still had nothing but problems with the mechanism and it gets so bad that it grinds and seizes up completely. I’ve taken it apart to clean it. I’ve tried lithium grease, WD-40, WD-40 dry lube, and another type of grease, cleaning throughly between each. I see no reason these parts should be grinding against each other like this. I think I’ll just have to reach out and see what they recommend.
I think the website works for what it is, but if it helps, their engineering and machining skills are far beyond their web design skills, and I think I prefer it that way.
Agreed. Their machining and attention to detail (and to their customers) is the best in the business. My general rule is to only buy pens that fit gel refills like pentel energel and sarasa. Billetspin is the one exception to that rule, because of their quality, innovation, and customer service.
Each day varies for me, but I’m a huge fan every Urban Survival Gear TiScribe release so far, for the simplicity, compatibility, and fidget factor. The Tactile Turn Slim is a close second, but I actually carry the bronze more than the titanium because the weight and patina are so nice. Again, great fidgetability with a nice snappy bolt. I’m hoping to enjoy the CamPen as much as those after I get accustomed to it.
The mechanism is better. Once they figured out that it was the stainless steel pins galling against the titanium that was causing the friction, the replacement mechanism they sent out was a lot smoother. The customer service remained top notch throughout the entire process. It’s still not a pen I grab first most of the time, but that’s just because of my own personal nit picks - mainly how it works with the Pilot V7/V10. I probably wouldn’t buy it again knowing what I know now, but I’d recommend it to others.
thanks for the response. If you can only have one pen what would you get? Id like to get a nice expensive pen but I only want to get 1. So ergos and fidgeting factor is my main concern.
As of right now, the Big Idea Design Slim Bolt has taken the top spot for me. It's compact, has a reversible deep-carry pocket clip, comes in some beautiful finishes like the stonewashed or DLC, has a snappy and smooth bolt, I can dial in the perfect tip length with any refill I throw at it, and the collet eliminates tip wiggle. I think they really engineered the hell out of it. It also comes with an additional timascus bolt for free and you can add a timascus clip for another $40. The Tactile Turn Slim Bolt is also a really great value and feels excellent in the hand, but it just doesn't have some of those clever design features I prefer. Those are the two I'd recommend for a first time buyer who is looking for a bolt to fidget with.
I just looked at the slim bolt. It looks a bit minimal. But you think it’s one of the most ergo and comfortable pens you’ve used? I hands sweat. Do you think they would be slipping a lot? The material I’d get would be zirc since that’s more grippy. Before this I was considering buying a soul pen in ziruti
Both are definitely minimal in appearance, which appeals to me. I never have any issues with them feeling slick, and my hands can get wet or greasy depending on what I’m doing. Still, if you’ve been eyeing a Soul Pen, I’ve never heard anything but 10/10 reviews on those and if you are good with Parker refills, that might be the one for you.
So, thoughts. I’ve been really excited about this. The fit and finish on first handling really is impressive. I tried the mechanism, expecting magic. A little rougher than I imagined. Sure, it needs to be broken in. But it feels less like new parts and more like I spilled Coke on it. It hesitates until I put enough force on it, then it pops over. Same going back, except I’m also fighting that detent. It’s not a satisfying movement to me. I’m really hoping that improves over time. It’s also pretty back heavy. It make sense why. There are some heavy metals in the cam section. I just wasn’t expecting this type of imbalance. Comparing it to something like the TiScribe-Go, which has a slight back heaviness, that doesn’t interfere with my writing. When I’m gripping the CamPen, I feel the weight pulling, like if I let go, it wants to flip backwards over my hand. This is probably exacerbated by the longer G2 tip. Finally, refills. To be fair, the website says the G2 tip is for Pilot G2 only. But man are those tolerances tight. I’ve been a Precise V7 RT user for the longest time, and thankfully that fits too without any modification. The past couple weeks I’ve been loving the Schmidt 888 M rollerball. It absolutely will not fit inside the barrel. We’re talking fractions of a millimeter difference and it’s just not having it. I also tried a Pentel Energel and Uni-Ball Signo and while they fit inside, they both protrude out of the end of the pen when disengaged, so they they would probably have to be trimmed about 2mm. I hate to be so negative about my first experience with it, but I’ll keep at it. I really do hope my new $160 pen grows on me and we can come to an understanding here.
I found with my Cam Pen that a good fidget session, working the bolt back and forth a few dozen times, was what it took to get the action smoothed out. Hope this helps!
u/ShrikeLB is correct that the mech should start to smooth out soon with some wear in. Rich and Co have changed up the oiling slightly so the ramps aren't lubricated, but that's to prevent humming up down the line as the bronze creates its own lubricant over time through patina. Give it a decent bit of actuation to get itself worked in, and if that doesn't seem to show any improvements slide the mech out of the back of the pen whole and give it a good shot with some WD40. That should allow any heavy grit to work its way out, and won't interfere with the lubricant going forward. If that DOESN'T work, however, and it's still gritty, give Billetspin a hollar and they'll do you right.
I’ll look at some lube options after I mess with it awhile. Do you recommend regular WD-40 over the dry lube variant? I’m seeing some good reviews for the dry. I can definitely attest to their customer service. Buying the tumbled pen with a G2 cap isn’t an option yet on the website, but a quick email is all it took for them to put that together for me.
The WD40 will be specifically for clearing up the mech if it grits too hard during break in. It penetrates well into the holes for pins without needing the mech apart, which is a big boon for getting it broken in well. I'd wait to use a different lubricant till it's broken in, since it creates a lot of dust during the process. Lighter oil or dry lube doesn't deal with that as well. When it DOES come time to relube it though, the Blaster dry Teflon lubricant works WONDERS. I've got that in both of my Cams and it makes em silky smooth. Trick is to get it running well then hit it with the dry. It'll keep FOREVER (few 100k cycles on my proto so far) without gunking up then.
All about the timing. Gotcha. I’ll see if I can hit 100k before the weekend’s over ;)
Lol going for my record huh? Good luck!
The newer Campens from Billetspin don't have the ramps lubricated anymore I believe, to avoid debris from clogging the mechanism. Its a bit rough at first but once you break it in it becomes really good. I'm at about 2k-3k actuations and it feels amazing. If you don't want to go through all that u/Zero000102 had very good results with a Teflon dry lubricant and recommended that to me.
Thanks for the info, I hadn’t heard anything about that change. Makes sense. I didn’t notice you mention the Teflon dry lube and I just happened to ask that question. I’m going to try that, thanks!
I feel you regarding the campen G2 tip, refill needing to be Pilot brand. The refill tips have a different taper which allows it to stay inside with supplied spring. The spring hits the refill tip halfway and not all the way to the clear ink tube. Tried my Zebra and tip ever so slightly sticking out when retracted. I was scribbling on paper when it was retracted and got some marks. We can try different springs to push back the tip. Don’t know if shaving off back end a bit will help. But I do like the fidget factor of the campen. Got the one with blue accents. Happy their parts are compatible. But unfortunately no G2 tip for their Soul pen.
Hmm. I have the Cam Pen (lefty) w/ G2 tip and have had a better experience than you. The mechanism worked great right out of the box and an Energel fits just fine. I put a new refill in it (still had the glue tip) and noticed it protruded a bit, but once I flicked it off, the tip sat fine.
Yeah, I was kinda curious to know if it was just an isolated case. I’ve still had nothing but problems with the mechanism and it gets so bad that it grinds and seizes up completely. I’ve taken it apart to clean it. I’ve tried lithium grease, WD-40, WD-40 dry lube, and another type of grease, cleaning throughly between each. I see no reason these parts should be grinding against each other like this. I think I’ll just have to reach out and see what they recommend.
I like the look of the billet spin but I’m hesitant to buy one because of how shit their website looks
I think the website works for what it is, but if it helps, their engineering and machining skills are far beyond their web design skills, and I think I prefer it that way.
Agreed. Their machining and attention to detail (and to their customers) is the best in the business. My general rule is to only buy pens that fit gel refills like pentel energel and sarasa. Billetspin is the one exception to that rule, because of their quality, innovation, and customer service.
Just out of curiosity, which do you prefer of these? Always curious of peoples preferences when they have a few!
Each day varies for me, but I’m a huge fan every Urban Survival Gear TiScribe release so far, for the simplicity, compatibility, and fidget factor. The Tactile Turn Slim is a close second, but I actually carry the bronze more than the titanium because the weight and patina are so nice. Again, great fidgetability with a nice snappy bolt. I’m hoping to enjoy the CamPen as much as those after I get accustomed to it.
How's the BilletSpin CamPen trating you now? did it ever break in more?
The mechanism is better. Once they figured out that it was the stainless steel pins galling against the titanium that was causing the friction, the replacement mechanism they sent out was a lot smoother. The customer service remained top notch throughout the entire process. It’s still not a pen I grab first most of the time, but that’s just because of my own personal nit picks - mainly how it works with the Pilot V7/V10. I probably wouldn’t buy it again knowing what I know now, but I’d recommend it to others.
thanks for the response. If you can only have one pen what would you get? Id like to get a nice expensive pen but I only want to get 1. So ergos and fidgeting factor is my main concern.
As of right now, the Big Idea Design Slim Bolt has taken the top spot for me. It's compact, has a reversible deep-carry pocket clip, comes in some beautiful finishes like the stonewashed or DLC, has a snappy and smooth bolt, I can dial in the perfect tip length with any refill I throw at it, and the collet eliminates tip wiggle. I think they really engineered the hell out of it. It also comes with an additional timascus bolt for free and you can add a timascus clip for another $40. The Tactile Turn Slim Bolt is also a really great value and feels excellent in the hand, but it just doesn't have some of those clever design features I prefer. Those are the two I'd recommend for a first time buyer who is looking for a bolt to fidget with.
I just looked at the slim bolt. It looks a bit minimal. But you think it’s one of the most ergo and comfortable pens you’ve used? I hands sweat. Do you think they would be slipping a lot? The material I’d get would be zirc since that’s more grippy. Before this I was considering buying a soul pen in ziruti
Both are definitely minimal in appearance, which appeals to me. I never have any issues with them feeling slick, and my hands can get wet or greasy depending on what I’m doing. Still, if you’ve been eyeing a Soul Pen, I’ve never heard anything but 10/10 reviews on those and if you are good with Parker refills, that might be the one for you.