Conid, Eh?

[dcpritch]

I am aware that CONID's production has paused while they catch up on orders, but if you are ever able to get your hands on one of their pens you will not be sorry. I have been a fan and participant since the early days when Francis Goossens was working on designs for his filling system, pen designs, etc. I have bulkfillers in different sizes and materials, and also a custom pen made by fountainbel based on the Montblanc 139, which is my daily user out of the many, many pens I own. CONID is the real deal in design, materials, workmanship and customer service.

[OptiQ]

I am waiting from Conid 2 orders-one made on July and one made in August.Today i mailed them to cancel both orders because the delivery therm on both orders was overdue by a minimum of 3 months.It is very frustrating to not be able to comunicate with them,especialy considering the price of the pens.

[GOTO10]

Sorry to hear that your delay has caused you to cancel both of your orders. From everything I hear a Conid is wonderful to use once you receive it. My Kingsize is currently 4 months late with little communication.

 

Has anyone hear of Conid delivering any orders during their pause to restart phase? The worry I have is that May will roll around without having received the order that was scheduled to be delivered in early November.

Edited February 7, 2020 by GOTO10

[Karmachanic]

I too cancelled an order for a second Minimalistica. They had my money for five months, and besides not having any product from them, no further updates on progress, plans, what's happening. Nothing. Total radio silence. Strange way to treat your loyal and new customer base.

 

I received the funds promptly, and put them to other use.

 

I'll re-order once/if they get their act together, and can deliver product in a timely fashion, along with improvement of their abysmal communication.

 

The Minimalistica I have has been constantly inked since it's arrival 19 months ago.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Karmachanic

[inkypinkies]

Sorry to hear that your delay has caused you to cancel both of your orders. From everything I hear a Conid is wonderful to use once you receive it. My Kingsize is currently 4 months late with little communication.

 

Has anyone hear of Conid delivering any orders during their pause to restart phase? The worry I have is that May will roll around without having received the order that was scheduled to be delivered in early November.

Also curious about this. Also waiting on a Minimalistica.

 

I don't think anyone has heard anything outbound. I'm trying to hold off on poking them via email.

Edited February 7, 2020 by inkypinkies

[GOTO10]

Also curious about this. Also waiting on a Minimalistica.

 

I don't think anyone has heard anything outbound. I'm trying to hold off on poking them via email.

 

 

I poked them about two months after receiving an email saying they didn't know if they would be able to delivery by Christmas but would let me know if there was a bottleneck.

 

Nothing back from them yet but with the way things are currently I'd rather receive a shipment notification than a response to my email.

[dcpritch]

CONID posted in November on its website about their pause; the explanation makes sense to me. I received this week a repair I had sent last year, so it seems clear to me they are doing what they promised and working hard to catch up on orders. By the way, the extra effort put into my repair made me want to order four more pens from them - one rarely sees such a perfect marriage of modern design, materials and ingenuity with Old World craftsmanship and customer service. My recommendation is to stay the course and be patient.

[GOTO10]

I will defiantly be staying the course unless something drastic occurs at Conid. At that point though I would need to find another pen to use the #8 nibs I have waiting to be used with my Kingsize.

[maclink]

Just got a Antwerppen Regular Bulkfiller model. It comes with a Titanium fine nib. The nib performs as well as the medium nib on my Sailor 1911 Large that I currently have inked up. Both are fabulous nibs. The fine nib on the Conid puts down a slightly thinner line when compared to the Sailor medium nib, but may well be a tad smoother.

 

The regular is great ergonometrically and the filling system is fascinating. Very easy to use. Overall, I'm happy, but expected more from all the hype.

 

In terms of precision, it's pretty much as precise as my Mont Blanc 146, Pelikan Sovereign, Aurora Optima or Leonardo Momento Zero Grande which come to mind. However, you have to admit, to have that level of construction in a pen that can be completely disassembled is special.

 

I did order a Minimalistica AVDA Phi Edition with rounded ends. It was supposed to be delivered in late January. Not surprised that I haven't seen or heard anything yet. My Antwerpen will keep me busy enough.

[EliH]

I did order a Minimalistica AVDA Phi Edition with rounded ends. It was supposed to be delivered in late January. Not surprised that I haven't seen or heard anything yet. My Antwerpen will keep me busy enough.

 

I’m waiting one the same, a second AVDA Phi to compliment my first. It’s an absolutely incredible pen, I much prefer it to the regular. Of course that’s my personal preference, but it just feels so good in the hand.

 

I’m certain you’ll enjoy it when it arrives. Best of luck with the wait!

[Linger]

Going through this thread, it appears to me an issue of management of expectations as well as proper communication thereof. By comparison, I ordered last year, all on full pre-payment:

Kanilea - lead time 16 weeks

Hakase - lead time 13 months

Namiki - no lead time

 

The Kanilea arrived in time and communication along the process went perfect.
The Hakase is due in May.

The Namiki was a disaster - well the pen isn’t, but the waiting/communication was. First it was end of the year, then it was the beginning of next year, then it was half march, then it became (Corona induced) half april, and the pen finally arrived end March. It was frustrating and annoying and almost taking the pleasure of anticipation away. Not cool.

My main recommendation to Conid would be: start communicating flexible lead times based on actual order volumes versus actual/forecasted production speed - and be pro-active communicative about it. Nothing is worse than remain in the dark with your money gone...

 

That said, I sincerely hope they get out of the hiatus OK. This issue might have a big drain on their motivation and fun in producing the pens and i hope they get both back. Also, I want to order a kingsize...

[WLSpec]

I don't yet own a Conid, but when they open back up to orders and this pandemic is going away, I might order one. What is the standard waiting time when Conid is not in a "pause to restart?"

[silverlifter]

There was no "standard". It just continued to stretch with demand. It was a queue rather than a quantifiable period (although you were given an estimated time when you placed your order).

Edited April 4, 2020 by silverlifter

[WLSpec]

There was no "standard". It just continued to stretch with demand. It was a queue rather than a quantifiable period (although you were given an estimated time when you placed your order).

Is anyone aware of how long was it taking before Conid's break?

[silverlifter]

It depended on the model. I was fortunate in that my Minimalistica arrived roughly within the window they advised (three months)* whereas some members here ordered Regulars at the same time and were waiting considerably longer.

 

* I ordered a second delrin cap, and that did take an additional two months to arrive. To their credit, they shipped it to me at no cost.

[Karmachanic]

Is anyone aware of how long was it taking before Conid's break?

 

Two months quoted at time of ordering, which became four months. Then they stopped taking orders

[WLSpec]

It depended on the model. I was fortunate in that my Minimalistica arrived roughly within the window they advised (three months)* whereas some members here ordered Regulars at the same time and were waiting considerably longer.

 

* I ordered a second delrin cap, and that did take an additional two months to arrive. To their credit, they shipped it to me at no cost.

 

 

Two months quoted at time of ordering, which became four months. Then they stopped taking orders

Okay. That actually isn't as long as I thought. I was thinking around 6 based on what I've heard, so 2-4 wouldn't be bad at all.

[silverlifter]

I didn't consider it a long wait at all. I was in another queue for a pen that took close to a year.

 

And I know people like to complain about the lack of communication, but it never bothered me. I grew up sending money orders off in the post and hoping that, months later, something may arrive back...

 

Clicking "Buy Now" has conditioned us for instant gratification.

[WLSpec]

Clicking "Buy Now" has conditioned us for instant gratification.

That's true. I do it too often

[Linger]

I think I read somewhere that their initial aim was a lead time of 4-6 weeks. Which turned out to be way to optimistic (luxury problem bytheway if demand > supply) but still, 4 months compared to a true made to order like Hakase, where lead time is a year, is not too bad. I am very curious if/how they are going to solve that issue from 1st of May onwards...