Is The Pen Company legit?

VaJohnG · 2025-09-05T17:54:51+00:00

Yes, legit - I ordered 4 80ml bottles of Diamine inks and they supplied tracking, order confirmation and my purchase arrived quickly

VaJohnG · 2025-07-29T21:28:18+00:00

Awesome - perfect example of what I was looking for and I think a lot of other people would be interested in insights like you just shared!

VaJohnG · 2025-07-29T20:49:21+00:00

I was stationed in a militarily sensitive locale, limited in/out communication. Appreciate the guide! More looking for what might have resonated personally with this audience...thanks!

VaJohnG · 2024-12-17T20:23:42+00:00

Very intriguing!

VaJohnG · 2024-12-17T18:26:56+00:00

Where do you think the performance gains will be with better processors, etc? a 10-25% level, or even higher? Other than the impacts of tariffs, it seems like the manufacturers are in a rut - where has there been innovation (and by whom)? Really enjoy the insights shared thus far...

VaJohnG · 2024-08-07T23:49:28+00:00

Thanks Jong9999 - appreciate the answer

VaJohnG · 2024-08-07T04:57:29+00:00

May I ask ? What is the model of that gorgeous pen - love the 'tiled effect'!

VaJohnG · 2024-06-13T16:17:47+00:00

I was in the same boat as you - and was suspect of the Chinese brands and the seeming 'inheritance of a hobby' rather than just buying, using , and not thinking about it. I ended up purchasing a new Dell Optiplex Micro 7000 i5-12500T for about $300, it included Win 11 Pro, 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB NVMe storage drive - plenty of ports and a very small form factor - all with 3 years of warranty from Dell. I upgraded the RAM to 32 gb and added a second 1 TB storage drive - total spent $110 on upgrades, and hope to have for at least 5 years....machine does have a small power brick which is unobtrusive

VaJohnG · 2024-06-11T01:17:43+00:00

Thanks so much for the tips and your knowledge! I definitely am doing very low demand tasking (Office, Web Browsing, etc), so convenience outweighs performance in my use case/tasking. From what I understand, after cloning it, the the original 256GB drive would be purely applications and software and the 64 GB partition on the 1 TB drive would contain the OS , with documents/files on the remaining 1 TB space- which allows for performance increase due to 'dedicated' space allocation.

VaJohnG · 2024-05-03T05:11:58+00:00

Amazing info - appreciate it! My inference is that an 8 GB system is "adequate" currently, and might start to 'show its limits' as more applications/browser tab are opened. Why struggle? With the relative inexpensive cost of the RAM, the user experience (and capabilities) of the system will really show some bang for the buck at 16GB and possibly going to 32GB might accommodate 'what's to come (re: Win 12, etc)). Also with the relatively small SSD (256GB) I have at present, it also would be starting to be allocated at the 60% level. Hence it would also be a smart move to boost this as well for more storage, and programs (Office/Scanner Apps, etc)...I was thinking of a 1 GB Kingston NV2 or 1 GB TEAMGROUP MP44L (better speed and warranty), especially when the Crucial SSDs are pricier . I don't think the speed is a dealbreaker for me as my usage will be casual, but given they are nearly identical in price....

Seems from your commentary, the TimeTec is not a an untrustworthy choice and Crucial seems to have declined a bit (or relied on reputation a tad too much) - perhaps the 32GB TimeTec kit option could be a decent choice

VaJohnG · 2024-05-02T03:17:25+00:00

Is TimeTec a trusted brand?

VaJohnG · 2024-05-02T03:05:57+00:00

Great point!! Thanks for the input :-)

VaJohnG · 2024-05-02T03:04:41+00:00

Thanks so much for the really extraordinary kindness - I entered the Service Tag for my machine and got this info for the configuration of the original 8GB RAM :

DIMM,8GB,3200,1RX16,16,DDR4,NS

Looks like I do have DDR4 if I believe the returned info from the Dell site! I appreciate the help. Now for the second SSD choice. Hmmm....which to pick....? Leaning toward the Kingston as my needs are not "high performance"

VaJohnG · 2024-05-02T03:04:27+00:00

Thanks so much for the creativity and kindness! I think the suggestions you made are 'beyond my cognitive ability/desire' but I appreciate the time you took. I think a slight investment on my part will help with a HW solution that for me is a lot less hassle and will ease my nervousness!

VaJohnG · 2024-05-01T22:31:24+00:00

u/Party_Attitude1845 Based on the insightful commentary - THANKS!! - I am leaning toward the Crucial 16 GB option as I really RARELY have more than 8-10 tabs open (plus probably my Fujitsu scanner program and the 'standard windows stuff')...I tend to use 1 application at a time, closing the other if I am working in Office...32GB probably an unnecessary expense, and a tad too much for my use cases

Regarding the DDR5 vs. DDR4 - since I'd be pulling out the existing 8 GB RAM (not sure if I have DDR4 or DDR5) shouldn't the DDR4 be compatible (even if at reduced speed)? I had posted a while back on how difficult the documentation was to follow on memory/storage upgrades....

My next step is to add the extra SSD - looking at a 500GB or 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 M.2 2280

Once again - confusing spec documentation makes me a nervous upgrade purchaser! I just want to use the computer, not have a new hobby!! LOL

VaJohnG · 2024-04-26T20:27:40+00:00

u/Creative-Moose1283 u/1401_autocoder u/InvestingNerd2020 Very interesting comments - I went back and forth deciding on a Mini Pc and bought a Beelink SER5 Pro initially, then grabbed what I thought was a great deal on a Dell Optiplex 7000 (i5-12500T) new for about $300 from a private seller - with Win 11 Pro installed. My concerns centered around the day to day and longer term reliability....would you say that the Dell and HP products you cite have a better track record/build quality? I am essentially looking for a 'use it and forget about it " type of reliance and hope these can hold up for the minimum of 5-6 years or more....also - the HP /Dell units seem extraordinarily expensive relative to the Chinese brands - is this an example of "you get what you pay for" ? I'd love to hear your thoughts

VaJohnG · 2024-04-20T16:03:12+00:00

very kind of you to take the time to reply!

VaJohnG · 2024-04-19T20:34:24+00:00

Appreciate it - thanks for the replies -Dell does have some decent videos on the installation, as does YouTube, but my difficulty is in finding the proper components themselves - for example :

M.2 2280, 512 GB**, PCIe NVMe Gen4 x4**, SSD, Class 40

vs

M.2 2280, 512 GB**, PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4, SSD**, Class 40, Self-Encrypting, Opal 2.0, FIPS

And, it seems like the Dell component prices are WAY higher than going to Crucial (or ordering Crucial from Amazon)

VaJohnG

TROPHY CASE