There are a number of pen companies claiming to have their products handmade or crafted by traditional artisans following ancient recipes. But what do all those words really mean? What is really handmade and what is machine-made?
What tools can an artisan –whatever this might mean— use while preserving the label and aura of “handmade”? Is the lathe an acceptable tool? And if that lathe was numerically-controlled? Should the lathe be made by the artisan himself to keep the purity of the handmade process? Or, is electricity an acceptable source of energy?
Nakaya. Japanese handmade fountain pens, we read on its website. But what does that really mean?
It is very difficult –if at all possible— to draw that red line delimiting the realm of the craftsmanship and the realm of the mass-production. Craftsmanship is, after all, only an older technology, but a technology that still uses tools made by others.
Two are the reasons for a new technology to gain favor. First is the economic argument—does this new machine makes the final product for less? Second is the quality—is the product newly made better than the one produced with the previous technologies? The final adoption of the new procedures depends on a delicate balance between those two arguments. Cheaper but lower quality is not a good strategy to keep business going, but it is certainly tempting.
At the end, the consumer decides, and it is my contention that the final decision should only be taken based on the quality of the good and not on the marketing labels attached to it to increase the price. After all, we do not judge a novel based on which instrument was used to write it.
Handmade, artisanal, hand-crafted,… Mumbo-jumbo, I am afraid.
Pilot Super (cartridge-converter), soft nib – Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown
Bruno Taut
April 3rd, 2013
etiquetas: mercado, estilofilia
Bruno Taut
April 3rd, 2013
etiquetas: mercado, estilofilia
2 comments:
Excelente enfoque Don Bruno... He visto en youtube unas series tituladas algo asi como: Maestros Artesanos Japoneses, con una hermosa y agradable musica ... Lo que veo ahi es produccion en serie.... produccion de una sola persona- pero en serie( y eso si es que este Maestro Artesano no tiene ayudantes escondidos que no aparecen en video....)
Son pequeñas industrias caseras- bueno para ellos- ya que todas sus ganancias les quedan, y no tienen grandes gastos fijos, como Pilot, que debe tener un Sindicato y mucho Marketing
Me imagino tropeles de gringos que llevan en buses a comprar " plumas artesanales" .... El " artesano" debe quedar bien contento y con la billetada cuando se van.
En los mismos videos se ve que la parte Noble de una pluma- plumin. alimentador y seccion , estos " artesanos" las tienen ensambladas y listas para irlas instalando.... Deben ser Pilot, Don Bruno!
La gente es muy tonta, ellos creen lo que quieren creer....
Saludos muy atentos y que tenga un lindo dia o tarde ( en Chile estamos 5 horas atras que Madrid)
Christian Valenzuela Prosser
Gracias, Christian, por pasar por aquí y animarse a dejar un comentario.
Ya lo expuse en su día en estas Crónicas: a menudo los pequeños fabricantes hacen productos muy interesantes, pero toman muchos elementos de las grandes empresas. Y los consumidores solemos comprar la idea preconcebida que tenemos en la cabeza más que el producto que tenemos delante. Por eso la mercadotecnia tiene tanta importancia.
Saludos,
BT
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