UPSB v4
Pen Modifications / Aesthetics vs Functionality/Innovation.
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 08:17:16
I wanted to bring this up for debate or at least outside opinions. I've been around the modding scene for quite some time (going on 5 years) and seen trends come and go. However one trend I'm not seeing leave is the push towards aesthetics over functionality in mods. Things like grip-cuts, fancy insert schemes, over-gripping/striping, metal rings and tape. All of the stuff aesthetically looks good and appealing, but the reality of it is that the vast majority of aesthetic mods don't spin all too well nor are made with durability in mind. Examples: KuZu/KuZu EXT, Saizen G3, Mr. SomSak, Fir3fly G3. Those are just a few off of a very large list. Let me just cut to the chase on the knit and grit of what I'm talking about. Why Aesthetic Mods Don't Spin Well in General: 1.) The focus is more on how it's presented rather than how momentum is utilized in a specific way. Ex: Using copious amounts of grip rings instead of one solid grip. 2.) The aesthetic mods limit the way the pen can be physically spun Ex: Grip cuts. When going for an infinity trick the grips tend to clip on the finger and make the movement from one finger to another more difficult--in some cases limited to the range of movements it can support. Ex²: Tape Cuts. When placing small ridges of tape on a smooth barrel the grip of the pen lessens. Things like fingers slipping on tape lines marking the COP or slippage altogether. 3.) Decreased Durability - With the spinning space to be increased, but without any modding to the original body itself (outside of a tincy bit of filing) the only thing to do is to add length on each side(which adds weight). A good example being the Fir3fly G3. People want the feel of an RSVP NX MMT with the full insert capability of the barrels but with a sexier exterior to complement it. When filing down a barrel section to the thinness of a pencil lead, the barrel loses all rigidity against drops. Now back to the point of the article. I see the community at a stand still of praising those who can create flash and aw. The same repeat mod structures over and over and over and over...and over again. Flashy G3 mod, Flashy Double side mod, Flashy MX, Flashy gripcuts, Flashy Grip spam. What I find so annoying about this is that none of this improves spinning quality (which is why we mod pens in the first place). If anything it disrupts it. Granted everyone has different tastes, but getting a pen mod that is potentially hampering in terms of what it can do with limitations in place seems counter-productive. Why this is of concern to me is that nobody cares about how a pen spins anymore. Instead who can make the coolest one and capitalize on hyped popularity. Hence why you see so many new-comers trying to make flashy mods and then proceed to make bad tutorials to gain praise/recognition. All the emphasis is on getting noticed vs creating something genuinely beneficial to pen modding methods/concepts. I'm curious as to why the community has shifted towards that train of thought and why pen functionality has become the last thing to be considered? So my question(s) to you guys are these, "What drives a spinner to preference aesthetics over spinning-functionality?" and "Why is aesthetics valued more than functionality/spinning feel?"
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 08:33:10
Spin well :D
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 09:00:31
Spin well :D I like pens that spin well for my style (signo comssas all day everyday). I like them to look nice as well but spinability is faaaaar more important to me.
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 09:08:07
wheres the option "spins well and looks good"? lol [B]"What drives a spinner to preference aesthetics over spinning-functionality?"[/B] hmm well, think of it as this people wear nice looking clothes even tho theyre not that comfy same logic [B]"Why is aesthetics valued more than functionality/spinning feel?"[/B] not necessarily... the latter is certainly important but i guess some spinners are willing to give up some of it for aesthetics
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 09:11:47
Spin well and simple make ( RSVP MX)
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 09:44:42
i would say i choose mods that spin well, then glam it up a little bit eg/ a metallic comssa with black grip with white grip ring but i do notice that when i do make a super aesthetically pleasing mod, it turns out to spin less well that an ordinary version this happened to my two key3 mods whether its the slight variations due to the grips used for the aesthetics, or its just minor differences in modding due to other circumstances, it turns out worse slightly off topic, i prefer simple aesthetic add ons rather than huge complex grip cuts/tape cuts etc ie. on a buster, a black ring of grip/tape/whatnot is better than a makin kt style design also, i think the shift in thinking that you're seeing is due to the shift in thinking of modding as a recognised skill things like soyp, various blogs, personal mods of famous spinners, all help to create the stigma that mods need to be appealing whether its a chicken/egg situation, or a positive feedback loop, mods now need to be bigger and better
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 12:44:57
I spin both pens that spin well and make pens that look good, but not for spinning as collecting/practicing my modding skills. If I can make something like a F1r3fly mod look really nice, I think that I've improved since when I made my first crap tier RSVP v1 (there were so many problems with it I can't even describe it. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW!). I really love modding though, but I have to go and I'l edit this post with more stuff when I get back.
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 17:20:13
I think since penspinning is more of an art then a job the main appeal is the aesthetics, so if you can spin a certain pen to make you spinning look nicer it functions similarly to a pen that allows you to do more tricks to increase appeal. Depends on what school of thought you come from, if you like hard power tricks styles you probably want a pen that spins well, if you think style is more important then you probably want a nice looking pen.
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 17:39:10
"What drives a spinner to preference aesthetics over spinning-functionality?" I think it really all depends who the spinner is and whether they consider themselves mostly a modder or mostly a spinner. I have seen a split, albeit not a bad one, in the community over my years of being here. There is one type of person who is astounding at creating new tricks, linkages, combos, etc and these are they type of people who are going to prefer spinning functionality over aesthetics. I myself am one of these people, if you saw my mod collection you'd see mostly flex bodies and a shit ton of comssas. Thats just my personal preference. I think the type of people that enjoy aesthetics over spinning functionality are people who enjoy creating things in with their hands that has a final product at the end. I think that these "modders" like to have some sort of tangible product to present to people at the end that they can say "look" see what I made. Not in a childish way or anything but in a progressive type of way. I think that the two different types of people really help each other out though because a modder will create a new pen, the spinners spin it, evaluate it, and then give the constructive or destructive criticism back to the modders. "Why is aesthetics valued more than functionality/spinning feel?" I'm not so sure that aesthetics is valued more but I can see why you could say that. In my experiences I have always had professors and teachers who have told me that presentation is 90 percent of the product that you are trying to show. So obviously having a great looking pen mod is going to get you recognition which is really what the majority of people are doing this for, not all though. It feels good when you go onto SOYP after you post a pen and see replies like "that mod is awesome" or you see someone else create a mod similar or the same mod just different colors. It makes the modder feel like they have provided some sort of inspiration to the other person I feel. Now I'm no modder but I can say from personal experience that it feels nice when someone tells you a mod you made looks good. I think thats why some modders keep on modding. I think some of the examples that were brought up were bad ones though because on the KuZu mod that was a personal mod, it really was never meant for the tutorial to get out anyways. Also the Mr. Somsak mod can't spin that bad considering the things the creator (Dongza) can do with it.Anyways thats my two cents, sorry if it doesn't truly make sense I'll try to iron out some of the inconsistencies later ugh. ^_^
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 18:12:31
Speaking solely for myself as a modder, I enjoy modding pens that look nice. It's more fun in my opinion and more rewarding for me to make something that looks really good versus something that will spin well and look okay. Now I'm not saying I don't make anything that is of the latter quality (because I do in order to aid my spinning) but I like to mod much more than spin. I don't see modding as an explicit supplement toward spinning but an entirely seperate hobby all by itself. That's why oftentimes I focus more on aesthetic qualities rather than spinability. That's just my opinion
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Date: Mon, Jan 3 2011 22:47:58
Well, i've often had a hard time to find a pen that spins well, AND can write, since writability is a big thing for me which is why i made my buster cyls writable and am also planning to make my vicgotgame the same way, but for the purpose of the thread, SPINABILITY, SPINS WELL
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Date: Tue, Jan 4 2011 02:18:18
Personally I think it is important to spin all kinds of pens. I love spinning my waterfall mod the most because of its simplicity and great spinning. However, once I learn I new trick I tend to switch my pen. I try to be able to do all my tricks on any given pen. I use my fir3fly G3, rushon, MX's, and other pens to try and achieve this. This way I am consistent with tricks and such.