Where Can You Buy Custom Cheap Pins

Knowing what you are buying is the best way to purchase custom cheap pins.  Every custom pin company will claim to offer cheap pins, but prices will vary as you compare, so knowing the ins and outs of custom pins is a better option than just looking for the cheapest price.  Just like any product you purchase there are different levels of quality.  Knowledge allows you to get a quality product while paying the lowest price.

The cheapest custom enamel pin you can purchase is a diestruck, soft enamel pin made with iron base metal.  You can buy custom cheap pins at Custom Pins Now, that is what they specialize in.  They utilize the methods mentioned below to produce cheap pins that still maintain a very good quality.

Now that you know the answer to the question, lets explain why soft enamel pins are the cheapest.  We will do this by describing the different types of pins on the market.  We will start with the most expensive and work down to the least expensive.

Why are Cloisonné Enamel Pins the Most Expensive?

Cloisonné is a rarely used word in the pin world today.  Cloisonné is literally crushed glass that is hard fired and used to create color in a lapel pin.  New technology has replaced the older technique of using cloisonné thus making pins cheaper.

Cloisonné is considered the highest quality, but does have limitations.  It is limited in the number of available colors.  It is more expensive to produce.  And it takes longer to produce.  The biggest hurdle with cloisonné is the limitation of colors.  The drawback for customers in choosing cloisonné is they have to settle for the colors available.  For an artist this is very limiting and not an appealing option.

The other reason cloisonné should not be chosen is the average person would never be able to distinguish between cloisonné and hard enamel.  It just isn’t worth the cost.

So, one way to find the cheapest pin price is to avoid cloisonné.

Why are Hard Enamel Pins more expensive than Soft Enamel Pins?

Hard enamel is also hardened by heat similar to cloisonné.  This hardening process makes hard enamel a more durable product than the soft enamel process.  You cannot scrape or remove the enamel without some serious effort.  The benefit to hard enamel is the hundreds of colors from the pantone color pallet are available.  However, there is a draw-back most people don’t understand.  The heat causes the colors to darken and actually change slightly.  Most people will never notice the difference, but if color is a big deal you want to consider that in making color choices.  This heat process is an extra step, it therefore makes hard enamel pins more expensive.

Typically, hard enamel pins are made with brass or copper.  These materials are much easier to work with in the hard enamel process.  The drawback, they are also more expensive metals thus making hard enamel more expensive.

Why are Soft Enamel Pins the Least Expensive Pins?

Soft enamel uses all the colors of the pantone color chart just like hard enamel, but unlike cloisonné and hard enamel, soft enamel is air dried.  This saves a step in the process thus making soft enamel pins cheaper than hard enamel pins.  The effect of air drying is that the enamel settles ever so slightly.  This means the border ridges separating each color are left raised and the enamel slightly recessed.  In a way it gives the pin a more dimensional look.  Some people actually prefer this look.  Also, since heat was not introduced to the pin, the colors remain true and have a little more brilliance.

Soft enamel pins also can be made with brass or copper material, but because heat is not introduced it makes it easier to use iron metal as the base metal.  Iron is cheaper than brass or copper, thus you get a cheaper pin.

So, requesting soft enamel pins that don’t require heat, and requesting iron base metal gets you the cheapest enamel pin you can purchase.  The best part is you are getting a very good quality pin that will hold its own against a perceived higher quality hard enamel pin.

Gold versus Silver makes a difference in price.

Gold versus silver doesn’t relate to a type of pin, but it does often affect the cost of a pin.  Most pins are plated with a very thin layer of gold, silver or sometimes paint (called dyed metal).  This is important because it covers the raw look of the brass, copper or iron and gives the enamel pin a polished shiny look.  You might say it turns the pin into a jewelry looking item rather than a rustic raw piece of metal.

We call this plating.  Plating is important because it too can affect the cost of a pin.  Gold is an expensive material and increases the cost.  All other plating options cost the same, but many pin companies charge extra for gold plating.  So, when you are designing your pin, consider the difference between gold and silver if your pin design will still look good – if so stick with silver it will produce a cheaper pin.

Offset Printed Pins are ultimately the cheapest pins when purchased in bulk.

Offset printed pins are mentioned here only because when purchasing thousands of pins these will be your cheapest option.  However, they are a different class of pin.  They do not use enamel to produce color in the pins, they are literally printed pins.  The design is printed onto the metal and then covered with a clear epoxy coating.  They would be considered the lowest quality pin you can buy, and the cheapest price tag reflects that categorization.  We just wanted to mention that since the reason you are reading this is to find cheap.

Conclusion

As noted above soft enamel pins are the cheapest enamel pins you can buy.  They are cheapest because soft enamel uses iron base metal, does not require heat, and if you use silver plating that also reduces the overall cost.  The good news is once finished, your soft enamel pins will look just as good and be just as impressive as a hard enamel pin.  So take a look at custompinsnow.com as they are in the business of quality at a cheap price.