Schrade Tactical Pen – Worth It

So despite what I said about tactical pens in an earlier posting not being worth it and that a person could go with the Zebra F701, I bought a true tactical pen. Here’s the logic of why I did it:

• I like pens
• I set a self imposed limit of $30 for a pen. This one was less than that.
• I wanted to know what a true tactical pen was as opposed to a sturdy pen like the the Zebra.
• It looks cool. In fact, it looks identical to the Mil-tac pen.

Impressions of the Schrade:

• It is a quality pen. While I paid around $25 for fountain pens, the fountain pales pale in comparison to the quality of the Schrade.  In fact, the Schrade is now the best quality pen I have. The fountain pens are injection molded plastic. The Schrade sports major amounts of machining on the aluminum.
• It feels indestructible. Compared to all the ordinary pens I have, this one will survive the toughest “combat” I could imagine. Other pens would break or bend.
• It is heavy compared to standard pens. Nonetheless, it balances well in writing.
• The finger grooves near the writing end tip are a tad sharp. I couldn’t imagine writing a lengthy essay with this pen.
• The flutes/blood groves on the barrel have a slight edge. I first feared it may cut the palm in heavy use. It still might happen but I see the logic of it in that provides a better grip.
• The finish reportedly is Type III anodizing. It feels sturdier than the anodizing on a Maglite. We’ll see how that holds up.
• It uses a German Hauser cartridge.  I like the ink flow better than the Zebra.
• Slight digression. Make a fist. Take the rounded end of a pen and firmly tap the middle finger bone on the back of your fist. Ouch. Shock waves of pain! Now imagine imagine doing that a 100 times harder with the pointed end of the Schrade, which has some real heft and no give.

I highly recommend the Schrade. It’s cheap everyday carry insurance hidden in plain sight that can be deployed instantly without fumbling to get at when clipped in a shirt pocket.  Can you do that with your gun or knife?

Waterman Phileas

The local Office Depot was closing down and had a few remaining on sale. It wasn’t exactly dirt cheap but cheaper than anything I’ve found on the net.

The barrel is plastic but what can you expect for $20? The point is fine and looks thick compared to the Lamy Safari with EF point.

I haven’t used it as I view it for collection purposes rather than use. Why do I this?

Lamy Safari

I remember having a few fountain pens as a kid. I thought they were cool and adult like but I couldn’t write anything without the writing appearing blotchy and smeared.

I’ve always liked pens but the nice ones seemed way out of line costwise.  As I was surfing the net, I ran across a review for Lamy Safari pens. The review was convincing enough and I picked one up with an extra fine EF tip.  It has a contemporary rather than classic look a fountain pen should have.  Adding to the contemporary look are the spring pocket clip and its plastic body. At $30 with cartridges, this was and is the most expensive pen I have in my collection.

The Safari is a light pen yet does not float when writing. It’s best to write with the cap off the pen as the cap makes it top heavy and less controllable. The two scalloped sides of the grip allows for an ergonomic positioning thumb and forefinger.

Some reviewers say the pen writes a bit scratchy and I understand what they mean however it is not bothersome to me.  It definitely does not have the smooth flow of a rollerball pen.

I enjoy the pen and it seems that every time I write with it, my penmanship is always better. Not having any other fountain pen to compare it against, I do highly recommend it as a first fountain pen for those interested.

Cross Century Pen/Pencil Set

So the wife is watching me sort my pens and a few weeks later, she pulls out this Cross pen set. I ask her where she got it and she can’t remember. She says that I gave it to her. I reply I would never give a woman a pen set.  I may not be the most social animal but I certainly know enough not to give a woman a pen set.

I have had a Cross pen set which I had shown her years ago but this Century Chrome set she pulled out on me out of the blue. I gave her the third degree and asked which old boyfriend gave the set to her.

I looked it over and I wondered what makes Cross so special. These have a tad more heft than would be usually expected but I don’t see where the premium material is making it worth its current asking price of $50-$60.

These are decent writers but scratch the name Cross off the pens and I would think that these are a ordinary pen and pencil set.  Set me up to do a blind writing test with the pen/pencil and I wouldn’t think they were anything special either. It’s all about the designer name.  What price do we pay for a name?

She finally came up with the answer that she got it from her dad…

Zebra F-701 Review

In an earlier post, I said get a Zebra F-701 instead of a $125 tactical pen. I had recommended a F-701 solely based upon having a Zebra F-402 as a basis of comparison.  Since that time, I’ve picked up a F-701 and can now provide a review.

Just a side note. My F-402 was made in Japan. The current ones are made in Indonesia.  The F-701 according to the package is made in Japan but is not inscribed so anywhere on the pen.

The F-701 has a stainless steel barrel with knurling at the writing end of the barrel. The pen has a nice balance with about perfect heft for writing. It balances well in the writing position with the barrel falling nicely into place and nestling in the thumb crotch.

The pen has a soft clicker. It’s a smooth operating mechanism that belies its $5 cost. For the elegant and the meditative types, this is almost zen like. For the nervous nellies, the clicker just won’t do much to channel the nervous energy.

The pen comes with a 0.7mm cartridge which provides a smooth even fine line. This is really a nice writer. I don’t know if I can say it is the best I’ve used but it certainly ranks near the top.

As a tactical pen, it will do in a pinch but it lacks the necessary heft and the diameter is on the smaller side.

The pen exudes quality, certainly more so than the $5 price tag would suggest. I would consider this to be an excellent value and highly recommend it.

Tactical Pens worth it or get Zebra F-701?

A few months ago, I became aware of the Benchmade tactical pen at $125.  Are they kidding?  Here’s a few more from other manufacturers: Surefire – $125, Hinderer – $390, Tactical Defense TDP1 – $80, Perrin – $20 plus $10 S&H ($10 for S&H? Must be union labor).

My thought on these pens were “There’s a sucker born every minute”. Just because you have a reputation in the business is no reason to charge exorbitant prices for a machined tube of aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. Pens are disposable and too easily lost.

I’m a small guy and I never had kubotan training or martial arts training. If I had to use a pen to defend, the best I could do is to stick the pen in the bad guy’s eye or neck, assuming my aim is that good, and run fast far away. Can I justify a $125 pen for defensive purposes? No. I’m not saying my life isn’t worth $125 but I am saying I can’t justify $125 when a $10 pen probably could do the same.

So is there is a $10 pen that’s close in composition and build to these tactical pens? Edcforums.com has a post discussing the Zebra F-701 pen ($6) combined with the collar top of a Zebra F-402 pen for an all metal presentation, which can serve as a good low cost tactical pen option.  I scrounged around my pen collection and discovered I had a F-402.  Part 1 completed.

As I continued sorting through my collection, I found the pen pictured above the Zebra. It has noticeably more heft than the F-402 so I took it apart to find it has a solid almost 1 mm brass core shaft. The exterior barrel diameter is larger than most other pens thus greatly improving gripping ability.  It is also slightly longer but that short increase in length seems to be significant when holding it in an icepick grip. As a writing instrument, it is top heavy. The operating mechanism to open and retract the ballpoint is flimsy.  The pocket clip is also flimsy.

To answer the title question, IMO, tactical pens aren’t worth it. Try the Zebra F701 for $6.

UPDATE:

Click here  review of the Zebra F-701

UPDATE 12/27/09

Click here for review of the Schrade Tactical Pen