Short EDC pens?

[Christoph]

If you can find one of these. I should have bought a few when I got mine. Uses the lamy M22 refill.

 

[louie]

Thanks for the link/info.

Are Office Max and Office Depot the same? I can't find many Office Depots and the building signs/logos are the same font & color.

I see they're not too expensive as you state. Might be a good option, just not as fancy as the machined ones.

Yep, Office Depot and Office Max merged into one company, but they still operate under both names. Their price on Fisher refills seems better than Amazon, so if you have a store near you, it works. Unfortunately, they don't seem to stock the Zebra -Compact-, just the regular.

 

[DaveTheDude]

Decided to get one of these to try. I like the history of them, refills are easily available, they appear to be high quality, and the "cap" extends it to a full length pen. That should work pretty good in my application. With the capsule design I don't think I will have any trouble damaging it (bending it or crushing it). The reversible cap doubles the wall thickness where the cap overlaps so that just reinforces it.

I've carried one of these for years. It's survived rough use without fail. I also know several LEO's who carry one as their "backup" pen, just in case. (Can't write a citation without one.)

You won't be disappointed.

 

[FlyFishn]

I suppose I am a sucker for gadgets. I ordered one of the Pen-Go's @scalpel_ninja linked to earlier also. That one has a key ring hole in the cap so I can add it to my keys. The other one I am thinking is a better choice to pair with the book.

Pen-Go Titanium Pen by Maratac®

( 1/2 Ounce- Grade 5 Titanium ) - The Pen-Go Pen = > Small Brother To The Pendulum Pen - Limited Production Run Uses German Made - Lamy M22 Black Fine FillCAGE : 5VKB6 MADE IN OUR PRIVATE MACHINE LAB Limited Edition Run Of 500 Of Each Pen !!! Welcome, all pen collectors and all-purpose pen...

countycomm.com

 

[boo5ted]

Nice pen, but at $180 that is quite pricey for a pen.

That's nothing, don't look up Nottingham or Fellhoelter pens then.

 

[letschat7]

Fisher is really good.

 

[tech25]

I have the Grafton mini by Everyman. Easy to hold but still compact.

 

[Fuzzywuzzies]

I was gifted a Tactile Turn Slim Titanium bolt action pen by my wife. She has excellent taste - I carry and use it every day, and it has held up to the rigours of my work excellently. A pleasure to use and very strong and well made. They do a mini version which is only 4.4" long:

Slim Bolt Action Pen

We make machined writing pens from the finest material known to man in our CNC machine shop in Texas. Check out our Bolt Action Pens, Side Click Pens, and Pencils and you'll surely find the perfect pen for yourself or a loved one. Everything we sell comes with a lifetime guarantee.

tactileturn.com

 

[ilikeguns40]

I was gifted a Tactile Turn Slim Titanium bolt action pen by my wife. She has excellent taste - I carry and use it every day, and it has held up to the rigours of my work excellently. A pleasure to use and very strong and well made. They do a mini version which is only 4.4" long:

Slim Bolt Action Pen

We make machined writing pens from the finest material known to man in our CNC machine shop in Texas. Check out our Bolt Action Pens, Side Click Pens, and Pencils and you'll surely find the perfect pen for yourself or a loved one. Everything we sell comes with a lifetime guarantee.

tactileturn.com

I've owned one of these. Excellent pens 👍

 

[PhotonMaster3]

The mini Microtech Kyroh is awesome. I'm writing with it right now. I went with the green tritium.

Apologies if this is off-topic, but my favorite full-size tactical pen is the zero tolerance titanium. They're not being produced anymore, but you can find them around.

 

[PhotonMaster3]

How about this one, my friend? I have a full size titanium and it's one of my favorite pens.

Matthew Martin M500 Mini Cap Pen - Copper

This is the Matthew Martin Mini 500 screw cap pen in copper. This Mini 500 Matthew Matrin Copper Pen has a screw top cap that has a durable titanium pocket clip that holds the pen firmly in place while clipped to a pocket or pack. One end of the pen has an integral copper impact tip. This...

www.knifeart.com

 

[mckeand13]

Tactile Turn makes some very short pens. Look at the "mini" in whatever type you like.

Their craftsmanship/quality is second to none.

The side click is my favorite for its action and lowest profile.

Tactile Turn - It just feels right.

We make machined writing pens from the finest material known to man in our CNC machine shop in Texas. Check out our Bolt Action Pens, Side Click Pens, and Pencils and you'll surely find the perfect pen for yourself or a loved one. Everything we sell comes with a lifetime guarantee.

tactileturn.com

 

[M@elstrom]

There's some flash pens in this thread, I'm kinda fond of the Sharpie Mini myself but I note the Victrinox Swiss-Card multitool has a pressurised ball point pen 😊

 

[FlyFishn]

The pens I ordered showed up today, surprisingly. The Fisher Space Pen I had engraved and was surprised to see it shipped out on Monday. Their online store shows to add a week of processing time for engraved items - they received the order, engraved, and shipped mine the same day (weekend order - monday processing). Pretty cool.

That said, the Pen-Go is tiny. It is too small to write with comfortably. However, I am glad I have it. Years ago I got a Swiss Army Swiss Champ multi-tool that had a pen as one of the slide out small tools. You would be surprised how much that tiny pen came in handy and was used - it was always there. Once it ran out of ink I never replaced it. I probably can find a replacement, I just haven't looked. In any event, considering the history of that little accessory pen - having the Pen-Go on my keychain is very nice to have. I feel like I will never be without a pen again, even if it is small. The machining on it is very nice also - very good quality.

The Fisher Space Pen works perfect for the book application. It is nice as the cap reverses and gives the pen a more useful length. The weighting is very nice, also. It is balanced well. Excellent choice.

Both the Fisher refill and the Lamey M22 refill in the Pen-Go write VERY well.

 

[aginthelaw]

I hate reading these threads. I always find something I don't have…got the pen-go on it's way to me…

 

[FlyFishn]

S

I hate reading these threads. I always find something I don't have…got the pen-go on it's way to me…

Same. Hence why I have a Pen-Go on my keychain now. That's OK, its a very useful addition. That should make for 2 pens always with me.

 

[scalpel_ninja]

I hate reading these threads. I always find something I don't have…got the pen-go on it's way to me…

Same. Hence why I have a Pen-Go on my keychain now. That's OK, it's a very useful addition. That should make for 2 pens always with me.

You're welcome. 😜

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Keeping this on the keychain that uses a short length of glow paracord since my job isn't requiring as much writing. Draping the keys over back of hand while writing affords much better control than holding such a tiny pen all by its lonesome.

Valiant Concepts Titanium Keychain Pen

[VC Pen Titanium] Valiant Concepts Titanium Keychain Pen

illumn.com

Their refills are not a good value and they have an old-school gummy/pasty nature that can build up at the point, so it is only for 'no other choice' use.

Some of the Japanese roller ball refills make a nice, low friction, reliable line. Having a Big I Designs pen that can use a multitude of refills can be useful if one is not already set on a particular refill.

Retro 51 pens do not have the ergonomics for me (though they do have Glow in the Dark) but Schmidt makes their refills. Their rollerball refill (Parker standard) I have gone through over 4 of them (primarily using 3 to 4 micro o-rings for grip and the included refill cap).

Amazon.com

Not a bad price, especially compared to Mount Blanc stuff and how little quantity of ink one gets with the (one opinion) too-much-friction Valiant Designs refills.

 

[FlyFishn]

Keeping this on the keychain that uses a short length of glow paracord since my job isn't requiring as much writing. Draping the keys over back of hand while writing affords much better control than holding such a tiny pen all by its lonesome.

As to the ergonomics of holding small pens - that is part of the issue with the Pen-Go I got. However, it being a "key chain pen" - it attaches to the key chain at the cap. The cap entirely removes - it screws off. That leaves the pen all by itself.

Though the removable cap with the key chain solves the issue of needing to write with the keys attached, the size of the pen being as dinky as it is makes it hard to use.

That is what I like about the Fisher Space Pen. The cap is removable, however it reverses and attaches to the "back side" of the pen to lengthen it. That makes the ergonomics while writing a whole lot better.

After using the Fisher Space Pen the past few days I do find the size of the pen and reversible "cap" a bit odd to work with. I am so used to long pens - click style and ones with short caps. I feel like the Fisher is so small I'm going to drop it and loose it. That isn't an operational issue I have with the pen, per se, just a "something to get used to" yet. As I said before - it writes very well.

This may be an odd question about the Fisher - I found the refill sits in the body under spring tension. When I write with it or shake/tap it the refill rattles. Do other pens of theirs do the same? I suppose its not a real "problem", just a nuance when writing with it that I have picked up on.

 

[kreisl]

ref: https://messerforum.net/threads/inkless-pen-keychain-eternal-pencil.145839/