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Zebra 701 or the Parker Jotter are my go to tactical pens. They will do the work if I do the work and raise no eyebrows at all with TSA. They both can be had for under 10ish off of Amazon Prime making them valuable enough that I try and keep track of them yet no tears should they get lost, borrowed, broken or taken.
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I'm a long time Parker Jotter user. Probably my favorite ball pen of all time.
That class of pen seems to be disappearing though, the moderately priced, $10 -$20 pen (what used to be the $5 pen). You can find the cheap disposable pens and the Cross and above pens everywhere, but the market seems to be drying up for pens like the Parker Jotter (I like the plastic barreled version and not the stainless model - too slick), and I don't think the PaperMate equivalent, the Profile Pen (they still have the model name, but it is a different class of pen) is even available anymore. Fisher has a bunch of options in that range, and while I have several Fisher Space Pens, I do agree with orionz06 their ink is a little sloppy.
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Long before the marketing craze of tactical pens, I was bringing a Zebra F-402 ($6 on Amazon) whenever I went somewhere I couldn't have a gun or knife.
I will say the first time I heard the term tactical pen, I thought of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3GPrFZ33lo
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Zebra F-701/402 "hack" here. I like the small size and the all stainless body makes it easy to remove from my pocket. I also like the ink and width of the line it writes. Another thing I really like about it is that I can remove and re-bend the pocket catch if it gets bent out of shape.
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If I buy a "tactical" pen there better be a tiny little mace on a chain that pops out of one end.
The pen splitting into tiny nunchucks would also be acceptable.
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My current favorite tactical pen is the Inpax Response Pen.
http://www.livewithconfidence.com/responsepen.html
Most tactical pens are designed as half-hearted stabbing instruments. They are not only unlikely to cause an immediately debilitating injury, but depending on the circumstances in which they are employed, could cause an injury that could be tough to explain from a legal standpoint. the telltale spike on one end is also a dead giveaway to the function of the pen at security checkpoints. Thus, something that serves as a pure Yawara/Kubotan/pocket stick type impact weapon is preferred.
The Inpax pen includes a glass break that has actually been tested and works against automobile glass, which cannot be said for everything being marketed as a "glass break." Automobile glass is surprisingly tough. The shape is specifically designed not only to break glass, but also to resist penetration of the skin when used as an impact weapon.
As a pen, it utilizes a pressurized ink cartridge that is less expensive than a Fisher space pen refill, and in my experience works wuite well. In my profession, a pen contributes at some small level to my overall professional appearance, so I want a tactical pen that looks like a nice professional pen, not something that looks "tacticool." A significant number of tactical pens I have seen fall short in this regard. I appreciate that the Inpax logo is discreetly placed on the pocket clip.
Prior to the Inpax pen becoming available, I used a TuffWriter Executive Model. This is one of their shorter length "sterile" pens with a nickel finish. I like everything about it except the spike on the end, and the way the end of the pocket clip sticks out. It uses Fisher Space Pen refills, which I like. I use my pens not only for writing, but also for informal patent drawings which will be filed with the Us Patent and Trademark Office and will sometimes end up in an issued patent, and I have found Fisher Space Pen refills to be some of the best I have used - even when professional drafting pens are included.
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Concept isn't bad, but it's a little bulky. That's my problem with most of the tactical pens too. If they made it a little smaller, it might look less like something that vibrates.
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Owned a few. I've had and carried a Fellhoelter ti-bolt for about 15 months. I actually use it to write with and it's something to fidget with when I'm bored too. Using it for defense would probably work well but it never crosses my mind.
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Zebra F701.
I'm a nurse and use my pen dozens of times every day, I require a pen that is "clickable", refillable, and doesn't look tactical. The Zebra options meet all of these requirements.
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The SF pens have a nice size and heft making them strong enough for a lot of expedient tasks. They get more notice than others, may not fit a lot of pen slots, and need more discreet markings. The EWP1's smooth surface can slip in the hand a bit, the others are a little better. Mine have traveled pretty easily and cleared checkpoints.
The Zebra 701/402 hack is GTG. Cheap and functional.
I like Sharkies for some applications. The new Pocket Shark revision is all black and looks more "hmmm...". The logo belies it's discretion and needs to be scrubbed off if it might actually be scrutinized.
I've also had other purpose built "tactical pens", almost all of which had one or features that gave them away. If their explanation needs to start with a "but...(it's a pen)" it's a no go.
I'd like a pen that's half the difference in circumference between the 701 and the EWPs, the weight of the EWPs, the knurling at the nose of the 701, little to no branding, and finished in a friendly non-tactical color.