Tactical Pens Review

Here at BladeOps, we carry more than just knives. In fact, we have a large collection of tactical self-defense pens. Today, we are going to go over what a tactical pen is and then the pros and cons of a couple of our favorites that we carry.

The modern tactical pen is two very different things—it is a usable writing tool, but it is also a weapon for self-defense. The history isn’t completely clear, but many people trace the lineage of this extremely discreet back-up weapon to the original Kubotan, which is the self-defense “spike on a keychain” that was developed by Grand Master Takayui Kubota in the 1970s.

The origin story of this weapon isn’t the important aspect though, the important thing to focus on with a tactical pen is that they can deliver a painful blow to your opponent, if you do become separated from your original weapon.
One of the biggest benefits of a tactical penis that it is going to be one of the most discreet secondary weapon that you could be carrying. It is a low-key, non-threatening tool that is going to be mostly ignored by anyone who sees you using it. They just look like a wide pen.

When using a tactical pen, you should be carrying it somewhere handy. If you let it sink to the bottom of your purse or backpack, you aren’t going to have access to it when you need it the most. If you are using this weapon as a weapon, instead of the writing tool, do make use of all of its characteristics. The pen end can easily be used to give shallow stabs to your opponent, but the blunt end can also be used for “hammering” against your opponent. Also, if you are in the middle of defending yourself, don’t just hit your attacker once. Keep hitting them until you can tell that they are rendered unable to keep fighting.

Some things to keep in mind while you are using a tactical pen: don’t let this be your one and only weapon if you are expecting to fight. It’s a great backup plan, and fantastic if you have nothing else, but it’s still a pen. Also, don’t think that after you know how to fight with a tactical pen that you will be able to fight with any regular pen. Tactical pens are specifically built rugged and thick—perfect for fighting. It’s never a bad idea to have a tactical pen as your go-to pen, just in case you also run into a situation where you have to use the pen as a self-defense tool. Just because these pens have been designed as a fighting tool, doesn’t mean that they make a lousy writing tool.

At BladeOps, we do have quite the variety of tactical pens and bands that sell tactical pens. Today we are going to go over some of our favorite tactical pens.

 

The CRKT Williams Tactical Self-Defense Pen:

From the very beginning, CRKT has been driven by a single purpose: to bring useful technological advancements and entirely new product concepts to today’s market. This tactical pen is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum. Aluminum is a very low-density metal that is often used in knife making and defense tool making. Because it is such a low density metal, it will remain sturdy in the face of an attack, but you won’t have to worry about carrying around a super hefty pen. We don’t want your hand to cramp up. This material is very corrosion resistant, which just means that this pen will last a long time, no matter which environment you live in. This is a good thing, because it would be pretty lame if your writing tool was rusting on you. The aluminum that is used in this pen is 6061-T6 allow, which means that the type of aluminum used is 6061, and it is T6 tempered. This metal has one of the highest yield and tensile strengths of all aluminum alloys, which is going to benefit you when you are using this pen as a defense tool, not so much when you are using it as a pen. Aluminum alloy is cheap to machine because it is a softer metal, which means that the cost of this pen will be less than a tactical pen made out of a different metal.

This pen has been anodized black, which just means that the steel underwent a chemical process that actually changes the color of the metal used. This gives your pen a sleek, black finish that isn’t going to chip or peel off.

CRKT does have a variety of colors and shapes, but this Williams tactical pen is a pretty basic model that is going to do a decent amount of damage. This model was designed by James Williams, who brought forth his martial arts and military training into the design and execution of the Williams Tactical Pen. Each model features a tapered body and clean lines—which allows the user to utilize its full potential while still remaining in a discreet package. The overall length of this pen is 6 inches long, with an overall diameter of 0.63 inches. This tool weighs in at a light, but strong 1.2 ounces.

 

Smith & Wesson Grey Tactical Pen and Stylus:

The next tactical pen that we will be going over is made by Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson is all about weapons. They started out producing guns, before moving to produce knives as well. And now, they are producing self-defense tools. But, because of their history in all things self-defense, they know a thing or two about creating the perfectly discreet weapon for you.

This pen is also made out of 6061-T6 aluminum, so you know that the pen will be able to stand up to being used as a self-defense tool, but because aluminum is such a lightweight material, you don’t have to worry about your pen tiring your hand out when using it to write.

The Smith & Wesson Grey Tactical Pen and Stylus is the third generation model of this series. This tool features a soft tip that works perfecta s a stylus for all of your electronic devices. The cap screws on and off for access to the pen and the cap can be screwed on the back end for easy storage while writing The end of the pen is pointed and can be used as a self-defense tool if the need arises. The pen writes in black and uses Schmidt p900M Parker style black ball point pen refill.

The overall length of this pen is 5.7 inches long and weighs in at 1.4 ounces. This is a sleek pen that not only works as a weapon and tool, but also gives you a stylus, which is a pro of choosing this Smith & Wesson SWPEN3G.

Smith & Wesson also offers a tactical pen that has a Firestarter and window breaker on it. Both of these different pens are available in a variety of different colors.

 

The Schrade Black Tactical Fountain Pen:

This is the tactical pen that I choose to carry with me. Schrade also chose to use the 6061-T6 aluminum to give you a tool that doesn’t weigh you down, but can stand up for you if needed. The Schrade Black Tactical Fountain Pen combines the best of old world style with modern defensive capabilities. It features a classic fountain pen tip and the butt of the pen can be used as a glass breaker or self-defense tool in case of emergency. The tip screws onto the back of the pen, when you are writing with it so that you don’t lose track of your cap. And the pen comes with two refills as well as Schmidt K2 converter. I can attest that the ink is smooth and the pen is easy to write with. The pen is also pretty easy to refill when you run out of ink, which can be a little bit of a hassle on some tactical pens.

The overall length of this pen is 5.7 inches long and it weighs in at 1.4 ounces. Since fountain pens aren’t typically peoples’ go-to style of pen, Schrade also carries regular pens, a pen with a stylus, and even a pen that has a fire starter and whistle on one end. These pens are available in a variety of colors.

 

The Bear Edge Tactical Pen:

Bear Edge is a division of Bear & Son Cutlery offers high quality products that utilize mostly imported parts that are proudly assembled in the United States of America.

Each and every model of their tactical pens accepts both Standard and Fisher Space Pen refills. This particular model is made out of a black anodized aircraft aluminum body, a threaded pen cap with a carbide tip glass breaker, and a pocket clip for added convenience. The pocket tip will keep this pen discreet and secure, so there is no chance that you lose this.

The overall length of this tactical pen is 5.75 inches long, with an overall diameter of 0.55 inches long. This pen weighs in at a mere 1.3 ounces.

 

The Gerber Impromptu Tactical Pen:

Gerber chose to make this pen out of stainless steel. Stainless steel provides excellent durability and resistant to corrosion; however, stainless steel is a heavy metal. And, stainless steel is a pretty slippery metal. But, this material is so strong. To combat the slipperiness, there are plenty of ridges and grooves carved into this pen. You won’t have to worry about lacking a grip when you are using this Gerber tactical pen. The stainless steel has been anodized to a sleek black, although Gerber does offer this pen in other colors.

The Gerber Impromptu pen is a rugged heavy-duty tactical stainless steel pent hat offers the convenience of a writing instrument with the capability to break glass in an emergency situation as well as offer a back-up self-defense tool. Not only does this pen write, but features a “Rite in the rain” ballpoint pen cartridge which means that you will able to write—even in wet conditions. The integrated stainless steel pocket clip allows for this pen to remain handy at all times and the writing component is deployed with the push-button design at the base of the knife.

The overall length of this pen is 5.68 inches and it does happen to be our heaviest pen so far—weighing in at 2 ounces. This pen was made in the United States of America. This is the only tactical pen of Gerber’s that we carry, although you can get one of their knives in a set with this pen.

 

The Boker Plus Multi-Purpose Tactical Pen in Blue:

Boker Plus knives and tools are innovative in terms of function and design, as well as guaranteed for everyday use. Conception, design, and construction are carried out in Solingen, and production takes place in Europe, the USA, and Asia. Boker Plus tools are in close cooperation with international acknowledged experts form military, police, and security as they develop and test tactical tools for the professional user.

With this versatile pen, you are prepared for anything. It not only serves as a high quality writing tool and a stylus for a smart phone or tablet, it also features a glass breaker tip in case of emergency and can be used as a kubotan for self-defense. The sturdy clip keeps it readily accessible at times, and the screwed on cap prevents accidental separation. The deep finger grooves provide phenomenal comfort.

Changing the ink cartridge proves to be extremely easy, you simply unscrew the pen counter clockwise to prevent accidently disassembly. This pen is compatible with Fisher Space Pen cartridge #PR4.

The overall length of this pen measures in at 6 inches, with the diameter being 13.9 mm. This knife is one of our lighter ones, weighing in at 1.4 ounces.

Boker has a wide variety of tactical pens that come in a wide variety of colors.