Cheap no-brand Tactical Self Defence pens

[dks]

I ordered these pens from eBay. 



These are unbranded. Similar/same  products are available from various sellers/shops under a variety of names. They all mimic the Uzi glass breaker pen look, but the Uzi comes with a handcuff key too and these do not. They cost about $5-$6. Bear in mind that for not much more you can get the Uzi pen, in the US at least.

The idea is that you have what looks like a regular pen on you which can be used for writing and as a self defence tool or a glass-breaker if needed. They are made with aluminium, but the glass breaker end has a steel “spike”.

They came with ink cartridges in them and can also take Parker, Staedtler etc. Cartridges.

The pen moves in and out with a twist mechanism, that feel smooth enough.  The included cartridges wrote well/smoothly but one was leaking a bit so I threw it away.

The pen feels normal, but a bit heavy.

The huge clip gets a bit in the way.

Taken apart:



The anodising was a bit worn on one.



Size comparison with some parker pens and the CS shark self defence marker.



Weight comparison (with ink cartridge)



..and with the parker jotter that uses the same ink cartridge.



The self defence pen is 4 times as heavy!!

But the shark is heavier...



Two more pens





So, they will write as good as the ink cartridge in them,
they are heavier than regular pens but not so much that you will notice it,
they feel good/grippy in the hand,
the anodising is not brilliant,
they look “normal” - ish, especially compared to some other offerings,
the anodising colour is not 100% the same shade on all parts (a common problem with low end products)
they will probably be more useful for breaking glass or self defence than a regular pen and, are just as good for writing,
they cost less than a parker ink cartridge does here (5 Euro),
their mechanism is a bit basic/low end and these have a tendency to break easily.

I intend to keep one on me and maybe keep one in a car.

(I offered one as a present but it was rejected, so maybe it does look more weird than I realise)

[Lichtbote]

I had bought them in the 3 available colors months ago.
Anodizing on mine was flawless, action is smooth, and they write as a pen should.

Indeed they are a little bit heavy - but i bought them for their sturdiness, so that´s OK for me

[dks]

I get the impression that there may be a few companies making them.

The anodising was mentioned on SPAMCORP too, where they sell a branded model. The mention was that it wore off easily, but again a lot depends on how good the QC (on the day, of the company) is, the colour etc.

For the price you can not expect better anodising than you would get on the low end chines lights, like e.g. the SK68.

Even a Swiss Alox knife will lose its anodising through pocket wear so unless it actually peels off with no effort I do not see it as a major issue.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I very nearly bought one for my boy, but being a pretty aggressive 12 year old with his dads chip on his shoulder I figured he'd probably use it to beat someone half to death

I've got a couple of tac pens from Uzi and one from Maxpedition, and there fantastic bits of kit, and quite comforting when your out walking is smurfty areas

[dks]

For comforting the CS Shark may be better....   

I would feel embarrassed to be seen with the Shark, but these pens are more normal.

There are also some SS offerings that should be thinner.

I do wonder about their legality, but if you go down that road you will have to ban pieces of wood/sticks, chains, more solid pens etc.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

They are still legal here, but for how long who knows   It's a shame if they do become illegal as the extra weight actually helps to make my handwriting close to legible

[Gareth]

They are still legal here, but for how long who knows   It's a shame if they do become illegal as the extra weight actually helps to make my handwriting close to legible

Oh, the legality is about as clear as mud AFAIK.   My, totally non-professional, understanding is; there is nothing wrong with carrying a nice sturdy pen that helps your handwriting.  However, you are never allowed to carry anything with the purpose of using it as a weapon or that has been designed to be used as a weapon.  I believe UK law makes no distinction between 'offensive' and 'self defense' 'cos they're still a weapon.

[dks]

...its a glass breaker then..   

[Gareth]

...its a glass breaker then..   

Hey, I'm convinced. 

[Cupboard]

A carrot carried in a threatening manner can be classed as a weapon.
There's nothing wrong with having a cricket bat in your car, but if it's pretty obvious you've only got the cricket bat in your car to whack people over the head with, that's illegal.

[dks]

I am waiting for the day when being over 5 feet tall and/or having a biceps with a circumference over 4 inches will be considered illegal...   

[dks]

I have been testing these pens for the past couple of days, doing a lot of note taking and letting other people play with them.

so:

They are fine to use and you do get used to the weight,

The grey one is more grippy, as you do tend to mainly grip the pen towards the point end, where there is no knurling. The paint/anodisation on the golden one is very smooth/polished so it does have the tendency to slip a bit out of your fingers.The grey one is more matt and feels a bit rougher (tactical look).


I put a Parker refill in one of them.
I gave both pens to a few people and asked them to write a bit and tell me which ink felt like it was the better quality one....

The included, no brand, cheap ink cartridge won each time.
The ink in it flows smoother and with less force. However, I have no idea how much ink there is in the cartridge.
After that I did order some more cheap refills  -  5 for $0.99...

They do not look discreet - most people notice that there is something unusual about them. Then they try to break something with the spike... However most people, from various walks of life, react positively to them, but they do not assume that they are regular pens.

[jzmtl]

Looks like a UZI branded one I saw a few years back.

I have a Schrade that I carry in coat pocket sometimes, but it's just too burly to actually use.

[dks]

Got another one.

This is the cheapest one you can get of ebay.

Comparison shots:

Closed (tactical mode)



with the cap off (pen mode)



As shown, in the regular, closed/tactical mode it looks like a pen but you have the glass breaker where the writing point of the pen would be.

To write, you need to unscrew the cap.

However the cap does not fit on the end of the pen, so you end up with a short pen, similar to a parker jotter.
Because of its shape it is comfortable to use as pen, and light, as you are not carrying the weight of the cap when you write

It takes the usual parker size refil




Weight with and without the cap





It is significantly lighter than the other tactical pens I have (though still heavier than regular pens), and is especially light when you write.

However, less weight means less momentum when you strike.

Overall it feels well made, the anodising is good, the threads are nice and feel/look robust.

The clip works well, but is less stiff than the ones on the other pens.