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Schrade Tactical Pen


penguinmaster

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There was a fun post in the General Writing Instrument forums that discussed fountain pens as weapons. Someone posted a link to "tactical pens". Being a person who digs both "tactical" equipment and fountain pens I was interested to see that Schrade is producing a fountain pen version of a tactical pen. I saw the copper one and immediately knew I had to have it. As well looking at some of the photos online it appeared to have a schmidt nib (at least from the looks of the feed). Low and behold it does indeed have a Schmidt nib.

 

http://facstaff.uww.edu/pellizzt/penreviews/schrade1.JPG

 

I have to say right off the bat, I had no expectations of this pen except as a fun novelty. I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised that it turns out to be a pretty decent pen, someone at Schrade knew what they were doing.

 

It does indeed as I said before have a quality nib (Schmidt made), the one I received had I'm assuming a medium nib, it's super smooth and juicy, almost to the point where it's a broad nib. When I get home though I'll switch out it with a gold colored steel fine Schmidt nib I have, I like fine nibs better and I think the gold will go better with the copper theme.

 

It is a C/C pen, but only comes with cartridges, luckily I have some extra converters at home, so I'm all set there.

 

The clip on this pen is insane. It's well built, very tight to the body, it's probably the only thing on this pen I'd give less than an excellent review,. Overall it's a great clip, just a bit tight to get into a shirt pocket.

 

http://facstaff.uww.edu/pellizzt/penreviews/schrade2.JPG

 

Size and weight wise, it's a pretty nice pen to hold, un-posted that is. With it posted it' s a very long pen. It's actually a long pen as well capped, just a smidge to long to fit nicely in a front shirt pocket. It'll be relegated to pants pocket duty I guess. The finish is anodised aluminium so we'll see how well it holds out over time. But initially it seems pretty tough.

 

http://facstaff.uww.edu/pellizzt/penreviews/schrade3.JPG

 

The "business end". I guess that's what you'd call it. The end of this pen WILL do some damage. I went to a wood workbench we have at work and slammed this thing down as hard as I could and it left a sizeable dent in the wood. I don't really want to see what it would do to someone's head, but I suppose, in a "tactical" situation you would be glad it would do a bunch of damage. A bit macabre I suppose, but that's also the intention of this pen. This is NOT a pen you want to try and get past airport security with. To be honest I'm a bit weary of even pulling it out at work in meetings.

 

Overall, I was really surprised as said before. I found this online for around $30 bucks. Not bad for a quality pen that's going to be extremely durable and writes like a dream. Also an added benefit is they include a rollerball section along with it, so you can switch it back and forth at will. It comes in black, silver and copper.

 

-Tom

 

--UPDATE - Turns out the nib is not a Schmidt nib, I tried to replace it as stated above and a Schmidt nib is just a bit too short. But what DID work was a steel JOWO nib I had, so take that for what's it worth. Either way the nib that comes on the pen is top notch in terms of smoothness and flow, so I'm guessing it's good brand of nib.

 

Also I found out it is a cartridge only pen. A converter it just a bit to wide to fit into the back of the barrel. I'm looking to see if maybe a squeeze converter or mini converter will work in it though.

Edited by penguinmaster

My Site: Pens and Ink

 

Philip Hull Memories Scan

 

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Cool, I didn't realise they made a fountain pen version of these. Out of intrest, where did you buy a gold nib that would fit it?

politician and idiot are synonymous terms - Mark Twain

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I've seen these by S&W and other companies that used roller ball refills and other ball pen refill but this is the first I've seen in a fountain pen.

Awesome!

Being it's a Shrade, the anodizing should hold up extremely well, they use level III hard anodizing on most products they sell.

I have an EXOTAC nanoStriker I've been carrying on my keyring for ages, has a similar hard anodizing, despite having a pound of keys and a mil-spec P-38 rubbing against it all the time the finish is still basically unscathed.

I like that copper color too, usually seen the ball point types in silver or black made by other companies like S&W.

“I view my fountain pens & inks as an artist might view their brushes and paints.

They flow across paper as a brush to canvas, transforming my thoughts into words and my words into art.

There is nothing else like it; the art of writing and the painting of words!”

~Inka~ [scott]; 5 October, 2009

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At the risk of being flamed... Wondering what exactly makes any one pen more "Tactical" than others? Just curious... Being a Law Enforcement Officer for some years I really think the use of the word "Tactical" is way over used and over rated. A selling gimmick if you will. Don't get me wrong. I do like your new pen... Very nice lines. Enjoy it. :vbg: This is not referring to your pen but anything labeled "Tactical" in general... Tacticlal sneakers, Tactitcal Neck Ties, ect :roflmho:

Edited by waterman1924

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/SnailBadge.png

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/knight11.jpg

Poor Knights of Christ

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Wow. This is the first "I gotta get me one of those" pens I've seen in a while. Where are these manufactured; do you know? A little web research yielded nothing conclusive. Thanks for introducing me to these!

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At the risk of being flamed... Wondering what exactly makes any one pen more "Tactical" than others? Just curious... Being a Law Enforcement Officer for some years I really think the use of the word "Tactical" is way over used and over rated. A selling gimmick if you will. Don't get me wrong. I do like your new pen... Very nice lines. Enjoy it. :vbg: This is not referring to your pen but anything labeled "Tactical" in general... Tacticlal sneakers, Tactitcal Neck Ties, ect :roflmho:

 

Hey Waterman,

 

I agree with you, hence the quotes on every single tactical in my review.

 

Could this pen come in handy in a life or death situation, I suppose so. I really bought it more as a novelty because I thought it looked neat, the fact that it wrote well and I suppose could be used was just a bonus.

 

That said, if I had my druthers I'd be going into a tactical situation with a "tactical" AR-15, not a tactical pen :roflmho:, don't always have that choice though I guess.

 

-Tom

Edited by penguinmaster

My Site: Pens and Ink

 

Philip Hull Memories Scan

 

Looking for: ...

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At the risk of being flamed... Wondering what exactly makes any one pen more "Tactical" than others? Just curious... Being a Law Enforcement Officer for some years I really think the use of the word "Tactical" is way over used and over rated. A selling gimmick if you will. Don't get me wrong. I do like your new pen... Very nice lines. Enjoy it. :vbg: This is not referring to your pen but anything labeled "Tactical" in general... Tacticlal sneakers, Tactitcal Neck Ties, ect :roflmho:

 

Hey Waterman,

 

I agree with you, hence the quotes on every single tactical in my review.

 

Could this pen come in handy in a life or death situation, I suppose so. I really bought it more as a novelty because I thought it looked neat, the fact that it wrote well and I suppose could be used was just a bonus.

 

-Tom

 

Tom, Like I said it is a very nice looking pen and I hope it works well for you... I suppose that being in my occupation the phrase just get really old... Like I said "enjoy"......

Edited by waterman1924

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/SnailBadge.png

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/knight11.jpg

Poor Knights of Christ

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Personally, I think there's an acceptable use for tactical when describing some items, pens included. For me, it's simply synonymous with durable. I have a flashlight that I've dropped 5 or so meters onto concrete and I could barely tell where it had hit. (And I've had others that I wouldn't trust falling two feet onto shag carpet.) That's what I'd want to see in a tactical fountain pen. My Caran d'Ache might make the mark. My Mont Blanc? Doubt it. My Lamy Al-Star might qualify, but if this Schrade is made from heavier-duty aluminum, then it could easily be the grail pen that I didn't even know I was looking for.

 

That's all I would want in a tactical item -- survivability. I don't care whether it's also able to carry an extra three quarts of dehydrated water, doubles as an emergency aircraft beacon, or triples as an injector for the Venezuelan Venom Viper. If it can survive the atypical day at the office, then I'm okay with the marketing folks calling it tactical.

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If it can survive the atypical day at the office, then I'm okay with the marketing folks calling it tactical.

 

Ah, ok...

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/SnailBadge.png

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/knight11.jpg

Poor Knights of Christ

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If it can survive the atypical day at the office, then I'm okay with the marketing folks calling it tactical.

Ah, ok...

Although in general I completely agree with you. When, say, marketeers talk about a shirt being tactical because it has a little AR-15 embroidered on the collar, well yeah, I think we're basically in agreement in the long run.

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If it can survive the atypical day at the office, then I'm okay with the marketing folks calling it tactical.

Ah, ok...

Although in general I completely agree with you. When, say, marketeers talk about a shirt being tactical because it has a little AR-15 embroidered on the collar, well yeah, I think we're basically in agreement in the long run.

 

Yea, but the shirt will make it thru an atypical day at the office... ;)

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/SnailBadge.png

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/knight11.jpg

Poor Knights of Christ

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Yea, but the shirt will make it thru an atypical day at the office... ;)

Good point. Does it have a pocket where I can put my tactical pen? Maybe I'll try one after all!

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Yea, but the shirt will make it thru an atypical day at the office... ;)

Good point. Does it have a pocket where I can put my tactical pen? Maybe I'll try one after all!

 

:ltcapd:

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/SnailBadge.png

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac65/officer_dread/knight11.jpg

Poor Knights of Christ

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Penguinmaster,

 

Any update on your attempts to use other converters? Also, on the one that wouldn't work, was the barrel itself too wide, or was the knob just a bit too wide to let it go all the way in? (i.e., might cutting off a bit of the knurled part possibly work?) My pen is enroute; am willing to invest in potential converters to try, but am interested in your experiences first, if you have any more.

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Penguinmaster,

 

Any update on your attempts to use other converters? Also, on the one that wouldn't work, was the barrel itself too wide, or was the knob just a bit too wide to let it go all the way in? (i.e., might cutting off a bit of the knurled part possibly work?) My pen is enroute; am willing to invest in potential converters to try, but am interested in your experiences first, if you have any more.

 

No more attempts yet. I have to order them in and haven't had a chance. As for the other normal converter it was the knob was just a bit to wide to get all the way into the back of the pen. I suppose cutting or sanding down a bit of the knurled part might work, I can give it a shot tonight and report back. It appears the pen has enough room inside the barrel lengthwise to accommodate, just goes smaller the further into the barrel it goes.

 

-Tom

My Site: Pens and Ink

 

Philip Hull Memories Scan

 

Looking for: ...

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No more attempts yet. I have to order them in and haven't had a chance. As for the other normal converter it was the knob was just a bit to wide to get all the way into the back of the pen. I suppose cutting or sanding down a bit of the knurled part might work, I can give it a shot tonight and report back. It appears the pen has enough room inside the barrel lengthwise to accommodate, just goes smaller the further into the barrel it goes.

Didn't mean to imply that I expected you to grind away on a converter. I'm willing to do so myself; was just wondering it was even possible before I invested in a couple I wouldn't need oterwise. What converter are you trying, by the way? Is this one of the "standard international" converters? I'm not sure I've even seen one -- only heard of them. I don't think any of the pen shops in my area carry pens for which they'd be useful. Did you mail order yours?

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There are areometric squeeze converters available that fit pens designed in such as they won't take carts longer than standard International size.

I have a couple of those, as well as the long ones similar to the long International carts, they work really well when twist converters don't fit certain pens.

Just an idea, thought I'd mention them as an option.

Here's a couple of shots borrowed from the Tryphon Catalog, although you can get these from kit pen suppliers too.

First, the larger size or standard areometric squeeze converter...

http://www.tryphon.it/ae.jpg

 

If that's too long there's the shorter version that's about the size of an International cartridge, Tryphon calls this a Bantam Ink Converter...

http://www.tryphon.it/ba.jpg

 

As for the word "Tactical", definitely marketing ploy.

My Rockport boots I wore while in uniform were marketed as being Tactical S.W.A.T., no idea why other than trying to appease a L.E. niche and to drive the cost up.

I like that the pen looks as if it could be run over by a Bradley M2/3 and probably still write just fine, I wouldn't try that with my Pelikan!

“I view my fountain pens & inks as an artist might view their brushes and paints.

They flow across paper as a brush to canvas, transforming my thoughts into words and my words into art.

There is nothing else like it; the art of writing and the painting of words!”

~Inka~ [scott]; 5 October, 2009

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HI Penguin master, nice review, one question, does the pen feel unbalanced when writing posted? And where did you buy the pen from, you could pm me in private if you wanted. Cheers. Cecil

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