Do You Really Need A Clip On A Pen?

[mke]

When I order pens to be made for me, I always ask for a clip-less version.

Unfortunately, the "normal" pen companies do not offer this - even as an after-service.

 

Do you really clip a pen to your pocket?

 

I know some of my colleagues carry up to 5 (ball-)pens clipped to their shirt pocket. But these are light-weight ball-pens.

I doubt that anyone would clip even one MB149 to their pockets.

 

So, why does MB and all the other companies offer their pens ONLY as clip-carrying versions.

 

Hey pen companies please listen: I WANT clip-less pens.

 

p.s. I guess many clips only serve as roll-stoppers. If I need one, I buy one.

Edited January 5, 2019 by mke

[carlos.q]

Do you really clip a pen to your pocket?

 

 

Yes. Everyday I carry one or two pens clipped to my shirt pocket.

[Ron Z]

Yes. Decidedly yes. I carry the pen or pens in my shirt pocket. I'm much less likely to lose them, and I can separate them if I carry more than one. If they didn't have a clip, I would be more likely to lose them as they would fall out of my shirt pocket. (I don't buy shirts without pockets). Keeping a pen from rolling off the table is important too. Mark Twain called the Conklin with the Crescent filler a "profanity saver" because it couldn't roll off the table.

 

I don't carry pens in my pants pockets. I used to when in college, but I also had some broken pen, and the pens would get all scratched up and uglified as they competed for space with all of the junk I carry.

[BEEG]

If a pen doesn't have a clip won't it roll away from you and fall down, when you put it on the desk?

Edited January 5, 2019 by BEEG

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi MKE,

 

I have to say, I cannot imagine buying a pen WITHOUT a clip.

 

I've been tempted by several Birmingham Model A's and cannot bring myself to pull the trigger on a clipless pen.

 

How am I gonna carry it?

 

 

 

- Anthony

 

EDITED to clarify text.

Edited January 5, 2019 by ParkerDuofold

[praxim]

Fair enough, that you want clipless pens. It would not be difficult for most to replace the clip attachment with a corresponding dress ring or stud. I guess demand would be low. The clip is usually part of adornment as well as an assumption about who will use it and how.

I usually carry either type in a pen case so am mostly indifferent to clips although it can be handy to clip a pen in the pocket or on the placket of a shirt, between writing.

 

edit:typo

Edited January 5, 2019 by praxim

[praxim]

If a pen doesn't have a clip won't it roll away from you and fall down, when you put it on the desk?

Buy a flatter desk.

 

Be messier, so there is always an obstruction before it can roll off the edge.

 

How am I gonna carry it? .

Think of all the beautiful pen case purchase options on which you are missing out.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I nearly always have one fountain pen and one mechanical pencil in a shirt pocket. If I have others with me, they will be probably be in a case inside a bag, but on some other occasion, they might be in my pocket. So yes, they need clips.

 

I did experiment with having the clip removed on a couple of Pilot Vanishing Points, sacrificing the possibility of shirt pocket carry to get rid of that awkward feeling clip at the "wrong end". But I found that the clip on the slimmer Capless Decimo was less uncomfortable, and I could still carry it in a shirt pocket.

 

Oh, and I have some vintage pens without clips, one of my Conklin Crescents, a couple of ringtops, maybe one or two others. But with those, there were other things that made them interesting to me, and I knew that they would probably never be everyday carry pens anyway.

 

Just remembered, my Kaweco Liliput fountain pen came without a clip, and Kaweco doesn't seem to make a removable one for them. But I found that after being spread slightly, the clip for a Fisher Space Pen (yes, a ballpoint) would fit on the Kaweco, and by being very careful, I avoided scratching the finish. Much better that way.

Edited January 5, 2019 by ISW_Kaputnik

[katerchen]

 

p.s. I guess many clips only serve as roll-stoppers.

 

That's the case for me. I never really got into the habit of putting anything in my shirt pocket. If I'm even wearing one. More than half the time it's T-Shirts or sweaters anyway.

 

I usually need a pen only when sitting down at one of my desks.

 

For writing emergencies I carry a little Ti Arto EDC in my pants pocket : that thing is indestructible. I don't worry about the small scratches : they build character.

 

-k

[sandy101]

I do find a clip useful on the pens I carry, but there are heavier pens which spend their time resting in a case or on a desk and I wouldn't miss the clip on them.

[MuddyWaters]

clipped on the lanyard for me

[zaddick]

I have many pens without clips, so I can go both ways. Already mentioned benefits like staying put in a shirt pocket and as a roll stopper are big benefits. I usually don't have a shirt pocket so I clip to my shirt though the neck area of my polo shirt. I also use the clip to attach the pen to the outside of a notebook or to attach to notebook pages as a bookmark or papers for transport between desk and meeting rooms.

 

Of course, for some pens the pen provides and aesthetic improvement. This is subjective, but I find some clips to be little works or art that add to the pen's beauty.

[cattar]

Hey pen companies please listen: I WANT clip-less pens.

 

 

Yes!!!

 

 

 

And about using clips as rollstops...

 

Buy a flatter desk.

 

Be messier, so there is always an obstruction before it can roll off the edge.

 

Think of all the beautiful pen case purchase options on which you are missing out.

 

 

Lol.

 

[senzen]

Don't really mind either way, don't use clips but they do keep pens from rolling over.

[Mechayoshi]

For a work/active pen being able to clip on my shirt quickly is a requirement. At home it’s a roll stopper. It’s not just a matter of avoiding wobbly desks, clips just keep pens from moving as much. I couldn’t imagine one rolling away. :/

[inkstainedruth]

I think that Kaweco Sports are sold clipless and you can buy a clip separately.

Admittedly, the only pens I have that are clipless are vintage ringtops. And I had a pen in a shirt pocket earlier today -- the Pilot Decimo. (I also often clip pens to my neckline.)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Honeybadgers]

Prefer? Yes. For most situations I prefer a clip.

 

I use many of my pens in a uniform breast pocket.

 

Sometimes I can live without one. But it at least needs some sort of roll stop.

 

Also I just find them to be aesthetically important. Form always follows function for me with few exceptions.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[mitto]

I love my clipless vintage pens from the 1920s and 1930s.

[NinthSphere]

Clips are just large roll stoppers for me, since I use cases, so no. I don't even clip pens to their cases, I turn them to the side.

[A Smug Dill]

When I order pens to be made for me, I always ask for a clip-less version.

Unfortunately, the "normal" pen companies do not offer this - even as an after-service.

Yet pen manufacturers do have clipless pen models, even if they don't offer a customisation service. Just to be clear, it means "I want this model you sell but without the clip" is not an option made available, but you can choose from the limited range they choose to offer that are clipless by design. They call the shots, not the individual customer in what is essentially a mass market.

 

Do you really clip a pen to your pocket?

Yes. Shirt pocket, jacket pocket, even a pocket in my cargo shorts – to make sure the pen stays upright. Obviously, I won't put keys, coins, etc. in the same pocket, even if it's a pocket in my pants.

 

I know some of my colleagues carry up to 5 (ball-)pens clipped to their shirt pocket. But these are light-weight ball-pens.

I doubt that anyone would clip even one MB149 to their pockets.

I had no problem clipping a matte black Pilot Vanishing Point pen (with a metal body) to my shirt pocket. Models such as the full-sized Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black edition, with a resin body, is perfectly fine (and professional workplace-appropriate). Or a Pilot Custom Kaede with a wooden body. Or Platinum #3776 Celluloid models, and so on.

 

So, why does MB and all the other companies offer their pens ONLY as clip-carrying versions.

Try Nakaya. Karas Customs. Delike and Wing Sung.

 

If a pen doesn't have a clip won't it roll away from you and fall down, when you put it on the desk?

If a pen falls down and nobody is around to hear it, does it still need a clip?

 

How am I gonna carry it?

In a leather pen case, inside the breast pocket of your jacket or your trouser pocket? Perhaps a pen slot in your leather folio, or a pen loop or pen pocket attached to your journal?