THE BEST Pens

The Marksmith Titanium bolt action pen is unique in that it holds a permanent felt-tip marker rather than a ballpoint pen. It opens and closes easily with one hand, and uses a genuine Sharpie-brand retractable fine tip marker cartridge.

In this age of digital communication, sometimes it’s nice to put down the screen and sketch out your ideas with good old pen and paper. Bolt action pens offer durability, unique styles, and a confident locking mechanism that’s great for fidgeters. Everyday Carry shares their favorite bolt-action models of 2020.

Made entirely from titanium, Big Idea Design’s versatile pen has the unique ability to accept more than 750 different kinds of refills, letting you customize its writing characteristics to your exact preference. Available in Stonewashed, Midnight Black, and Machined Raw finishes.

Tacray’s unique titanium pen combines a writing instrument with a self-defense / glass breaker tool on its rear end. It’s made from Ti-6AL-4V alloy that’s been oxidized to produce a colorful, iridescent look, and its knurled body provides a firm grip while adding to its bullet-inspired style.

WE Knife’s durable and lightweight titanium writing instrument features one of the cooler designs we’ve come across, with a deeply-textured barrel that provides both aesthetic appeal and grip, along with a bolt-action retractable cartridge, and a glass breaker tip. Available exclusively from Drop.

This handsome writing instrument is made from durable titanium alloy, and features a concave, textured barrel for a confident grip. It’s got a bolt-action mechanism, and takes smooth-writing Schmidt easyFLOW 9000 refills. It’s also got an emergency glass breaker on its tail end.

UK leathersmith Victory Leathercraft is working on collectible pens made from oak timber from the famed ship HMS Victory. The wood was gathered during renovations of the British warship, which fought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Available in ink or rollerball versions, and with an optional leather case.

In addition to its twist-action ballpoint pen, this hexagonal aluminum tool packs six other useful functions. It’s got metric and inch rulers, a removable touchscreen stylus, mini flat and Phillips screwdrivers, and its back end doubles as a phone stand and a bottle opener.

Knifemaker Rick Hinderer creates these elegant, yet practical writing instruments. Each one is precision milled with a great tactile design, and features a removable self defense tool on its rear. Available in stainless steel, brass, or our favorite look, copper, which is sure to patina beautifully.

As we’ve moved away from print and towards digital reading, highlighters aren’t as popular as they once were. But these fluorescent pens are still pretty cool for making art. Science Channel’s How It’s Made shows the process of molding the plastic bodies, filling their nibs with ink, and testing them for smooth flow.

It might have a funny name, but Screwpop’s Inkbiner is a smart little thing to hang from your bag or belt loop. The carabiner-style clip’s main feature is a small pen hidden off of its screw-off cap. The pen takes 2.75″ universal refills, and the aluminum and zinc alloy gadget also doubles as a bottle opener.

This bolt-action pen from Titaner is made from CNC-machined titanium, and features a multi-tone blue anodized tone that’s reminiscent of the finish on raku pottery. Its retracting mechanism fits Parker refills, and there’s an emergency glass breaker tool on its tail end.

Artist Ilia Gyrevich makes unique and functional objects by machining metal. In this video, he shows off how he creates his EDC pens from brass rods, as the metal shavings fly forth in a most satisfying manner. You can buy his wares from the MachinedGift Etsy shop.

We dig the slick, technical look of Valtcan’s tactical bolt action pens. They feature a milled titanium body for strength and balance, a tungsten tipped glass breaker, and take a variety of off-the-shelf refills to suit your writing preferences. Choose from silver or black finishes.

This 3.375″ long pen is perfect for keeping in your pocket all the time. It might be small, but its TC4 titanium body is strong. It has a ceramic ball glass breaker on its rear, and comes in black, grey, or blue finishes.

This boldly-colored Fisher Space Pen features a smooth bullet shape and a case made from brass with a titanium nitride finish that produces an iridescent rainbow effect. Like other Space Pens, it can write at any angle, even upside-down, or in extreme temperatures.

Blademaker Rike Knife created this boldly-styled pen, precision-machined from TC4 titanium. It has a twist-off cap with a matching titanium pocket clip, and a carbide striker tip on its back end. It takes Parker refills, and comes in nine different colors.

Vital Carry has upgraded the classic Sharpie permanent marker by wrapping its ink cartridge in an aluminum, brass, copper, or titanium sleeve. Each one is machined from a solid bar of metal, and the Sharpie insert is replaceable. Laser engraving of up to 10 characters is available as an option.

It might not be the best idea to keep your actual secrets in this clearly labeled notebook from Bermuda Press, but you might want to use it as a decoy, then put all your deepest, darkest top secrets in your Rainbow Heart Trapper Keeper. Black and gold Bic Clic pen included.

Designed by Ben Liew, this bold writing instrument features a body with a slick open-weave design. The complex geometry is made possible using 3D printing technology, and the pen will be offered in resin or titanium, or as a glass nylon prototype, which doesn’t share the smooth feel of the production versions.

Margison Woodworks‘ impressive black pen features a gun metal frame, wrapped in real carbon fiber, and coated with a glossy urethane resin. The pen includes a Schmidt Easyflow 9000 cartridge, but accepts all Parker-compatible ballpoint refills.

Premium office accessory maker Grovemade’s solid metal pen is weighty and balanced, while its faceted surface provides excellent grip, and its tip retracts with a twist of its tail. It comes in black or brass, and can be bundled with a metal and wood stand in either maple or walnut. Grab one soon for introductory pricing.

A truly exquisite writing instrument inspired by the look of the original Rijeka self-propelled torpedo. Each Torpedo GB pen is meticulously handcrafted from aluminum and brass, and has a propeller accented by a Swarovski crystal. Each one comes with a beautiful walnut stand, along with a white leather pouch.

School time is here, and while MacBooks, Surface Pros, and Chromebooks are the primary writing tools these days, pens and pencils always come in handy for quick notes, sketches, and test taking. Everyday Carry offers up eight of their favorites that feel great in your hand, and write smooth, clean lines.

This CNC-machined titanium alloy pen offers a unique take on a bolt-action retractable pen design, by putting the locking bolt mechanism at the front of the pen. Its versatile mechanism is capable of handling a wide variety of refills as well.

This absolutely teensy writing instrument is perfectly at home on a keychain or zipper. Measuring just 50mm long, it’s about the length of two paper clips. It’s nearly indestructable, and its tungsten carbide tip can even open packages in a pinch. Available in aluminum or titanium.