This is the second tactical pen we have reviewed here, it is the Tuff-Writer Frontline Full Length Sanitized Tactical Pen. Thats a mouthful, huh? If you missed the other tactical pen we reviewed, it was the Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen.
One of the first things you may notice about the long name of this pen is the word "sanitized." which basically means that there are no markings on the pen whatsoever. No branding, model number, nothing. In addition to the lack of any markings, this tactical pen has a satin finish and non-reflective / non-marking surface treatment applied which helps minimize fingerprint marks and reflection off the pen. So basically, when you are hiding in a dark room, even the tiniest glimmer of light is not going to reflect off the pen and give away your location, and IF someone happens to see you hiding there, they wont catch the name of your pen (because it isnt there) and be able to use that as a way to identify the crazy person that tried to stab them with a pen. Oh, and really, that end doubles as a stylus for your PDA, so just make sure that when you board a plane with this pen, you let the friendly TSA folks know its just a stylus, so nothing to worry about there. Also, the nice TSA folks might ask to borrow your fancy new pen so they can make a quick update to that no-fly list to include your name.
You might also find yourself asking why the clip on this pen is curled like that on the end. Ill tell you why, it is so that when you stab someone a non living inanimate object, your pinkie finger rests in the curve there and gives you much better leverage and grip to make sure the pen doesn't slip out of your hand. Besides the "stabbability" feature, I can tell you that even a light wrap on the back of the hand with this pen is enough to cause quite a bit of pain due to the weight and hardness of the body.
Once you unscrew the cap from your pen, you are greeted with a nice knurled grip that I personally wish extended just a bit lower. The knurled grip matches with the same bands of knurled markings that you see on the body of the pen. The entire length of the pen, including the cap is made of 6061-T6 aerospace aluminum. Basically that means the pen is pretty darn hard, will hold up to moisture, and has a pretty good heft behind it. It is also important to know that this pen with its Fischer Space Pen refill can operate in temperatures ranging from -30 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 to 120 degrees Celsius).
Here is a closer look at the knurled grip and body of the Tuff-Writer tactical pen. You can also see that the clip is held securely to the cap by two metal rivets.
The Tuff-Writer measures approximately 6″ when uncapped and 6.5″ with the cap on. You should also note that the cap on this pen does not post. Speaking of the cap, I somehow managed to take a bunch of photographs that all hide the fact that the top of the cap has a hole that allows you to affix your killer pen to a lanyard if you wish. As I mentioned before it also has a pretty good amount of heft behind it, weighing in at 1.8 ounces.
The ink in this pen is a Fisher Space Pen refill, so you know the quality and all round toughness and durability that you get with that. Check that link if you want to see the review where we froze the refill and then cooked it in the oven to test the temperature extremes, it also includes a writing sample of the super smooth writing refill that you get with this pen. Even with the noticeable length and considerable heft of this pen, it is actually fairly comfortable to write with, although to the contrary I'd imagine its not so comfortable to get stabbed with, so it depends which end of the "user experience" you are on for that comparison.
