Pen Review (The Bolt) - For EDC lovers...

When one considers the items they carry and use on an everyday basis, few consider a pen to be that important of a tool. Sure, wallet, phone, knife, and even a flashlight will top the list of cool tools, but, a pen? Consider the fact that you use pens nearly every day. The check you wrote to pay the electricity bill. The number of that sweet little vixen you met last night. The signature you Hancock’d on that multi-million dollar contract. All done with a pen. So, why not make it one you’re happy to haul around? Pens have become unappreciated tools of our everyday lives, but they don’t have to.

Enter the Bolt. A no-frills pen designed for strength, utility, and style by the Mesa, Arizona based Karas Kustoms. While this utilitarian pen boats solid, machined aluminum or brass construction and great aesthetics, the most interesting detail of the Bolt is that it’s bolt action mechanism.

While it won’t fire anything (unless you get a bad ink insert), the Bolt’s “clicky” design is reminiscent of your grandfather’s old hunting rifle. Requiring both a push and a twist to fully engage, you’ll immediately be taken back to first time you pulled back the bolt on a 10/22 rifle. It’s exciting to use the Bolt. When was the last time your Bic gave you a thrill, eh?
Another exciting feature of the Bolt is its ability to accept such a wide variety of ink inserts. This ability makes the Bolt one of the most versatile and pens on the market, as you’re able to put your favorite insert in and go. Well played, Karas Kustoms.
Below is the list of different inks the Bolt can handle:
Faber-Castell Ballpoint Pen Refill
Fisher Space Pen Refill, PR Series- Colors (Bold, Medium, Fine)
Foray (Office Depot) Ballpoint Refill for Parker (Medium)
Monteverde Ceramic Gel Refill (Broad)
Monteverde Needle Point Refill (Fine)
Monteverde Soft Roll- Colored inks (Medium)
Monteverde Soft Roll- (Superbroad, Medium, Ultrafine)
OHTO Needlepoint Ballpoint Pen Refill PS-807NP
OHTO PS-205NP Extra-Fine 0.5mm Ballpoint Pen Refill
Parafernalia Ballpoint Pen Refill NO LOGO
Parker Ballpoint Pen Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)
Parker GEL Ballpoint Pen Refill (Medium)
Parker Quinkflow Ballpoint Pen Refill (Medium, Fine)
Pelikan Giant Ballpoint Pen Refill 337 (Broad, Fine, Medium)
Pentel KFLT8 Ballpoint Pen Refill
Schmidt 9000M EasyFlow Pen Refill
Schmidt P8900 Super Bowl Refill (Fine)
Schmidt P900 B Ballpoint Pen Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)
Schmidt P950M Megaline Pressurized Ballpoint Pen Refill (Medium)
Schneider Express 735 Pen Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)
Schneider Slider 755 Pen Refill (Extra-Broad, Medium)
Stabilo Ballpoint Refill
Tombow BR-ZLM Ballpoint Pen Refill
Visconti Ballpoint Pen Refill AA49 1.4 (Broad)
Visconti Gel Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)

Writing with the Bolt is a breeze. The weight is just perfect, giving the Bolt a solid presence while still making it unnoticeable when need be. The ability to put such a wide variety of inserts into it gives it the capacity to write with any sort of consistency, texture, and even color as you see fit. Above, you can see some sample writing done with the Bolt, utilizing the Fisher Space Pen insert.

To top it off, Karas Kustoms gives you an Allen wrench. How much more manly can you feel when tweaking with a pen? We dare you. Put on your overalls, get some ink on your face, become a tactical pen mechanic, and make the Bolt the pen you’ve always wanted.

Please remember to go to the original article and “like” and/or “tweet” it for us.
http://www.brownsafe.com/blog/the-bolt-pen/

Thanks!

Thanks for that review! That's a really a stylish pen.

I always carry a pen as my edc in my shirtpocket and I have to say, I use it more often than my knife. Also I tend to hear the question "Do you have a pen?" much more often that "Do you have a knife?" or "Do you have a flashlight?".

Usually I carry a Parker Jotter stainless steel, but I have a few other Parker pens to rotate between. I like the Parker Quinkflow refills a lot.

I also keep a fountain pen ready on my desk, love to write with them, but I prefer ballpoints with good quality refills for edc. When I know I have to write something, I bring a small case with a good ballpoint, gel pen and a fountain pen :)

There you go. Pens seem to be much more used than a knife or other EDC tools. That’s why we hope people will become more aware of how valuable a good, EDC pen can be. Considering the fact that you will have just one pen compared to dozens and dozens, it also helps the environment.

Thanks for the reply, Steve!

Having done a bit of pen research with similar thoughts about a pen being just as often used an EDC as a knife/torch I bought a couple of stainless steel Zebra F-701s, I was so happy with them for the price I paid that I ordered 5 more. A really nice pen for anyone looking for something a little stylish and durable. The grip provided by the knurling is great and they just feel solid.

That looks better than the free writing instruments that I seem to misplace every few days…

Price?

I bet it´s not fun using that pen. Why? If your fingers are 0,1% wet, you`ll have no grip, right?

That’s what we thought, but the machined/brushed finished actually provides a good amount of grip. I personally have naturally sweaty palms, but the Bolt never slipped.

If the finish is anything like the brushed stainless steel of the Parker Jotter, I think it'll be fine.

My advice if your pen doesn't have enough grip for you - don't get a different pen, just get a lighter touch :) Most of the time it's just spoiled writing habits that make you blame the tool. Been there, done that...

it looks like a de-tacticooled version of the boker pen sold at thinkgeek

$55 smackeroos.

http://karaskustoms.com/pens/the-bolt.html

Looks like $55 for Aluminum.
$75 for brass.

I thought I had seen something like this before!

Anyway, I prefer writing with a fountain pen.


This is nice!

My favourite fountain pen is the Lamy Studio.

Btw… are you guys also Pen-aholics? I am one. Pens were one of my very first addictions

Lamy seem quite popular but I can’t find any feminine designs:
http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Lamy-Fountain-Pens.html

Nope…not yet :wink:

Nice looking pen, though way out of my price range.

One thing to note though... A 10/22 is semi auto with a straight back action. I think an m1903 or m77 would be a better comparison

Always liked fancy pens. Got a few cross pens I picked up cheap... But I don't need a pen for work, or really much at all... So I can't justify more than about $20

Wait… maybe I have something for you.
(just let me take some pics)

edit:

Chloe, how`s this one?

(its only ~10cm : ) )

Oh wow! Is that a rollerball or fountain pen though?