It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword. The written word can change hearts, while force can only impose unwilling submission.
Pens have so many practical uses that I habitually keep one with me, as everyday carry (EDC).
The pen that I am currently carrying is the Big Idea Design Bolt Action Pen. It is a truly rugged and reliable writing instrument, with the amazing ability to accept at least 127 different brands and models of ink refill cartridges.
The titanium exterior of the pen tolerates a remarkable amount of abuse with minimal signs of wear and tear. The 0.44-inch grip is extremely comfortable to write with.
I am afraid that this pen has spoiled me. Now that I have used it, I am no longer satisfied with the other perfectly good pens that I formerly found to be adequate. Those pens are now condemned to languish in a drawer, forsaken and forgotten — until my heirs someday sift through what I have left behind.
At the time of this writing, the Bolt Action Pen costs $100 at bigidesign.com. That is not the cheapest pen around, but it is the best-designed and constructed pen that I have ever used. If the ability to write is part of your long-term survival plan, I highly recommend this pen.
The Backstory
I am hard on ink pens. I usually carry one in the left front pocket of my pants. There the pen scrapes against my EDC knife and my flashlight/plasma lighter combo. This abrasion tends to remove the finish from sturdier pens, while breaking flimsier pens right in two.
When my latest pen showed signs of being near the end of its useful life, I decided that I needed to find something more durable. I did a search on duckduckgo with the phrase, “American made tactical pen.”
One of the returns was an American made titanium bolt action pen. After looking at some other options, I decided that the bolt action pen would be the best choice. To get back to that pen quickly, I entered the phrase, “American made titanium bolt action pen” and was directed to the bigidesign.com website. I looked at some of their American made knives, and then sent a request for one of their titanium bolt action pens for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. Three days later a package arrived via USPS Ground Advantage from Big Idea Design LLC, 7001 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421.
Where Was it Made?
As I opened the padded envelope, the words “Made in China” on the package box caught my eye. Once again I had accidently requested an item made in mainland China when I thought I was requesting an American-made item.
First Impressions
Other than the disappointment of finding out that the pen is made in China, all of my first impressions were good.
I had requested the raw titanium finish, since I felt that would stand up best to abuse. I was pleased with the hardness and appearance of the finish. Those who work in a tactical environment might prefer a less reflective finish, but the raw titanium was well-suited to my needs. The box announced the pen to be “The Most Refill Friendly Bolt Action Pen.” It contained the pen, a card with information about how-to videos on YouTube, a Big Idea Design sticker, and a number of spare parts. I was immediately impressed with the sturdy construction of the pen, and the robust clip. I took the pen from the box, and began using it to take the notes for this review.
The box also mentions that the pen has a lifetime warranty. I went to the website to clarify what Big Idea Design means by “lifetime warranty.” They explain, “Does that mean you can smash it with a hammer and get a new one for free? Nope, but it does mean that if you have an issue that you think needs to be repaired you can mail it back to us and we will do our very best to help fix your item and have it heading back to you ASAP.”
The length of the pen adjusts from 4.56 inches to more than 5.5 inches in length to accommodate refills of various sizes.
The pen came equipped with a German Schmidt MegaLine P950M Air Pressure Technology insert. I soon switched it for a medium black Parker-style refill, since that is my preferred ink cartridge. The change was simple and intuitive, and I was fully satisfied with the result. If you prefer a different type of ink cartridge, it is likely that the bolt action pen can accommodate it, as well.
I found the bolt action mechanism to be simple, easy to use, and effective.
I placed the pen in my pocket, and began to carry it for daily use.
Testing
I used the pen for more than a month for routine writing tasks. Among a host of other things, these tasks included:
- Taking notes for SurvivalBlog articles.
- writing the rough drafts of my sermons. I am old-fashioned. I usually do my preliminary sermon preparation on paper tablets before I begin to polish my notes with a computer word-processing program.
- keeping score while I played Yahtzee with my wife, “Kari.”
- writing a thank you note to a man in our church who cleared the snow from the church sidewalks while our custodian was out of town on vacation.
- marking suggested edits on a new Bible translation in another language that I am proofreading.
- drawing funny pictures to amuse my grandchildren.
- taking notes in Elder, Staff, and various other meetings.
- writing checks.
- adding up columns of figures for my income tax return.
- calculating the best deals on our auto and homeowners’ insurance.
After more than a month of steady use, I expended the ink cartridge that was in the pen. Unfortunately, I did this on the evening before my day off, and my extra ink cartridges were in a desk drawer in my office at the church facility. I was forced to get by for a couple of days with the pens that I had available at home. I quickly discovered that I was now addicted to the bolt action pen. I tried a couple of other pens that would previously have seemed quite adequate, and now found them to be lacking. My expectations of a pen had been heightened, so that I found the substitutes available at hand to be woefully and pitifully inadequate.
After about 36 hours of unsatisfactory pen use, I was finally able to install a refill into the bolt action pen, and get back to writing like a truly civilized person again.
Over the course of time, the other items in my pocket gradually began to leave tiny marks on the raw titanium finish of the pen. These marks gave the titanium a satin brushed metal appearance that to my eye did not detract in any way from the appearance of the pen.
Big Idea Design
Big Idea Design was started by Chadwick Parker and Joe Huang in January 2009. The company is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The company focuses on producing innovative EDC gear. They like titanium, and utilize it in the majority of their products. Their products and components are manufactured in China, Japan, Germany, and the United States.
Ball Point Pen History
Ballpoint pens are a miracle of modern precision manufacturing. Although the concept dates back hundreds of years, it was impossible to attain the necessary uniformity in the ball, socket, and ink until late in the first half of the 20th century.
Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian newspaper editor, finally achieved the necessary ink and ball socket quality, and filed for a British patent on June 15, 1938. With the start of World War II, Biro, who was Jewish, fled to Argentina. There he filed a new patent and began producing ballpoint pens in 1943. In the meantime his pens were also licensed to be produced in Britain for use by the Royal Air Force, since his pens wrote more reliably at high altitude than fountain pens.
In the post-war years, a host of competing ballpoint pens exploded on world markets. The “Reynolds Rocket” which was introduced in the United States in 1945 sold for $12.50 which is equivalent to $215.50 in 2024 inflated dollars. The Parker Jotter, which introduced my favorite refill in 1954, cost $2.95 when it was first produced. That is equivalent to $34.03 in 2024 dollars.
Conclusion
I am fully satisfied with the performance of the Big Idea Design Bolt Action Pen. I could wish it to be made in America, and I could wish it to be less expensive. But if wishes were horses, all beggars would ride.
I hope that I never lose the pen, because I am so pleased with its performance that I would probably feel compelled to buy another to replace it. And it would not be easy for me to spend $100 on an ink pen.
If you are looking for a rugged, reliable, versatile writing utensil, the Big Idea Design Bolt Action Pen would be an excellent choice.
Disclaimer
Big Idea Design was kind enough to provide me with a sample of the Titanium Bolt Action Pen for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with the objectivity of my review, and feel that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.