Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen

[KrazyIvan]

It arrived yesterday. I installed the rollerball because I am going to modify the nib. The pen can be posted and the cap screws into the end of the barrel but it gets ridiculously unbalanced and long. It's not a problem since I dont usually post my pens unless its the Stipula Passaporto or Kaweco Sport Classic. Without the cap posted it is a nice balance. A bit weighty but a nice weight, not heavy.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6919603817_63547e80c2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919603817/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919603817/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6919605293_bd4d5a45ce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919605293/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919605293/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6773490732_29e3354b0a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773490732/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773490732/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6773492072_23de8e40d4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773492072/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773492072/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6919609443_26c6490bf8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919609443/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919609443/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6919610847_515a37593e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919610847/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919610847/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6773498492_ace9d9837b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773498492/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6773498492/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6919615293_bf4eb0b311_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919615293/)
Shrade Tactical Fountain Pen & Rollerball Combo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6919615293/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

[John the Monkey]

Huh, second review of this pen I've seen this week, coincidentally!

Looks to be decent value, and by all accounts is a good writer. The tactical aspect I'm less sold on (back when I trained, the thinking was that if you were giving up a grappling hand for a weapon, it better be something bigger & badder than a kubotan) but I can understand that people trained in different styles would disagree.

[klpeabody]

The Darth Vader photo is a nice touch!

[Gonzo]

I didn't know of this pen till your post. Looks kinda cool. Thanks.

[KrazyIvan]

Thanks! I ended up inkin the nib as is and it is definitely a smooth writer. Easily worth the $25 I paid for it, and that included shipping. Like JtM states, the pseudo tactical aspect of the pen seems a bit gimmicky but Schrade is dead serious about it. On the instructions it specifically states that the pen can be used as a 1. rollerball, 2. fountain pen, and 3. For self defense. It is solidly constructed and my be usefull as a glass breaker instead of a skull crusher. :p

[John the Monkey]

$25 for something this tough is still a pretty good deal if you're hard on your pens though, I think.

And yeah, breaking glass. You could help a mime escape from an invisible box :)

[KrazyIvan]

LoL @ JtM. :D

One thing I am noticing today as I am putting it through the paces is that it takes too many turns to take the cap off. Three turns to be exact. I think that is my only con so far.

Some people may not like the fact that there is no converter available. It looks like there is an internal "blind cap" of sorts in the barrel that helps to keep the rollerball cartridge in place. This, unfortunately, looks like it will make it tough to fit a converter in it. I don't mind refilling cartridges but a converter would be nice.

[dannzeman]

Very nice, KrazyIvan! I've been interested in the tactical genre of pens for a while but didn't know any of them came as a fountain pen. I guess I need to do more research.