A while back there was a thread comparing the Benchmade and Surefire pens. I’ve done some looking around and talking with knowledgeable folks since then, and was directed toward the Mil-Tac TDP-1.
The idea of using a well-designed sturdy pen as a tertiary and/or immediate access weapon as well as something that can be carried in extremely non-permissive environments is really appealing to me. Has anyone here used one of these or handled one extensively enough to compare it to other similar options?
I thought SF made theirs simply because they had the knowledge and materials to make a fine product and thought a nice pen would be neat, kind of like their knife. Was it actually intended to be able to be used as a weapon?
Did BM basically follow the same idea?
I’d like to see some pics of the BM if any of you have one you can post…
I like the idea of having something sturdy for immediate use, as Todd said, in an environment where you can’t have anything. After getting a demo at the Mil-Tac booth at SHOT, I liked the pen enough to buy one.
I can’t compare it to the SF, but I’ve looked at the Benchmade knifeypen and I prefer the TDP-1. The BM has too much of a weapon look to it for my tastes. The TDP did catch a notice when I was at a gun shop once where I was asked if I had a “cool guy stabbing pen.” Not what I was looking to hear.
I’d like to try a Surefire, because I REALLY like the idea of the built-in glassbreaker, and I like the twist-open vice the removable cap. I don’t like the logo on the clip and it’s a bit spendy for me, so I’ll have to lust from afar.
FWIW, Botach has what looks to be a very close copy of the TDP-1 from a company called KZ. I just ran across it the other day but haven’t compared it in person.
Regarding the removable cap: I’d like a better way to store it when writing. It’s just a friction fit over the pointy end and I feel like that’s a bad idea.
I snapped the clip on my pen a few months back attempting to re-bend it after it snagged and got bent out of shape. I called Mil-Tac looking for a replacement clip and they told me to send it back and they’d fix it, no charge. Just sent that off a few weeks ago but haven’t received it back yet.
As remarkable as it sounds, I attribute the remark to a switched-on gun store employee (!!!). After all, there had just been a tidbit about the BM pen in SWAT a couple of weeks before.
My Hinderer Extreme duty pen (no holes in the body) drew too much attention in a foreign airport. It is not as aggressive in appearance as the BM pen (no pointy end). Here is a link to see one: http://www.bluelinegear.com/p-370-titanium-extreme-duty.aspx
I think generally these types of pens are starting to draw more scrutiny and I no longer take the pen in carry-on luggage.
