A pen is probably the second most important everyday carry item after your watch. Depending on how you dress or your activity the chances are pretty high you already carry one: a nice fountain pen in your jacket pocket, a ballpoint pen in your shirt pocket, a large, knife sharpened pencil on your ear.. we all have to write down something every day. That said, I cannot count the times I have been asked for a pen, which I was happy to provide as one is part of my everyday carry and lives permanently in my pocket. So this is not about your “business” pen, but rather about a permanent backup which must be inconspicuous yet perfectly usable when needed. Because they are fairly inexpensive items, I was able to acquire a good selection of them so I could test them thoroughly and decide on which one to use.

Fisher Bullet Pen Titanium Nitride Plated

19.2g, 9.3cm closed, 13.7cm open, about £44 (half for standard models)

This is the old faithful. The Bullet Pen has been around for decades and is in a good fight with Maglite for the prize of most iconic Everyday Carry object. Of course, while Maglite becomes less and less relevant, Fisher still offers a very competitive product. Made of three pieces of brass with different finishes, the pen couldn’t be simpler to manufacture or to use. Open it up, turn the cap around, insert the body and you have a nice streamlined full size pen ready to use. You’re guaranteed to find a finish you’ll like, from bright pink to brushed titanium, but as those are painted on, the quickly go when mingled with keys in a pocket or bag. It must be said that many consider this a “patina” and I am, myself, very fond of my first Bullet Pen showing its brass body through the remnants of its matt black paint after years of jungle use. My current one had the titanium finish which turned into a shiny dark grey after a few years. The pressurised cartridge is what made those pens, of course, as Fisher famously invented the design for NASA. The ink is a pixotropic rubbery substance pushed towards the ball by pressurised gas that only becomes liquid when the dimpled ball tears at it at the microscopic level. The results are that the pen can write upside down, on many smooth surfaces such as glass, underwater, in space, and that the ink will not dry when left unused, even for very long periods of time. One unwanted side effect is that the pen will often leave a small blob of ink on the paper when you start using it. The patent having expired long ago, many other companies now offer pressurised cartridges, some better than the original.

It is difficult to fault the Bullet Pen it is inexpensive, ubiquitous, and does the job just right. It’s only bad side is that it is easy to loose as its shape makes it the first item to slip out of your pocket.

TEC Accessories Picopen

8.9g, 7.6cm closed, 6.9cm open, about £15

All the pens are adequately packaged, but this one comes in a nice tin box with accessories that do increase its value: a snap ring, split ring, keychain wire rope and stylus insert. The construction is stainless steel, which means that for an object that size, it is pretty much indestructible and will not scratch easily. The Picopen is definitely meant to live on a keychain as it is attached to its cap by a magnet. To use it, you just pull it off.

The cartridge is a standard “multi-pen” so it is easy to replace. The supplied one is very standard but there are many choices available to replace it with a superior model such as the pressurised one sold by TomBow. Provided with an adequate cartridge this is an emergency pen that can live quietly with you before it is needed. It is much too small to be used for long periods of time. I am not sure how strong the magnetic bond is and what the chances are of it opening in a jeans pocket for example. Apart from the risk of loosing the pen, there would be a strong chance of getting a superb ink stain from friction.

INKA Pen

14.3g, 8cm closed, 14cm open, about £15 (double in titanium)

While it looks slightly cheap, the INKA pen is actually made of high quality materials including carbon fiber and stainless steel, even, optionally, titanium. This pen has a double life. It works as a short emergency pen by just pulling it out of its sleeve and can be taken apart and reconstructed into a standard size pen. The finished product is very comfortable and the pressurised ink cartridge probably the best in my test but it does take at least 15 seconds to put the pen together and it would be really easy to drop a fiddly bit in the process. Better done if you expect to spend half an hour writing your journal in your tent, not very good if you’re just handing the pen to somebody else. Used in emergency mode, it is only 7.4cm and fairly uncomfortable, like the other pens of its size. When you take it apart, you’re treated to a surprise though: a stylus nib for your PDA. Do note that while it takes some force to pull the pen out of its sleeve, it could fall and be lost. Or you could forget to put it back.

TomBow XPA

21.8g, 10.5cm closed, 13cm open, about £27

A superb “designer” pen from Japan supplied with a good “multi-pen” pressurised cartridge. This one is supposed to be worn on a lanyard and a large one is supplied with it. Because it remains in one piece, there is no chance of loosing it by accident.  It opens to full length by pulling on its end, which uncovers the nib. It is made from high quality aluminium, which is nice to the touch but not a comfortable as plastic, really. I would expect the nice aluminium finish to be quickly destroyed in a trouser pocket so this one should live on its own, as planned, suspended from your neck.

Porsche Design P‘3140

30.9g, 10.3cm closed, 10.8cm open, about £58

Like all objects signed by Mr Porsche, this is a superbly thought out design which will bring instant pride of ownership and years of delight. It is available in several finishes, including the utilitarian brushed steel and rubber shown here, an elegant chrome and gloss white lacquer or chrome and carbon fiber. This is definitely an object better suited to live in an Armani suit than in a jean’s pocket but it certainly qualifies for Everyday Carry, especially if your Number One is a Patek Philippe.

It wouldn’t be a Porsche Design without a useful tweak and in this case it is the way it gets ready to write: flick it once and the nib pops out. Another time and it retracts. As expected, the action is consistent and secure, guaranteed by an all-metal construction. The cartridge is a standard multi-pen which can be quickly exchanged for a pressurised one. A small projection on the body prevents the pen from rolling off a table and provides a good location for the very subtle branding. While it is definitely strong enough to survive it, this pen would suffer in your pocket and would be better off living in its own little space. It now has a permanent place in my eVest jacket which sports several specific pens pockets.

Valiant Concepts Titanium pen

6.1g, 6.8cm closed, 6.7cm open, about £50

This is a nice oddity. Almost impossible to find, as it is manufactured in a garage and sold exclusively by a couple of American web sites, this is one of the tiniest ball point pens around. Perfectly formed, made of nicely machined titanium, it is the essence of the emergency pen as it can live for years on your keychain without being noticed until it is needed. It is far too small to be comfortable and uses fairly uncommon pressurised cartridges but it is just too cute to let go. I have been wearing one for a while and it seems resilient to scratches but just in case, I ordered a second one so I could keep it as a collectible.