/// Why I Always Carry a Tactical Pen
The Pen: circumstantially tactical, civilian legal, carry practical and write capable. A perfectly inconspicuous and permissive defense tool.
Precision writing instrument first and tactical CQC device second while equally effective as both but as inconspicuous as the former.
-John V Cain
Grab a pen, any pen… Got it? Now hold it like an ice pick and jab your side anywhere below the rib cage at half the force you would throw a friendly (fist) punch. Painful, yes?
It’s a simple matter of force multiplication. Concentrating all that energy into a hard pen point instead of dispersed across soft flesh. Significantly more potential stopping power with less effort. But you already knew this.
However, to most people, a pen is just a pen and therefore, rarely are they considered as a strike enhancer. Obviously there are far better tools to get the job done; brass knuckles, baseball bats and expanding batons.
But as with knives and firearms, you can’t carry them everywhere or all the time. This is how the pen can be mightier than the sword, because if you ain’t got the “sword” on you, then it ain’t worth shit.
My instrument of choice is the Operator Pen($). This is on my person at almost all times, airports included.
This is when a pen can just be a pen, innocuously and conveniently clipped to your pocket. Ever-ready to be deployed when you do need it to be more than a pen.
Luckily I haven’t had to use this tactical pen for tactical purposes nor do I ever wish to. But it’s always there, like a silent sidearm ready for action.
I still find much action for it, writing that is. Mostly for directions, arrival / departure forms and quick notes.
The thing is, you don’t need a tactical pen to have defense capabilities at your literal fingertips, any decent pen should do, albeit not as effectively.
But there is no shortage of excellent tactical pens to suit any budget, style or purpose.
[See also ‘The CQC Covert EDC Kit‘ and ‘The Art of Always Having a Trick up Your Sleeve‘ posts.]
Picked up a cheap but good tactical pen from Gerber. It’s a nice lil kit to have when a blade is not permissable. And yes, shit hurt when I jabbed my side as you suggested.
Been EDCing tactical pens since the Bourne Identity pen fight scene. Besides the hollywood factor, it really can be an effective defense tool for instant use and legal constant carry.
I carry “strong” pens way before even the internet was mainstream. I always had the idea that the pen is mightier then the sword.
You literally can carry a pen everywhere without attracting unwanted attention and if you choose the right pen you even have storage options for small tools, emergency money or meds….