Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
A pen is a kind of on a regular basis carry (EDC) gadgets that people who’re huge into their devices at all times discuss. My favourite for nicely over twenty years has been the Fisher Area Pen. I liked the simplicity of the design, the reliability of the ink, and the entire concept that I used to be utilizing a pen that was designed for the pains of house.
However the Area Pen has its drawbacks.
First, the value. At round $30, they are not low-cost. And whereas the lifetime guarantee is definitely a plus level — I’ve owned a dozen of those pens over time and used the guarantee just a few occasions — that security internet would not assist you to once you lose the pen.
Additionally: I spent $129 on a pen and it is spoiled each different writing utensil for me
And that brings me to the second problem: the design makes it straightforward to lose. The bullet form is nice when you’ve got a pen pocket in your bag or garments, however it’s not so handy should you maintain it in an everyday pocket. And the pen’s clip is not sturdy sufficient to remain put and falls off simply.
I nonetheless love you, Area Pen, however since I am not going into house anytime quickly, I want a pen that is higher suited to my terrestrial actions. So meet the Tombow AirPress.
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Tombow AirPress
A troublesome, no-nonsense pen with a pressurized ink cartridge that may work the other way up, write on quite a lot of surfaces, and has a clip that will not break off.
A good friend of mine just lately launched me to those pens that they had been issued as a part of their search and rescue duties. I anticipated them to be expensive, however they’re only a shade over $8!
The AirPress seems like some other pen, however it comprises some actually neat tips.
First, it is robust. Actually robust. I’ve tried to snap it in half, however as exhausting as I attempted, I may solely get somewhat bend into it. And as quickly as I let off the stress, it popped again into form.
Additionally: This trendy electrical screwdriver has some huge features for a small worth
Talking of stress, the ink cartridge is pressurized. Nonetheless, because it would not must put up with the pains of house just like the Area Pen has to, it is the motion of urgent down the clicky button on the highest that pressurizes the ink, permitting the pen to write down the other way up and on quite a lot of surfaces that might in any other case defeat a pen.
I’ve examined the claims that the pen can work in temperatures all the way down to -5°C/23°F, and it handles that with no downside. Under this temperature, you may have to heat it up a bit. However as most individuals maintain pens in a trouser or inside a jacket pocket, it is unlikely to be a typical problem.
Clicky! Clicky! Clicky!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Swapping out the ink cartridge is simple — unscrew the underside bit, pull the refill out, and push in a alternative (you should buy a three-pack of refill for beneath $6. That is in comparison with the Area Pen refills, that are about $7 every.
Straightforward to take aside for upkeep
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The clip can be sturdy and may broaden and contract to accommodate no matter you wish to clamp the pen onto, whether or not that is a chunk of paper or a clipboard.
Among the best, strongest, most versatile clips I’ve seen on a pen
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
And to make the AirPress simply that little bit more durable to lose, they arrive in quite a lot of colours. Orange is my favourite as a result of it stands out whether or not the pen is misplaced in a bag or fallen right into a bush. There’s additionally a loop for a lanyard should you’re notably liable to dropping issues.
The lanyard loop is a pleasant contact
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
For only a shade over $8 (totally different colours come at totally different costs), you possibly can’t discover a higher pen for the value. Actually robust and nicely made, superbly engineered, and never going to interrupt the financial institution if it’s important to change it as a result of it will get misplaced or “borrowed,” the Tombow AirPress is a good alternative for any setting.