BASTION Stainless Steel Bolt Action Pen - exclusive Hyperbolt ZeroSeam CNC Machined EDC Writing Tool Refillable Executive Gift

Treated myself to the pure stainless pen/pencil set after getting a bit of a fever for pens again after buying a couple of F-701s recently. I initially saw this and ignored it thinking it was just another gimmicky Amazon pen, but my gosh I was fully reproved when I unboxed them. The boxes have the same Applesque design as OLights or TWSBI fountain pens, with a high definition image of the pen on a sleeve and a black magnetic closure box. Just as satisfying to unbox as a fountain pen. The pen and pencil themselves are gorgeous, gleaming, smooth, solid, heavy, pure stainless steel barrels; finely machined with careful attention to detail and seamlessly finished with mirror polish clips and bolt levers with strong, tactile operation. They are the writing utensil embodiment of steel with a satisfyingly notable heft. Normally with fountain pens you just let the natural weight of your hand press the nib. With ballpoints you have to press a bit, but the weight of these combined with the smooth, willing flow of the ink cartridge makes it very nice to write with. The pencil uses a German 0.7mm Schmidt Feinminen System insert that screws into the head, which just makes it that much more mechanically intriguing, like any high-end mechanical pencil. If you prefer 0.5mm, you can buy one quite cheap from Amazon. The girth and length of the standard pen is comparable to a typical sharpie or the length and weight of 2 1/2 aa batteries. I imagine the slim version may be more comparable to the F-701. Bastion has done an exceptional job on these writing tools and their craftsmen obviously take pride in their work. Read more

Writes great, has a nice weighted feel in your hand, and is refillable. I absolutely love it! A decent variety of colors too. I got the pink, purple, and red for my coworkers ( slim version). They all look amazing and all 3 of them were very pleased with them! I got myself the teal ( regular version). I absolutely love mine and it’s so pretty! Read more

This pen is an absolutely fantastic bargain. At around 5.3" long it's not exactly a pocket pen, but it fits well enough clipped in the front pocket of a pair of jeans (much as you would a pocket knife). The clip is a formed strip of stainless steel, screwed to the body tube with two small screws, making is easy to remove and reshape if it gets bent. The bolt handle is threaded into the bolt itself and should be relatively easy to remove if necessary, though I've not had reason to try yet. Overall, the body is incredibly thick, making for an overall body diameter of almost 1/2". Being entirely stainless steel this means the pen is very heavy in the hand and pocket at 2.8oz. Great if you like heavy pens (I do) or not if you dont. There should be no worries about breaking it. Lastly the pen uses ISO standard G2 refills, commonly called "Parker-type" refills, since Parker invented them. There's no worry about mistakenly using a Pilot G2 refill in it though: the way the nose-cone is drilled out the Pilot G2s simply will not fit inside, let alone the fact that Pilot G2s are longer than Parker types. The pen comes with an unmarked, generic medium cartridge in black. It seems to write better than my Space Pen, though my Space Pen (and refill) is almost 30 years old so that might be part of it. The fit an finish on the outside was excellent, to the point that the line between the body tube and the nose cone is practically impossible to see. Looking through the pocket where the bolt slides it seems the interior finish is a bit rough though. Nothing problematic, the bolt still slides smoothly and freely, but the machining marks are more visible. For the price however I think it's acceptable. I have a $45 MachineEra Original in stainless steel and it has a better fit and finish inside and out, but it also costs almost twice as much. What I like most is the simplicity of it. There are no finger grooves or knurling, no milled decorations, nothing other than a tastefully done, small, laser-engraved Bastion logo up near the clip. The pen does not advertise who made it, instead drawing attention by it's own merits and allowing you, the owner, to tell others what it is and where to get one. There is elegance in simplicity, and this pen executes it perfectly. Overall it's a great pen, and for $25 it's an especially great pen. No regrets buying it. Read more

I bought one of these (the titanium model that is not painted) a year ago, and I never even tried the stock ink, because I was about to carry a premium pen so I wanted premium ink. I don't remember which ink I tried, but it was good. But back to the pen. The finish is very nice. It has some weight to it, which takes a little getting used to, but is very comfortable once you have used it a while. So much that normal pens feel strange now. I work in chemical plants and refineries (high voltage electrical work) and so I need something that not only looks and feels premium, but can take abuse also. And my biggest concern was the clip being able to stand up to my abuse, taking it in and out of my shirt pocket all day long. And I have to say the clip is just as strong as the pen body, and after a year, I have never bent or broken it. After a year there are some light scratches all over the pen body, but it doesn't really affect the look of it unless you look really close. The fit of the tip really impressed me. The tip screws off/on to replace the ink cartridge (or to fidget), and when it's screwed on you really can't even see the line between the pen body and the tip. It is a very close machined fit, and I think that is one of the reason I say the quality is so good. The bolt action is very fun to fidget with, and has plenty of spring tension without being difficult to actuate. I actually just lost my pen. I left it at a restaurant Sunday. And today (2 days later) I just ordered another one, exactly like it. I'm sure whoever found it will enjoy it as much as I did. Not only would I buy it again, I just did! Anytime I have ever let anyone use it, they always say how nice it is. Get off the fence and pick this up! It is more than worth the money! Also get a good refill. I ordered the fine tip Parker Space refill this time. Read more