Schrade Push Button Pen Review

Key Info

- Accepts Fisher Space Pen Refills (parker-style). 

- Smooth Schmidt SKM88 “click” mechanism. 

- Sturdy machined anodised aluminium design. 

- Strong pocket clip. 

The Schrade Push Button Pen is a “clicky” style “tactical” pen. It is great quality and is, in my opinion, equal to many far more expensive “tactical” pens. 

Design

The Push Button Pen has a “click” mechanism to deploy the nib. However, it is very smooth and doesn’t actually click. The mechanism used is the Schmidt SKM88, the same mechanism used until recently in the Tuff Writer “Precision Press” pen. This mechanism is made of brass, and has a steel ball-bearing inside, which runs around a specially-shaped track. On the whole this is a good mechanism, but it does suffer from one problem (hence the reason Tuff Writer stopped using it and replaced it with a stainless steel copy of the same thing) where if released from the thumb too quickly, the mechanism springs up and the hard steel ball bearing causes a dent in the soft brass internal ring in which it sits. These dents build up over time, and eventually, the mechanism will start to skip and jam. However, this takes quite a long time, and with care, can be avoided. In addition, the mechanism can be unscrewed from the pen (boiling water may be necessary to loosen the Loctite), and replaced - I once needed a new SKM88 mechanism for a different pen and Schmidt in Germany were very helpful, sending me 10 free of charge! 

This pen is quite short - perfect for a pocket - but not so short that it becomes difficult to control when writing, and is machined from aluminium and anodised (I believe it is Type III anodising but cannot be sure). It is very strong and there is not the slightest chance that you could break this pen by sitting on it! The pocket clip is also very strong and won’t bend like pen clips typically do, and the pen has a stainless steel tip for added durability. The refills used are parker-style, and it comes with a Schmidt Easy-Flow 9000 refill, which is nice, but I prefer to replace it with a Fisher SPR4 space pen refill, for writing in adverse conditions (i.e. rain!). 

Conclusion

The Schrade Push Button Pen is a nice “tactical” pens. It is just as strong as any other “tactical” pen, but has the convenience of the click mechanism for one-handed operation. It is also great that it accepts parker-style refills, allowing for use of a Fisher cartridge. The pen is very well made and I think it's good value for money. 

You can get the Push Button Pen from Amazon.com