BASTION® Luxury Bolt Action Pen, Durable Professional Ballpoint Pen with Fine Tip, EDC Pen, Ink Refillable Pen for Birthday Gift, Travel Pen for School and Work

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.

Top Quality in it's Price Point Bastion is an appropriate brand name for a product that clings to a last-man-standing level of quality while keeping the price realistic. I purchased the stainless steel bolt action Bastion in black. The matte black finish is smooth and satisfying and surprisingly easy to grip. The bolt action is very close to perfectly precise; it's responsive to what feels like an appropriate amount of pressure, and the spring resists perfectly so that you feel like you are doing something significant. The bolt action is not loose at all, doesn't click clack around in the engaged or disengaged positions. The two bolts on the pocket clip are low-profile, clean looking, and precisely applied with no nicks or scratches that appear on other pens at this price point from sloppy machining. The native ink cartridge was not my favorite. The lines were a little too light and the tip a little too broad for my taste, but it wrote smoothly and it was easy for me to find a replacement that fit my taste (Ohto extra fine quick dry gel). The machining was virtually flawless. In other words, the bolt action and the seams are so smooth that I could not visually or tactilely perceive any imperfections. The tip fits on and off as if it were a solid single piece of heavy duty metal. The tip feels nice and heavy and lines up with an almost imperceptible seam that is free of any nicks or tell-tale flaws and gives the impression that you are assembling something like a bullet precise instrument. Now let's talk about the weight, the density, and the diameter of the Bastion. These were the factors that I thought would throw me off it's scent. The weight is significant: 2.8oz. It's hard to imagine what that will feel like in your hand, but for comparison, I like to use Pentel Energels, Tuls, Zebra G-402s, and Uni-balls, and I can hold all 4 of those pens in my hand and it still doesn't equal the weight of this one Bastion torpedo. This stainless steel beast is heavy like a rifle barrel. And it's significantly more girthy than most pens as well. I thought these features would cause my hand to tire more quickly and cause my grip to work harder to maintain fine motor control. This simply did not turn out to be the case, despite my worries. The Bastion feels like a machine. And the weight of that machine actually helps do some of the work for you. It rests in my hand at the right angle and the weight exerts pressure on the tip for me so that I don't have to press or push. I compare it to the traction control I get in heavier steel-body cars as opposed to lighter frame powerful engine cars. This Bastion Stainless Steel Black pen seems to reduce my writing fatigue and enhance my writing experience adding significance to my lines and satisfying tactile feedback to my grip. When I write with the Bastion it feels like I'm using a finely engineered machine to help do some of the work for me. Of course they offer lighter pen bodies, like the Titanium ones which I intend to try, but this dense stainless steel bullet of a pen feels good in my hand and gets lots of attention from my peers and coworkers as well. I purchased my Bastion from the Amazon store, didn't get all the swag with it, but still got an impressive pen at the most competitive price in it's category. I own Graftons and Quills and Crosses and Parkers, but this Bastion pen, which is in the same price range of $35 to $50, outperforms all of those pens and feels as if it is in a whole other premium quality tier without having to charge the premium quality price.

What a fantastic pen. I love heavy pens because I tend to grip them very hard and the extra weight allows my hand to relax while writing. This thing may as well be a baseball bat and I LOVE it. This is a no joke EDC pen as well with its weight and stainless steel body. It is heavy in hand, but that weight leans back balancing the pen beautifully allowing far smoother lines. My handwriting has even cleaned up some. The mechanism is great as well. Very strong spring, crisp action and a not difficult or strange to use. Feels very natural. The seamless design looks beautiful, my only slight tick is that is was coming loose occasionally. I added tiny drop of thread lock and solved that problem without making it too hard to open again. The clip is HEAVY not easy to bend and secured with 2 Torx screws. (Also needed a little thread lock, common with metal on metal) The ink cartridge is okay, I didn't really expect much. It cuts out randomly fairly often, sputters and jumps a bit too but I expected to need to order some new ones. Not sure on the storage capacity, but it does seem to burn ink pretty fast. Overall I am in love with this pen and will be buying another one as a spare.

I'm an avid pen collector. I've tried tons of different kinds of pens (including home made ones) looking for the one special pen that I would love enough to be an EDC pen. I'm sooo happy to say that my search is over! First of all, it's BEAUTIFUL! The perfect design for literally every situation. I use mine for EDC and in an office setting and it's perfect. Second, it's built like a TANK! it's durable enough that I'm okay just tossing it in my pocket, and not worried if it's going to get crushed or bend if I try sitting or bending too quickly. Also, the fact that it's a little bigger and thicker makes it easier to retrieve out of my pocket. It doesn't sink to the bottom like smaller pens do. The weight of it is also surprising to me! I was expecting it to be made with cheap materials, but this was REALLY all metal. giving it a very nice weight. More comfortable to use than the average pen for people with larger hands. thirdly, the insert of it! I almost didn't buy it because I was worried a few people said that Parker inserts didn't fit very well into it. I was originally gonna try and find a parker insert that fit as soon as I got it, but after using the BASTION insert, I was very impressed. In my opinion, I think it might even work better than parker. No dead spots, very smooth on all papers, except for sticky notes, the enemy of ALL my pens. lol. I'll be buying a pack of BASTION refills once this one dies on me. Only time will tell if those work just as well as my original. I know they usually don't, but I'm excited to find out. The only thing I kind of wish is that it was just a LITTLE bit longer... but other than that, it's really a pleasure to write with. Should this pen ever fail me, I will absolutely be buying another!

My pen addiction is real! was super excited to come across this pen and had built up in my mind this would be the last pen I would ever need (I have this thought, a lot! btw). The design is great, the unique click and unclick method is a delight to the senses, the barrel color enticing and everyone wants to hold it and write with it. I do like this pen, but there are two adjustments that would enhance it greatness. 1. The next design iteration should have counterbalance built in. This pen is heavy, top heavy specifically, the narrow base is difficult to grasp without slipping or toppling due to the top weight of the pen. 2. Offer a blue and black ink option with each barrel color. The pink and Teal only came with black ink, forcing me to purchase blue ink refills with my order. Overall it is a fun pen, a lovely talking piece and cool design, a worthy investment if you are game to try.

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.

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.

Honestly this one is a replacement because my first one was stolen! I’m pretty picky with pens and I’ve always wanted a well built bolt action pen, so I got one as a gift to myself, splurged on a nice one, and I was only more and more impressed with the quality. It writes really smooth, it’s nice and weighty, could be a downside if you like really light pens but I like the heft. The action is smooth and super satisfying to use, the clip is also nice and tight and well secured. I think one of my favorite things about this pen honestly is the machining, it came with an ink refill and it wasn’t until I was showing my cousin the pen that I was like “how do you even put this in?” It took me only a few minutes to figure out the tip unscrewed however the machining is so tight you can’t see the line! When it’s screwed on all the way it looks like one clean titanium tube! Incredible, definitely my favorite pen