Steel and Flint Pen Quick Look

14 November 2016 By ian

The Steel and Flint Pen is being launched on Kickstarter tomorrow for an early bird price of £45. They were kind enough to send me a prototype to take a look at. I’ve only had it a few days so this is just a quick look rather than a full review.

The pen’s made from anodised aluminium and is available in three finishes: black (for an extra £5), silver (this one) and gold. Mine looks good, with a matt finish that’s fairly smooth to the touch.

steel-and-flint-capped

The pen features a long cap that covers most of the pen. It’s held closed by a strong magnet which also works to hold it securely when posted. This is a great design. It’s very satisfying to cap or post the pen and it’s worth checking out this little video to see it in action.

steel-and-flint-uncapped

It’s also very pocket safe. The only problem with it is the strength of the magnet which, in common with other pens that use this kind of system, means your pen will attract anything magnetic that gets too close: keys or other pens in particular.

steel-and-flint-in-pieces

The Steel and Flint Pen comes with the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 refill which happens to be one of my favourites. It’s a hybrid ballpoint ink that gives a good consistent black line and is very smooth across the paper. If you don’t like this refill then because it’s a standard Parker/G2 size you have lots and lots of options. The refill’s held nice and tight and there’s no wiggle in the tip.

steel-and-flint-in-hand

The pen isn’t huge but it’s long enough to sit comfortably in the hand. It’s light, too. I’m not a huge fan of knurling but this isn’t too obtrusive and works to provide a good grip.

steel-and-flint-posted

I’m not completely sure about the the step down from the grip to the tip but that’s just a personal preference. It has no impact on the performance of the pen.

I think the oversized cap combined with the magnet makes this an excellent design, although it does look very similar to the Pen Type B. I’ve been on a spending hiatus but I’ll almost definitely be backing this.