SWAT Pen

When I bought this, I had no idea whether or not this pen could actually break glass for users not as muscular as the guy in the ad. I’m a chubby woman who stopped hitting the gym when everything closed down in March. Even then, I couldn’t lift much. My husband and I replaced our glass shower door recently and as we brought the old one to the trash room, I was so excited to actually have an opportunity to use this pen on glass. I wish I had taken a video. I put it down over a towel (pictured) to make cleanup easier. Literally the second the tip touched the glass, the thing completely exploded. There was a satisfying crackle as glass continued to break for minutes after the blow. I feel completely confident that this would be helpful in an actual emergency situation. The upper thumb grip looks like it would be painful to hold in pictures, but it’s really not and actually makes it easier to more quickly get a firm grasp upon pulling it out of your pocket. The design of the clip also helps with quick draw situations. I bought a Smith and Wesson tactical and the clips are ultra tight, making it difficult both to put on and withdraw. The thickness makes it more sturdy, easier to grip, and durable, but on the other side of the coin, that means it looks like a weapon. You’d have a hard time getting this past airport security. Atomic Bear has another pen that’s more slim and elegant that I intend to buy for travel and carrying on the go. This one will stay in my car in case of roadside emergency or maybe someone trying to jack my car. But I read through a TON of tac pen reviews before choosing Atomic Bear and this company is really the best bang for your buck and puts a lot of thought into their products. The free online classes could be a little better, but for a free class, I can’t complain too much. It’s nice to see how the pen could be used in real life situations. I do wish the instructor slowed down, explained form and technique for those with no martial arts training, and repeated demonstrations a few more times. It’s also pretty annoying how you have to watch a long, loud intro before every single class. I don’t think this is mentioned anywhere, but there is a Teachable app (the platform where the classes are hosted) where you can download classes and watch on the go. I only discovered this when I purchased another Teachable course. If you’ve been spending a bunch of time researching pens as I did (and I’m assuming you are, because you’re reading this), I’m going to tell you that this is the one. It’s a solid, no-nonsense pen. No extra bells and whistles that compromise the quality of the pen. It writes well, the cap snaps onto the back, and most importantly, it could save your life someday.

This item is high quality, built to exacting standards, we'll balanced, just the right amount of heft and quite easy on the skin and pockets if you have to tote it without the enclosed sheath.(I generally wear mine clipped inside a V-neck or quarter zip tactical shirt.) It is not designed to be just a price point knock-off of a industry standard for tactical use. As I've been using a similar item from 511 Tactical for several years, I was tired of being scratched by its annoyingly sharp business end. It was originally purchased by my wife for me in excess of $60. This pen exceeds the quality and comfort of my far more expensive model. It comes in a very nice case worthy of giving containing a quality sheath and pressurized pen refill, an attention to detail most appreciated by those of us who have to scribble notes in damp conditions and enable the user to jot at odd angles. It also has a link to a terrific instructional video to demonstrate its many uses and how to defend yourself with it. This would not be a proper review without field testing this so, I stopped by an auto junk yard and practiced by simulating emergency rescue techniques. I used this device side by side with my trusty 511 pen and found this to actually work better at rapid glass breakage with far less effort on 10 tries. (This was actually pretty fun!) Conclusion : this is now my go to tactical pen and at a fraction of the price of a comparable item from other manufacturers. Well worth the investment and sadly, I can only find a few products from Atomic Bear through Amazon. I hope this company will produce clothing and bags to compete as well with the other big name tactical suppliers. They are certainly on the right business model!

Great quality construction. Would make a formidable self-defense or rescue tool. Has good reach and is comfortable to use as such. I like the pull off cap to expose the writing end. Will NOT accept Pilot G2 refills which is a big negative for me as they are the most readily available, longest lasting, best writing Gel refills IMO. Hopefully Atomic Bear addresses this going forward.

I do not manufacture these and have no idea what amount the holster, nice gift box cost in comparison to a couple more replacement ink cartridges, or knocking the price down. There are certainly more expensive tactical pens, and cheaper ones...this one falls in the middle price range at about $15, but is definitely a nice quality. I do not know how many people are going to hold a pen in a clipped on holster. Tactical guys are generally wearing pockets or a belt to clip to..it just seems unnecessary when purchasing for one's self. As I would rather go around these added and unnecessary costs to me. I just need the pen, and the ink. If that could knock 2 bucks off, 3 bucks off, that would be worth it to me. I do like that it is gift-able though, as it is. Possibly have the option for the gift box-bundle or the pen-only as options. Regardless, it is a handy tool, that I will use/keep handy. It writes well. It's big enough for me to hopefully not misplace it. I love it's box cutting / breaking down ability too. It's a handy tool, and I like that it doesn't try to over-do it with other clunky add-ons like bottle openers/flashlights/etc. Just a nice simple, well-made tactical pen, solid cap that snaps on well to both sides. I would recommend it. But, I do not think most people would use the holster.. Extra ink would be more useful.

Awesome pen with several great features.

I ordered this pen due to the price point. I was originally looking at the Gerber Impromptu but was turned off by price. Pen arrived quite quickly and at first glance seemed like a solid unit. It wrote fine, but one of the first big pain points was not being able to get the cap off easily. 90% of the time, I had to use another tool just to pop the cap off. Aside from that, it worked ok for a bit. Then came an opportunity to actually use the glass breaking portion, which, worked flawlessly. Downside was that it caused the ink cartridge to explode inside the cap. Once I opened it up, ink was everywhere. Decided to just toss it since it wasn't worth putting the time in to clean it. Maybe I just ended up with a bad one. So the company reached out to me after posting the review and offered to send me a replacement, which arrived rather quickly. So far, so good!

The SWAT Tactical Pen is a solid, well made pen that you can use to break glass in case of emergency, use in self defense or write with. The tac pen is a permanent part of my EDC bag. I work in government and law enforcement so there are places where I can't carry my firearm yet I'm surrounded by inmates and criminals. It's nice to have another self defense option. I am very happy with the purchase as it's a great value at a great price. There are a lot of great videos on youtube on how to use the pen in a self defense situation. I promise you do not want to be hit with the business end of this pen. There is probably one one aspect about the pen that is both good/bad and that is the weight and size. It is a hefty pen that is fairly large. The weight/size is great for self defense and breaking glass but takes some getting used too when carrying on your person. It's a minor trade off as I would rather have added weight/size in an emergency situation. I also like the design of the pen. When the cap is on (covering the pen tip) it provides a place for your thumb for added power in a combat situation. Some of the other pens I looked at had the pen at one end and the glass breaker at the other so there was no place to lock the pen into your hand. Being able to lock prevents it from sliding out of your hand when you strike something. The cap on this pen fits tights and doesn't pop off easily. Overall, it is a solid piece of metal with a hardened tip in your hand. It should be a staple in any car, EDC bag or bug out bag.

This Atomic Bear Tactical Pen is pretty dang awesome in both function and looks. It took me a second to understand how to remove the pen cap (getting it off the first time is rough). Once you get past that, it gets much easier, and you can focus on the function. The pen can write fine enough (as a pen should). It also is doubling as a reliable self-defense tool with a built-in window breaker that feels sturdy and effective. The craftsmanship is solid, offering a balanced weight that feels steady with use. Though I hope not to have to use it for defense, it’s nice that I can feel confident in it. The pen is bulky and clearly rugged, but it will fit in your pocket. The pen is a great value, and I appreciate that the pen can work as a weapon without having a sharp edge (the breaker is sufficient to bust glass despite this). I also appreciate the extra ink cartridge included. No matter what group of nerd you find yourself in (survival, tactical, self-defense), it will meet your needs.