Side by Side Comparison of: Boker vs Gerber vs Lamy

This pen is amazing! I can't believe the price is this low, considering the high price of comparable tactical pens($100+) that don't look or feel as good as the Boker+ CID! I've had this pen for about a year now and its still in great condition, and I'm still using the original ink cartridge even though I've seen a ton of reviews saying it ran out very quickly. Great seller, package came super quick! I LOVE this pen!

Great pen! Everything as described

I really enjoy the pen. Nicely weighted and feels good in my hand. I only with the Ink cartridge was bigger, and a more fine tip. Other than that, it's still awesome.

Very nice pen. Had a few different edc pens and I've always liked a clicky type but the bolt action intrigued me. This thing is great, takes a bit getting used to action and a bit tight for the first few clicks but it's amazing now. So light weight, great size for edc, and built in clip is solid. The cap likes to unscrew so keep an eye on it but it's worth it to me

Use it every day. Taken lots of abuse.I would recommend swapping out the 0.7 ink system with a 0.5 variant. Refills are available on amazon. Called LAMY refills. I put some paracord through the hole on the end and made a loop. I spin it around my finger consistently as a nervous tick of sorts and eventually with the 0.7, the ink flies all over the place.

This is not a zip-gun. The product name may sound like it is, but it's not. It does not fire projectiles. I've tried. That would take an incredibly strong spring. The spring inside is already very thick and makes the action a but stiff. I replaced it with a thinner spring and now it works perfectly. The machining is incredibly well done and precise. Everything matches up. The only seam is in the very tip where it screws off to replace the ink, and it is hardly noticeable. The clip is the first distinct feature on this pen. It is not stamped and soldered on. It is not connected with screws or a cap. It is completely carved and integrated into the pen, hence "CID" (Clip Integrated Design). It has no tension. It does not lay against the pen body. It is an open space. It is good for people who are into the tactical design and will likely be wearing cargo pants or jeans- any thick material. Do not try carrying this in a paper-thin silk shirt-pocket. It will not stay still. For the places it will stay, it works excellently. The clip does not stick out, so what keeps the pen from rolling? That is the second distinct feature. The pen does not click, or twist. There is a bolt in it like that of a rifle. You slide it down and to the side for it to lock in place, and there you have a pen. No gears or weird mechanisms like a click or twist pen than can jam- just a spring and a bolt. It's very fun to play with, snapping it open and closed. It is easy to use one-handed. The pen being aluminum, it is light. This is not your ordinary bunker-buster of a tactical pen. It is not half an inch thick- though close. It is for people who like thick and heavy pens that aren't TOO thick and heavy. It's just right. It's short, 5.5 inches, so not unbalanced, and comfortable to write with. The machined lines in the body are great for grip. The O-ring in the tip for unscrewing is just slightly too thin- the tip will sometimes unscrew if writing for an extended period of time. Bigger O-ring, problem solved. The knob on the bolt unscrews as well so you can take out the mechanism and see how it works, and is easy to put back in, but requires precision. I don't recommend it unless you're cleaning or oiling it, like a gun bolt. The ink is nothing special. The refill is, yes, very short, but it is also about 3 times as THICK as other refills, and so lasts just about the same. I still have the ink that came with the pen and have not yet bought any LAMY-22 refills, so I can't say how those work with the pen. The aluminum body does occasionally get scratched up, but the black coating is very durable. For those who want just a bit more, there is a titanium version for around $80. Because of the O-ring and spring fix, I would give this a 4/5 because at this price, that should not be a problem- but it is just such a great pen and "toy" otherwise that it still deserves a 5/5.

This pen is solid steel. It is heavy, but it doesn't weigh you down. I carry it in a shirt pocket of my uniform shirt. It comes with a cartridge that writes upside down or on wet paper to a degree. I'm very pleased with this pen. I've had other aluminum versions of a tactical pen before. This one is so handy because you don't have to remove the cap to use it. It functions perfectly, no trouble extending the pen tip or retracting with a click of the top button. Best made tactical pen I've owned. My wife carries a different brand that is aluminum because she says her purse is heavy enough as it is.

Seems very sturdy and the clicking feature is great. Gerber comes through again. The only weird thing is that there is a metal point for self-defense near the tip of the pen which sometimes interferes with writing.

After spending money on cheaper tactical pens that broke or were hard to use I picked up the gerber. I just wish I pulled the trigger the first time instead of wasting money on the others.. The only thing I didn't like was the glass breaker piece sticking out which interfered at times with writing since you have to rotate the pen so it's out of the way, I think you would get used to it but personally I just wanted a rugged pen that works and won't break so simple fix for that is take a pair of vice grips and 1 yank and problem solved. No more tip to get in the way.. Now it's perfect!

Arrived a few days early and in perfect condition. Excellent weight and balance, writes smoothly, and is very comfortable in the hand. It's perfect for everyday use, doesn't look like a weaponized pen so it doesn't attract attention, and the refills are easily available. Considering buying another as a spare in case I ever lose or misplace this one.

I can see why they call it a "tactical" pen. It's very heavy because of its metal construction. Given its non-writing uses, being heavy makes sense. Just don't try to wear it in a regular civilian shirt pocket. The pen is only a fraction of an inch longer than standard ink pens. It writes well, but I don't think I would want to take a lot of notes with it, such as in a class or seminar. Nevertheless, it will be an integral part of my emergency auto gear. I just hope I don't have to test the window-breaking feature.Just to be on the safe side, if I take it on a plane flight, I will put it into my checked baggage. I'm sure any airport security agent would love to confiscate it.

Peace be with you! First I want to say that I bought this not to use as a weapon but as my main pen. I work in the food service industry and everything we bring to the floor must be metal-detectable. The Zebra brand of pens are standard but are too small for my tastes and the same goes for the Cross brand of pens too. Enter the Gerber Tactical Pen! This baby is Quality Control approved, has great heft and writes as the best pen I used in all my natural memory! I use the Fisher Space Pen refill Fisher Space Pen Point Pressurized Refill, Black Bold (SPR4B) bold version, as my standard. The clicker has not failed from repeated use but as I said, I don't plan on punching out glass anytime soon! For me, this is the best rugged pen I have ever used and because of the weight and style you will get lots of comments from ppl. But be sure to get it back from them! Lastly, are two flat panels on the pen that I use for engraving. Yet again highly recommended buying the Fisher Space Refills for the price and quality. I'll give two of these as gifts to some friends in the future.UPDATE: Hats off to the pen design and the Fisher Refills. I accidently left my pen in the washing machine but it came out writing and functioning and a tad cleaner. Nice!

Received pen and it delivered on build and quality. Quality in the heft and solid feel. I ordered the black finish model as I already had a gun metal Uzi tac pen. The pen is shorter than standard length but still comfortable in the hand. The refill is short and will run out much sooner but that's known going in. The part that stands out as sub-standard is the formed pocket clip - - it is very sharp and looks like production needs to have another look at its finish. The part in question on the clip is near the end (point tip) and just underneath the edges. The bolt action is stiff but solid. I had the pen hung on my vest but the screw tip (to access refill) tended to loosen easily and I was paranoid it would fall off and I would lose it. I have since moved my pen to my EDC bag. I first opted to pass on this pen due to the high cost (for a pen) but eventually caved and ordered it. Glad I did.

Works well. I love the feel of the grip in my arthritic fingers. Some pens are too skinny for me. The bolt action is cool, and works well. I did have to tighten the bolt lever after a few months. If it loosens again, I'll put locktite on it. The nose has a tendency to unscrew too easily. The o-ring that is probably there, to help keep it from unscrewing does not create enough drag to do that. Needs a fatter ring, or something. I opted to over tighten mine, by holding it gently with pliers. Will make it not as easy to change the pen cartridge, but that's not something you do every day. It is a great conversation piece, and if left out, could lead somebody into temptation.

The pen quality is great, absolutely insane to play with when you're bored. The clip is strong, and the ink writes like a regular pen you'd get for a dollar. The only reason I give it four stars is because after writing about 5 pages worth of things, the ink ran out. Sometimes I do think that the pen is overpriced, but I've definitely gotten my money's worth by playing with the little bolt action. Not recommended for those who can easily lose track of pens, as this thing is definitely a little pricey for a pen. For those who are capable of carrying a pen for a while like myself, it's a great investment.

While this pen is a solid pen, it saddens me that the bolt is slighty loose in the chamber. Simply shaking the pen emits a noise from the bolt against the body.Also, when you do play with it for a while, the tip that holds the spring does get a little loose. This was easily fixed with some pipe threading tape.Unfortunately my pen did not write out of the box, but a simple addition of a Lamy M22 cartridge fixed that right up.All in all, if you like a novelty pen with a tactical advantage, this is pretty good. Just need minor adjustments.

I like this pens design, feel & the way it operates & writes. I was hoping that it would take the Fisher Space Pen refills (as I was led to believe by someone affiliated to Boker..... perhaps they were referring to a newer design or I misunderstood), but it doesn't.I like the bolt action deployment of the writing point & the clip is nice in that it doesn't stick out to get caught on stuff.

This is a very well made pen, but I would not consider it a tactical pen. When you refer to those you are saying that you can use them as a weapon in hand to hand and yet they act as a pen. I have another one from a different vendor that is very much a tactical pen. This is just a fun pen as it mimicks a bolt action rifle. The other downside is that nowhere does it tell you what ink refil cartiridges to use as the cartridge is not marked and all that comes int he box is a warrenty form. Still it is a fun pen that writes and is very well made, it could be a little cheaper but it is still a good pen. but do not think that this is an actual tactical pen as the bolt screw would go threw your fingers when you strike and there are no ridges or gripes ont he pen for striking.

excellent, sturdy instrument - very positive pushbutton action to extend and retract - great until you need to reassemble, (like after changing the refill). not a good idea to do in poor light or without adequate workspace where you can find a dropped pocket clip or spring . The filler stuck deep inside the barrel. This required sharp, loud taps to dislodge both filler and spring which rolled into oblivion. Dropping the spring down first then attempting to lower the filler point into barrel caused the serious jam mentioned above. Instead, while keeping the filler pointing straight up, then apply spring over it, then lower the barrel over the sky-facing refill point completely. Thread it completely before inverting and letting spring fall off the filler.

The steel glass breaker always protrudes just exactly alongside the extended ball point and seems likely to rip a pocket at least as well as it may breaks glass

Hefty tactical pen with a sometime-stiff top push cap. Opening the cap reveals groves that guide & lock pen tip in up or down positions. Make sure your's well greased. Mine was. Locking/unlocking gets better with use. Unscrewing either ends reveal o-rings that keeps dust out of internals.

Stock ballpoint writes good on mine. Will see what kind of mileage I'd get. In all, good purchase. Hope to keep using this tac pen for a long while.

I purchased two of these pens, one for my husband and one for myself. I was originally going to return my pen because I dislike the 1/4" glass breaker being visible and standing out. I even went through the return process and received a shipping label from Amazon to return it. I have changed my mind. I REALLY like the body of this pen, and although I dislike the visibility of the glass breaker, the overall pen design outweighs my dislike.

Be aware of the 1/4" glass breaker being visible if you are going to order this pen, BUT keep in mind that the design, the body of the pen, and width of the pen are exceptional. As a female, I like that this pen is thinner than most tactical pens, but it has good weight and is made exceptionally well. I would recommend this pen to others.

I was looking for a quality, USA-made, tactical pen for my EDC, and this is what I settled on. There are plenty of military/tactical/outdoor pens out there, but very few are made here in the good old USA. Usually when you're thinking of a pen that checks off those boxes, you automatically think of a Fisher Space Pen, so when I found out that Gerber made one, I jumped on it. The ink refill for this pen is a Fisher refill, though, so it can write in a variety of crazy conditions. The pen itself is all metal and rock solid. I have yet to try the glass breaker, but I'm sure it works perfectly. I've heard some say that the glass breaker tip gets in the way when writing, and I'd have to agree with them. I feel it is just a bit too much pen. If Gerber could take the exact same pen but make it 75% the size, it would be perfect. So basically, if it were 1.5 inches shorter, it would be much easier to EDC. Perhaps Gerber can make an Impromptu Mini that is 75% the size and doesn't have the glass breaker. Now that would be the perfect pen!

I have a few S&W tactical pens and thought I'd try this one after seeing it in an article somewhere.

Pros: Feels VERY serious. It has to be close to twice the weight of my S&W pens. This is a click pen vs the S&W. Works with Fisher Space Pen Refills (e.g., SPR4).

Cons: The machining where your writing hand knuckles are can be uncomfortable after using the pen for a while. The pocket clip arm is suspended over one of the 3 equal-spaced flat machined surfaces. The gap is so significant that it won't hold the pen in your pocket if you bend over (I found out a few times the first few days). Rather than bend that arm I decided to wrap the barrel carefully with a couple revolutions of electrical tape. Problem solved so far. Lastly, the glass breaker tip is always in the out position. That took a little getting used to at first and I often do a double take when putting the pen in my pocket to make sure the writing tip isn't still sticking out instead.

Despite the length of all the Cons above, this is a superior pen and I'll probably buy more especially if different colors become available.

This is a nice, light, different in a good way pen. I usually carry a Gerber impromptu, but their action is finicky and I've sent two back to Gerber for warranty replacement. (They honor that flawlessly, btw.)The action is nice, the "clip in design" is awesome... The paint, not so much. One day in the pocket next to my Fenix PD35 and the paint is scratching right off.For the same price as the Gerber, I'd say get the Gerber. The Gerber is US made and holds up better, but it's a tank for weight.

Very reasonably priced compared to other bolt pens and it writes just fine, but the short cartridge and the clip design are definite minuses, as is the bolt placement. It's fun to play with though.

The bolt action is pretty neat, but the spring is a little too strong - no biggie. The bolt mechanism that your finger uses to operate wants to unscrew from the main body, but it has quite a bit of thread, so it would have to unscrew quite a bit for it to actually get lost. Same goes for the tip that you would remove to change the ink cartridge. I'm thinking about using a little lok-tite to keep it from unscrewing in my pocket.The Lamy cartridge it came with was complete junk and ran out of ink the first day before I could write enough words to even fill this review. I almost sent it back for this reason, but when I ordered the pen, I knew i would want a broad tip, so I went ahead and ordered more Lamy cartridges and these turned out just fine. I do wish they had a space pen option, but with the form factor of the pen limits the options for compatible ink cartridges. Also, the unibody construction is nice, but I thought I would like it more than I do. It kinda makes it difficult to clip it onto anything. It works ok in my pocket, though, so I suppose it's alright.

This pen was a gift for a friend. The pen itself is unique and very well made. However, the pen did not write at all from day one.

Awesome pen, bolt action works great. fits comfortably in jeans pocket. Only complaint is the it ran out of ink in a couple days and the recommended refills from amazon didn't fit properly. I'm still waiting on another replacement cartridge from Lamy. Hopefully it fits, else I'll be returning the item.

This pen seems well built, and works well. The downside is that the little knob you use to work the bolt action is so small and sloped in such a way that I found my thumb starting to get a bit raw from using it too much.The ink cartridge which came in the pen went bone dry after writing less than a page (!), but I ordered a "Lamy Refills Black Fine Point Ballpoint Pen - LM22BKF" also from Amazon, and it's a perfect fit.

Pen functions very well as a self defence tool but as far as writing it was a total fail. Glad that I ordered the rite in rain refills which worked well when replacing the defective original cartridge in the pen.

*Update - a week after I gave my husband this pen for our anniversary, the clip snapped off of it. He keeps it clipped to the outer pocket of his laptop case, and as he was pulling the pen out of the pocket the clasp snapped. Now it has a jagged edge and is no longer convenient to keep with him. I'm pretty disappointed, as it seemed to be a quality pen.

*Original review - Better than expected. The pen is solid and has a good weight to it without being too heavy. It is perfect to keep as a self defense item that is discreet.

I wanted this pen for a while and finally took the plunge. I've had it for almost 2 years now, so I think I could give a pretty honest review. The pen itself is just very heavy. I knew that going in, but I guess I just took for granted how uncomfortable heavy use (writing) would be. I started having issues with the pen cap sticking when trying to click it. It sounded very rough so I decided to take it apart. Very important: know that there is a very small ball bearing in this pen if you ever venture to disassemble. I ended up losing the ball bearing after multiple attempts to fix the sticking issue. I contacted Gerber about it and they were very nice in responding to me that my pen had a lifetime warranty and I just needed to send the pen to them to get repaired. This was well over 6 months ago and I still haven't sent the pen in. That should tell you right there where it rates for me.

The pen itself is great. Heavy duty, sturdy, has a click mechanism so that you don't have to worry about losing the cap, feels great in your hand, works well when you use it to help form your fist and has a glass breaker tip.

This pen was my daily carry for a year but over the course of the year I had to replace it once under warranty and then I lost one of them so I had three pens during the year (obviously the latter was my fault!). So three pens in a year.. I feel like I've had a good sampling of the build quality.

My beef with the pen is this.. when you carry it daily, the paint / powder coating wears off exposing the aluminum underneath. That didn't really bother me because it showed some age and it looked like I used it all the time (which I did, somewhat). This was only my writing instrument if I didn't have anything else on me and it sat comfortably in my pocket using the clip, next to my knife... however, on the first and the third pen, the click mechanism died. On both pens, one time I clicked it out and it would never retract. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I disassembled the pen on both occasions and couldn't fix it. The first time, as mentioned, I swapped it under warranty. The third pen though has so much aluminum showing and I was so frustrated that it happened again that I literally took it apart and threw it away.

I'm looking for another tactical pen now but am divided on choosing a cheaper pen that will still form my fist well and be able to be used as a pressure point device or biting the bullet and getting another $40+ pen.

Decisions decisions....

Nice pen writes well and feels good in your hand the only huge draw back is the glass breaker point is at the bottom of the writing portion of the pen and when you carry it in a pocket it will rip clothing. Hugh problem for a great pen. nothing else to say but it defeats the purpose if you have an issue carrying this in your pocket or shirt and don't want to wear a pocket protector. hope this helps

I love this pen but it broke after a year and a half. The clip that holds it in your pocket snapped off, so now it's useless.

Ran out of ink in less then a week!

The pen is great except for the pen refills, the LAMY that came with it ran out in a week, but I expected this from reading reviews of the pen so I had ordered 2 extras. But the LAMY refills don't write worth a darn. I will never pay for a Lamy product again.

The pen is about as expected, but the in cartridge is inadequate. The shipped cartridge started failing in the first day. Upon rest, it would work for a couple of words. Now, after almost half a page, it has completely died. Replacements are not readily available, so it looks like I have a heavy duty, tactical dowel.

Unfortunately, the pen ran out of ink within the first 3 days of using it. Had to return this pen. .

Nice heavy, very well built but not very well thought out. the only complaint I have about this pen is the glass breaker, if you are not holding the pen just rite the glass breaker gets in the way. If I can find a way to remove the breaker this pen will be 100 time better.

I really like this pen. It's got a nice weight. It writes wonderfully. The mechanism SUCKS!!!!! It regularly gets hung up. Drives me nuts. I've tried a spray lubricant multiple times. Helps maybe a little bit. I constantly have trouble with it locking up.

The pen clicker sticks - either open or closed - about 20% of the time. Seriously? I just received this order today. Very disappointed! The clicker mechanics of a $2.00 disposable pen are more dependable that this.

Come on Gerber - Do it right.

Had to replace ink refill when first received. Glass break point disappeared after about one month. First Gerber product I have had that was a disappointment..

I wasn't real pleased with the pen. If it functioned as intended I would've given it 4 stars. The problem I have is that the pen gets stuck in the out position and I can't get it to return. I sometimes have to disassemble it to get to go back.

I like the construction of the pen but it just stops writing when ever . Not pleased for the amount of money I spent.

At almost $40, I was really expecting a high quality item. I mean, it's an aluminum pen, right? Should be pretty well built, write super awesome, feel good in the hand, etc... Nope, nope, and nope.I got it in its case (case is probably worth more than the pen) and it was pretty loose fitted. Okay, fine, came from the factory, right? I tighten it up and give it a go. It writes "ok," about as well as a $0.25 bic you'd accidentally walk off with from any public kiosk. Okay, fine; not the best cartridge of ink. Opened it up and found the cartridge is a short type replacement, so you're not going to be able to replace it with most types (write-in-the-rain cartridges are always long, so another strike to that). The mechanism is nice and sturdy feeling, a good tactile response to it. The top clip is way too big and isn't actually pinching anything, so don't expect this to stay in your pocket (or pen sleeve for the military folks). I decided to return it pretty much right away from this, but it hung around for a few days before I got to that. I picked it back up, and found that it was loose again... okay... I tightened it and put it back in the box, and gave it a good shaking. I took it out and jiggled it about a bit and felt the fitting again: loose! Wow... that's some pretty cheap construction, and for a "tacticool" pen, those are all some glaring problems... This would have been a neat knick-knack for $1.50 at a hardware store checkout. Not $40 online.

I received the wrong item. Instead I received the Boker Plus Titan K.I.D. Tactical Pen, Silver. How can we resolve this?

Ordered for my husband for Christmas. Ink dried up in less than 2 days. Refills are not a standard size and we aren't inclined to order the Boker refills based on the poor quality of the one in the Boker pen. Packaging was promptly thrown away with all the other gift wrap so we were unable to return it.

the pen is cool and fun to write with but it took me about a week to be done with all the ink the pens now useless

DO NOT BUY THIS PEN! Right out of the box the clicker broke and won't stay out so you can write with it. Tried taking it apart but didn't fix the problem. Lots of other people had similar issues.

Clicker on pen did not work upon receiving the product. For a Gerber product very disappointed, had high hopes for the pen.

Pen will not stay out to write, immediately when pressure is applied it returns after only a few months use, tried taking apart and back together and still does it. just worn out and not as heavy duty as it is heavy itself.

What a piece of crap, arrived unable to use as the clicker would not engage or disengage. Took it apart to see if there was anything I needed to remove to make work properly, and it looks to be defective. It will now engage and click into place, but the overall smoothness and action of such is clunky, unreliable and unpredictable. Will be returning for a replacement to see if this $35 heavy pen can meet better expectations, will change rating accordingly, as for now, very disappointed.

pocket clip broke almost immediately and the pen esentially self destructed when I tried to remove it completely. the "glass breaking" center punch is not going to work in reality. Pen writes very well - but so does a bic biro...