It’s safe to say I’m a bit of an EDC nut. I love devices designed to pack function in a tiny form, designed to be carried everywhere. I love it when EDC also tries to reinvent a category by making a product gorgeous enough that you’d WANT to carry it with you everywhere you go. To an extent, a good EDC pen does just that. A pen is sort of a status symbol if you think of it – executives and politicians carry expensive, luxurious pens to sign documents, astronauts show off their space pens, and EDC lovers like me appreciate a good metal pen that has heft and style.
A plastic pen gets the job done, but nobody WANTS to carry a plastic pen on them (it ruins the aura around a person). That’s why a good EDC pen needs to look eye-catching and desirable. Take a look at the PROOF Vanguard pen and you’ll know exactly what I mean – It’s gorgeous, has the chiseled appeal of a workshop tool, and shows off a dual-metal body that anyone’s eyes will fall in love with. Underneath its faceted exterior lies the EDC community’s favorite bolt-action-style mechanism, which gives the Vanguard a great tactile feel too, elevating it to the status of an EDC icon.
Designer: PROOF
The Vanguard comes machined from 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum (it isn’t titanium, sorry!), with a two-part body that’s held together by four screws (visible on the underside). Meanwhile, the pocket clip comes machined from 260 brass, sitting in a groove in the pen’s front-facing half. A piston rod made from stainless steel and a spring on the inside help deploy the pen’s refill.
The term bolt-action pen comes from the bolt-action mechanism, originally developed for firearms in the 19th century. Probably a sign of military machismo, it made its way into pens that firearm enthusiasts took warmly to for its familiar deployment pattern. The Vanguard’s bolt-action mechanism is deployed by sliding the pocket clip to the left and then down, creating a satisfying manual action that your thumb will easily fall in love with and develop a muscle memory for. Disengage the clip and the spring inside the pen causes it to slide back up, creating a clack sound that your ears will attune to too.
The pen accepts any PR4 or SPR4-style cartridges, which you can put in simply by unscrewing the parts to access the interior. Is it convenient? Not really, but then again, this pen isn’t for BIC lovers, it’s for people who love to tinker and love a little extra industrial appeal. Speaking of industrial appeal, the Vanguard’s faceted design is all about that minimal-brutalist styling. Flat, chiseled surfaces catch light the way a gemstone would, while also ensuring the pen doesn’t roll over when placed on a tabletop. It’s convenient to grip and write with, and the 1.4-ounce body feels nice and weighted, allowing you to write with confidence.
The Vanguard comes from the folks at PROOF, who’ve built a reputation with their gorgeous metallic wallets. In ways, the Vanguard merely extends PROOF’s catalog with yet another EDC offering that their wallet-users will love too. The Vanguard starts at $155, which might be a little high for what’s essentially a ‘ballpoint pen’. However, that price is justified when you look at the sheer design and materials, and the fact that the Vanguard has free-shipping and a stunning lifetime warranty. Does your $10 Amazon-bought fountain pen have that? I guessed not.
The post This Bolt-Action EDC Pen Looks So Good You’ll Never Use A Regular Ballpoint Again first appeared on Yanko Design.