EDC Pen Review: Zebra F-701 - The Best

The EDC pen market seems to have become the "how high can we price a single pen and people still buy it?".  This post isn't about those kinds of pens because I can't afford a $100 + pen.  This is a review of a pen that meets all my true daily needs at a very reasonable cost.

Over 2 years ago now I started a new job requiring me to carry a pen basically at all times.  When starting out I think I tried almost all of the popular office brands but there was something I didn't like about all of them. 



My criteria became:
No lid
Click pen
Solidly built
Doesn't smear
Reasonable cost
Slides in a pocket easily
Refillable

After all the others, too many to name here, I first settled on Zebra Brand pens and tried out all of the versions that were available at local stores.
Zebra F-301 models which are usually $6 for a 2-pack:

They fit almost all my needs, however, I didn't like he plastic parts that were used.  So I checked Amazon to see if Zebra made any other models that aren't carried locally and found that there is one.

Zebra F-701 under $10 each:

The pens pictured are the ones I have been carrying and using daily for over 2 years and they have held up well with only slight visible wear on the body and some pot marks on the clip. 

All the visible parts are metal except for a small ring at the top and there are some plastic parts inside but I haven't had any problems with them.

I also like that they are refillable with the standard Zebra Ballpoint F-Refills available at most major stores or Amazon.  I've put 2 refills through both pens so far. 

Also, with the solid metal body, they can be used as a last ditch self defense implement if needed.  A task most common pens wouldn't be able to handle. 

Right now they are under $7 on Amazon



-aMT