Review: BIGiDESIGN Solid Titanium Pen + Stylus - Black

Big Idea Design makes beautiful, versatile products from premium materials for top-notch quality, with the intention that the product should last you a lifetime (and when you get a hold of this pen, you'll want it to last a lifetime). This stealthy cool pen + stylus was sent over by Chadwick of Big Idea Design, for which I want to say a HUGE thank you for! This is the solid titanium pen + stylus, also known as the refill-ninja (I'll get to that shortly). This beauty came from a successful Kickstarter project - so a big thank you to all you wonderful backers that made this magic possible.

SPECS - from Big Idea Design

Weight: 1.34 oz/39 g
Dimensions: 5.35" × 0.43" × 0.43"
Colours: Bead-blasted black, bead-blasted silver & high polished chrome
Materials: TA4 Grade 4 Titanium, Conductive silicone (Stylus tip)

The Goods.

APPEARANCE & FEEL

The solid titanium pen + stylus is a normal length pen with a flat top and a sleek clip and body. As mentioned, there are three colours to choose from. This here is the black, and although I haven't held or seen the other two colours in person, I'm pretty thrilled with the black and would pick it again. I particularly like the matte black body because the stylus tip blends in and looks very ninja. The only writing on the pen is a small silver-grey Ti in a box logo on the clip. The overall appearance of this pen is very cool, very sleek, and very stealthy.

Gorgeous, no? Yes.

The pen is heavy and compared to a typical pen of this size, it is substantial. However, the dimensions make it comfortable to hold and use. I love the way the pen feels in hand. It has a slight texture to it (likely from the bead-blasted finish) that makes it quite nice to write with. Overall, it stealthily whispers "awesome quality" while in hand and while being ninja-y sitting on a desk.

Capped.

Posted.

DETAILS & USE

Not only do you get a solid titanium pen with stylus attached, you get a tasteful microfiber black felt pen sleeve stamped with BIGiDESIGN. It is obviously a perfect fit for the pen and provides a nice little home for your pen + stylus when not in use, or in your bag or pocket.

If you aren't planning to use the stylus for awhile, you can replace it with the included flat back plug. Speaking of the stylus, it's fabulous. I have been using one of those weird spongy ones for a long time and after awhile, the fibers started shredding and leavings bits behind, and it worked maybe 75% of the time. It was infuriating. This stylus tip is conductive silicone and works so well and is so responsive, it's as though it knows what I'm thinking (creepy.).

I love this thing.

Stylus tip swapped out.

The clip is built in to the body of the pen and is very snug. This pen won't fall off whatever you attach it to. The clip did not shred any of the papers I attached it to (which has happened to me with other clips). It's very attractive and is a lovely complement to the pen. And not only does it work really well, it'll also stop your pen from rolling away and escaping.

The cap is threaded to cap and post the pen. Just the right amount of threads - you won't be sitting there turning the cap over and over to remove it or replace it. I like that it's threaded because it's very secure. The threads are very clean so you also don't have to fumble around to find the right "starting spot".

The barrel has three little anti-slip finger grooves though I did not find my fingers slipping during use. I imagine this would be more of an issue with the high polished chrome finish, in which case the anti-slip grooves may be required. In the case of this bead-blasted black, it just looks cool.

I'm so impressed with the quality of this pen. There were so many details that could have been overlooked but obviously were not. The threads are so clean and they are color-matched, the inside of the cap and barrel are nicely finished, the clip has a great profile against the pen body.

So very tidy.

One of the biggest details though is the amount of refills that fit in this pen, all of which are easy to find. I'd list them but that would double the length of this review, so I'll just send you here to check the list out. You can expect refills like Cross gel, Mont Blanc fineliner, Pentel EnerGel, Pilot Hi-Tec-C Cavalier, Uni-ball Signo, and many more to fit your ninja pen. No weird hacks necessary.

 

CONS

Thus far, this review has been all pros. Here's the other side: the pen is a little long and slightly top-heavy when posted. And if I were to be really picky, sometimes the metal squeaks when closing the barrel. That's not even a con. It's just a thing. Some people hate squeaky sounds and it takes away from the stealthy ninjaness ever so slightly (in a tiny, tiny amount).

PRICE

$75 at Big Idea Design

CHECK BIGIDESIGN OUT

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OVERALL

If you haven't noticed, I am thoroughly impressed by this pen + stylus and I highly recommend it, whether you are seeking a pen to use a variety of refills with, or a pen that also has a stylus. Fantastic quality, great craftsmanship, very versatile, very sleek. If this all wasn't enough awesome for you, here's some more: there's free worldwide shipping. There. Now you have no excuse.

If you prefer smaller sized pens, check out the XTS Titanium Pen + Stylus!

Check out From The Pen Cup's review of this pen + stylus!

Full Disclosure: Unfortunately, I had missed this Kickstarter project so this solid titanium pen + stylus was sent to me by Chadwick for me to test and then review. I was not compensated monetarily. All these opinions are 100% my own. I swear on all four of my cats's lives.