This pen is machined out of zirconium. The element directly below titanium on the periodic table. Zirc shares quite a few properties with Ti such as extreme corrosion resistance, strength and when flamed creates and incredibly durable surface finish like no other. This material is extremely hard to work with and machine so we rarely have them on hand. That said, when we're done the machined pens are absolutely amazing and will last a lifetime.

The surface is flame hardened to a gem like finish which is literally a metallic ceramic. The best part is that the new design of this pen allows it to be operated one handed and still fit into virtually any shirt pocket. Simple, functional and elegant all at the same time. There are no identifying marks, no logos and no engravings on this pen except for the lasered Tuff Writer fist logo on the clip.

Mostly the material choice and time consuming manufacturing process refinements. Virtually all high-end pen mechanisms are made from brass and plated (easier and cheaper to manufacture but not as durable as ours), we decided to go nuts and machine it out of 416 stainless steel (a much harder and more durable material). This meant we had to have it Swiss-CNC'ed which, while more costly, means we can hold much tighter tolerances (less than .0005" all day long on the Citizen L-20). The G-Code programming done by our friend's shop re-traces the race toolpaths to debur all edges, taking more time but it also means that the chrome steel bearing glides smoothly and the mechanism cycles like butter. It's much more expensive and time consuming to make it this way but it really is pretty awesome. Plus, the 416SS and chrome steel will wear better and last much longer than plated brass. It's complete overkill for a pen mechanism but hey... if you're going to make one, might as well go all out, right?

Yeah, it really is but we make the best pens we can possibly make, something special that you'll be proud to own and carry with you for years to come. That's why we back them with a lifetime guarantee, because we make them to last a lifetime.

- Franklin-Christoph Ultra-Glide

- Schmidt Easyflow 9000

- Schmidt Pressurized

- Schmidt Private Reserve P900

- Fisher (Space Pen)

- Foray Rollerball

- Montevered Soft Roll

- Penatia

- Visconti