As far as I know the pen mechanism I’m about to reveal to you has never been done before by anyone else.

I will admit right now that the mechanism — which I’ll get into in just a second — is simple. Which is a good thing. Simple means there is less to go wrong.

But the simple and unique mechanism is just the start — there is a LOT more to this pen.

Now let’s jump right into the details…

The ClickShift™ mechanism is what gives this pen a true “X” factor.

Not only did it take me quite some time — not to mention a ton of banging-my-head-against-the-wall — to design and refine the mechanism…but the CNC machining of it also proved a little tricky.

I’d love to tell you I “nailed it” first time. But I would be lying.

After the initial prototype was made we had to test, tweak and re-machine a number of versions of the mechanism to really get it dialed in (I’ll probably reveal more about this to you in the Project Updates section).

We eventually got there and all the blood, sweat and tears were ultimately worth it.

The mechanism works even better than I had hoped (and I’m a fairly optimistic guy!).

This is the third generation ClickShift™ pen and now comes with 304 Stainless Steel internals. After a ton of testing over a long period of time I have found 304 Stainless to be a "magic metal" that gets smoother the more you use it.

We make every single component in-house (including the custom Titanium machine screw that retains the pocket-clip).

I will be flat-out honest with you here…

When I designed the mechanism I was hopeful that it would work with just the raw titanium. It did work for a little while - but soon started to lose its smoothness.

I was half-expecting the titanium-on-titanium would do this (if you’re a little geeky about titanium like me, then this effect is called “galling”).

I kept tweaking the unique ClickShift™ mechanism and ultimately 304 Stainless Steel internals has proven itself to be the HANDS-DOWN winner. It is by far the smoothest mechanism . . . and only gets smoother the more you use it!

I could be wrong here but…

As far as I know I’m still the only guy in the world to precision machine the pen spring from titanium (almost everyone else uses bog-standard, off the shelf steel springs).

We used custom machined titanium springs on our bolt-action and click pens - and this new ClickShift™ also has CNC machined titanium spring.

Not only that, but the spring is unique to the ClickShift™ pen. Because of the nature and movement of the ClickShift™ mechanism it requires a spring specifically designed with just the right characteristics.

Is it a hassle to make?

Yes.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely!

You’ve probably already figured this out, but I don’t make any compromises when designing and making pens. I use the best materials I can and the best methods I can.

Most pen makers will opt for a stamped-and-bent pocket clip. Yes,doing this results in a functional clip (and probably a lower-price-point) - but it’s not for me.

No mass-production style methods are used here (not even on the pocket clip).

The pocket clip is not an afterthought - it is a functional and visually important part of the ClickShift™.

We take as much care the design, machine and finish the pocket clip as with any other component of the pen.

You’ve probably already figured this out already, but the ClickShift™ is a very (VERY) fidget-able pen.

The smoothness of the action combined with the crisp, clean “click” is horribly addictive.

WARNING: You are likely to annoy your co-workers with your clicking of the pen (but hey, they might just give you your own office!)

I’ve machined grooves into the body of the pen to help with grip when writing.

I have a confession though:

Even if the ClickShift™ did not have finger grooves you would find there is enough grip just with the Matte surface finish alone.

One thing I did do specifically on the grooves was space them fairly close together. This give the pen a more technical and precise look visually.

Some ink refills can write underwater.

If you buy one of those refills, then the ClickShift™ will function perfectly well underwater for you.

For most people this perhaps sounds a little over-the-top.

But I’ve had scuba-divers as customers and this critical for them.

You probably don’t need the ClickShift™ to be 100% waterproof - but it’s there for you if you need it.

I designed the ClickShift™ so it could be disassembled and re-assembled without requiring any tools (apart from the pocket-clip which does require a Torx driver for the small titanium screw).

Unscrewing the tip is all you need to do to access the mechanism. The spring, refill, lower-piston and “ball” can then be removed.

Putting it back together is done simply by putting the components back in the reverse order. Simple.

Because of the simplicity of the ClickShift™ mechanism there is zero maintenance.

I will admit that the mechanism has a slightly open design - so there is a chance pocket-lint gets in there over time.

But, because of the simplicity of disassembly and re-assembly, you’ll have it cleaned and back together in less than 60 seconds.

As with our popular Bolt-Action and Click pens we’ve opted for the ever-popular and easily available Parker-style refills.

Here’s a list of just some of the refills you can use with this pen…

• 
  
• Faber-Castell Ballpoint Pen Refill
• Fisher Space Pen Refill, PR Series- Colors (Bold, Medium, Fine)
• Fisher Space Pen – Universal Ballpoint Refill
• Monteverde Ceramic Gel Refill (Broad)
• Monteverde Needle Point Refill (Fine)
• Monteverde Soft Roll- Colored inks (Medium)
• Monteverde Soft Roll- (Superbroad, Medium, Ultrafine)
• OHTO Needlepoint Ballpoint Pen Refill PS-107NP
• OHTO PS-205NP Extra-Fine 0.5mm Ballpoint Pen Refill
• Parker Ballpoint Pen Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)
• Parker GEL Ballpoint Pen Refill (Medium)
• Parker Quickflow Ballpoint Pen Refill (Medium, Fine)
• Pelikan Giant Ballpoint Pen Refill 337 (Broad, Fine, Medium)
• Pentel KFLT8 Ballpoint Pen Refill
• Tombow BR-ZLM Ballpoint Pen Refill
• Visconti Ballpoint Pen Refill AA49 1.4 (Broad)
• Visconti Gel Refill (Broad, Medium, Fine)

As long as your refill is in the style below - it will fit!

We’re known for our famous Matte surface finish.

Yeah, I know, “Matte” doesn’t really sound very fancy - but that’s just what we call it.

The actual process involves a multi-stage process of “tumbling”. After the components have come off the CNC machine …they are sanded, deburred and tumbled.

The end result is a unique surface finish that is fairly (but not perfectly) scratch resistant.

If you’re familiar with my work, then you’ll know I’ve designed and released three previous pens (and one mechanical pencil) ..and every one has been 9mm (0.35”) diameter.

Compared to other pens on the market these are regarded as fairly slim. The ClickShift™ is my first step into a slightly thicker body - it is 9.5mm (0.375”) diameter.

Yes, it is just 5.5% thicker than my previous pens - but this increased diameter is noticeable when writing. If you like your pen to feel a little more substantial when writing, then this is the pen for you.

I mentioned earlier that the ClickShift™ is the first pen I’ve made with a body diameter of 9.5mm (0.375”).

It’s also the longest pen I’ve made. The ClickShift™ is a little longer than our previous pens - it's length is 134mm (5.28”).

Although the ClickShift™ is larger overall - it’s only slightly heavier than our previous pens and weighs just 29g (1.02 oz.).

My pens are at the higher end of the market in terms of quality and price.

Because we make no compromises in the design and machining of the ClickShift™ - the price is higher than most other pens.

And, being totally honest with you here, doing everything in-house(as opposed to outsourcing to other countries) does have an effect on the cost to produce such a pen as the ClickShift™.

The result is a pen that not everyone can justify - but I’m not going to compromise just to try and hit a “price point”. That’s just not my style. It’s either the best …or nothing.

One more thing...

Here’s just a small sample of the frequent emails and messages I receive all the time from Customers about our Titanium Pens: