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Product Description
Recently acquired from a small batch of leftover government-contracted pens, the Maratac Brass Embassy is part of a limited-edition run of 1,000 pieces. Constructed from brass, it’s made to hold up in any scenario, whether you’re balancing the budget or taking down notes on the job site Read More
These are great pens. I've owned and sold one in every material they make. Wish I never would have sold my aluminum version (brass and SS are just too heavy) and will buy another Al and keep it assuming they release them again. That being said, I think Massdrop is being very liberal in their use of the term "limited edition."
The C360 alloy used in these pens is also used in plumbing fixtures and faucets. Odds of it causing harm are very low. You get more lead from your keys or by handling doorknobs than from this pen.
Even if the CAGE number corresponds to a procurement contract, for further evidence of the gimmicky nature of this market segment, one would be well-advised to remember that government or mil-spec parameters do not necessarily carry connotations of quality (merely functionality); the objective is to meet functional requirements with as little expense as possible. As an example, if you want a "real" tactical pen that has seen actual use in the field, Skilcrafts have been deployed into combat theaters in every conflict the USA has been involved in since and including the Vietnam war. But they are not sexy and cost less than $1. So dual-purpose pen/boat anchors it is.
I have a no-lead brass pen. It isn’t as heavily knurled as this one but it has something this pen doesn’t have: cap threads on the tail. So when you take the cap off you not only have somewhere to put it, but the pen gets better balanced.
Plus, Fisher Space Pen refills? Really? Very limiting. Mine takes dozens of gel and roller refills in a rainbow of colors and line thicknesses and ink types. I have a Space Pen. Not fond of how it writes. If I’m ever in space I’ll use a pencil.
DemogorgoDon't need a contract to get a CAGE number. The manufacturer just needs to be approved by the GSA, and then they can apply for an assigned number.
Good point below re: the concern with lead content. According to CountyComm (https://countycomm.com/products/brass-embassy-pen), these are made from C360 Free Machining brass, which contains between 2.5%-3.7% lead (https://www.onlinemetals.com/productguides/brassguide.cfm). Of course, this wouldn't be an issue unless it's an item you handle regularly... oh, wait.
However, this pales IMO to what I perceive as a more existential issue with this pen - the salient fact that nearly *every* pen is a "tactical" pen when you think about it (hint: the pointy end goes in the bad guy). Not only is the entire segment largely nothing more than a marketing gimmick, in most instances what are billed - either directly or indirectly (I'm looking at you, box of Ranger FMJ) - as "tactical pens" are not exactly tactically efficient. For instance, take this boat anchor... 114 grams?? If you think carrying a 1/4-pound brass pen in your pocket makes you tacticool, congratulations: you've just achieved Mall Ninja Level 10.
With a pen? No. However, I did hurt someone's feelings with a keyboard once.
I'll defer to the old saying: never bring a pen to a knife fight. Or something like that.
L8_ApexDamn, that was ice cold. And hilarious.
What is best online?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and read the of lamentations of their social media friends and followers.
Brass (especially brass that's meant to be machined -- and these have been machined) normally has a lot of lead in it. And that brass smell you get on your hands? That's oxide of the brass alloys. Lead oxide is bad. Very bad. I would not buy a brass pen unless it was certified as not containing any lead.