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One of the Best USA-Made EDC Brands Just Leveled Up an Underrated Essential

This might be its most minimalist and fidget-friendly offering yet.

Slim black metal pen clipped to the front pocket of blue denim jeans worn with a navy shirt.Tactile Turn
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Ethan Brehm

By Ethan Brehm

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A pen’s pocket clip can be a real sore subject for EDC enthusiasts. Too loose and it doesn’t stay put; too tight and it either gets stuck or simply won’t slip on.

Four silver metal pens with different clip designs arranged vertically on a black grid cutting mat.
Tactile Turn’s handful of pen offerings, including the Clip Action (right)
Tactile Turn

Tactile Turn has been hearing about it for a long time. The Texas-based everyday carry favorite has become revered for its sleek and sturdy bolt-action pens yet still had an Achilles heel in its design. That is, until now.

Black textured pen clipped to the edge of a blue denim pocket with orange stitching.
The new Clip Action has a machined clip that’s not too loose and not too tight.
Tactile Turn

Roll the clip

After years of brainstorming, Tactile Turn unveiled its Clip Action Pen. But fans of the classic Bolt Action needn’t worry. This merely serves as a new addition to the catalog rather than a replacement. 

Three metal pens in copper, brass, and black finishes with clips and knurled texture on a white background.
The brand’s Bolt Action features a similar mechanism but keeps the clip separate.

Like the bolt-action function, the Clip Action takes its inspiration from hunting rifles and clicks on and off in the same way. However, this time around the pocket clip and bolt are the same mechanism. You use your thumb to push the clip into a J-shaped channel to extend the pen’s tip.

Hand holding a silver metal pen with a clip above an open blank notebook.
Now the clip and deployment mechanism are one in the same.
Tactile Turn
Three metal pens with textured bodies and clips, arranged diagonally in silver, gray, and black colors.
The Clip Action is offered in three finish variants.
Tactile Turn

Hella tight

Replacing the standard bolt with the clip is one thing. Perfecting the clip’s tightness is another. To achieve this perfect tolerance, the folks at Tactile Turn milled and bent the titanium material so that it “barely hovers over the body of the pen.”

Close-up of a textured silver metal pen with a clip on a wooden surface next to a black leather case.Tactile Turn

Titanium is naturally more flexible than steel, so the clip gives just enough to slip over your pants or shirt pocket. It’s locked into place via a dovetail-slotted carrier that helps it retain that tension while also allowing it to deploy the tip in fashion.

Hand holding a silver metal pen with a clip over a white surface.
The similar dimensions give the Clip Action the same in-hand feel as the Bolt Action.
Tactile Turn
Two matte silver metal pens with clips placed vertically on a wooden surface between a black stitched leather notebook and a brown leather case.
Two sizes are available as well: 5.6″ and 5.1″.
Tactile Turn

With a 0.43-inch diameter, the pen will have a very similar in-hand feel as the brand’s standard pens, and be arguably even more fidget-friendly. It weighs almost the same as well at 1.24oz for the standard size (5.6”) and 1.9oz for the small (5.1”).

Available in three finishes — Machined, Stonewashed and Black DLC — the Clip Action uses titanium for all its internal components. Its consolidated design also makes it Tactile Turn’s most minimalist offering yet.

Availability and pricing

The Clip Action Pen starts at $119 for the Machined variant, moving all the way up to $199 for the DLC option. These drop May 28 from Tactile Turn’s website.

About the Author: Ethan Brehm is an associate editor at Gear Patrol writing about footwear, watches, spirits, EDC and more. When he’s not shopping for his next G-Shock, he spends his time watching movies and planning a future road trip with his family. He firmly believes CDs sound better than vinyl.

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