10 Best Tactical Pens 2023

You never can know exactly what will happen or when it will happen. If you find yourself in a tricky situation that calls for you to defend yourself, you want to be prepared.

However, in many situations, you are prohibited from having a standard self-defense weapon along with you, so what is the best alternative?

A tactical pen.

They look and write just like a normal pen, but with their reinforced metal frames, they can be a wicked weapon if necessary.

There are quite a few pens on the market that are worth the purchase, but only 10 made our list below and three of them, in particular, stand out above the rest.

Find out how to choose the best tactical pen and then read our detailed reviews of the top three products to choose the right one for your needs and budget.

Top 10 Tactical Pens Table

Picture	Name	Glass Breaker	Price	Rating (1-5)
Picture	Name	Glass Breaker	Price	Rating (1-5)
	1. ATOMIC BEAR SWAT Tactical Pen Used in Police and Military Gear - Free pens holster and ink refill	Yes	$$	4.7
	2. Pocket Partners Practical Tactical Pen - The Original Discrete High-Strength EDC Survival Tool	No	$$$	4.6
	3. BTI Tools, LLC Smith & Wesson Military & Police SWPENMP2BK Tactical Pen	No	$$$	4.6
	4. Sahara Sailor Tactical Pen Survival Multi-functional Pen W Glass Breaker Writing Replaceable Ink Cartridge	Yes	$$	4.5
	5. Off-Grid Tactical Pen - Meet Your New Bodyguard	Yes	$	4.5
	6. Gerber Impromptu Tactical Pen, Black [31-001880]	Yes	$$$$	4.4
	7. Smith & Wesson Military & Police SWPENMPBK Tactical Pen	No	$$$	4.3
	8. LORJE Tactical Pen First Line Defensive Tool Survival Aviation Aluminum Self	Yes	$	4.2
	9. Under Control Tactical Pen for Self Defense with LED Flashlight, DNA Catcher, & Glass Breaker	Yes	$$$	4.1
	10. Columbia River Knife and Tool TPENWK Williams Tactical Pen	No	$$$$	4.0

Buying Information

When you are trying to find the best tactical pen, you need to make sure of a few key factors.

Comfort. Most of the time, you will probably not need to use the pen in self-defense. Therefore, you should always look for one that feels good in your hand, and you would want to write with. Otherwise, you probably won’t keep it with you all the time, which means that it won’t be there when you need it most.

Metal Type. Tactical pens come in a variety of metals, with steel and aluminum being the most common. You will probably pay a little bit more for the steel frame, but it is stronger. On the other hand, aluminum is generally cheaper and lighter.

Glass Breaker. While most tactical pens are bought with self-defense in mind, this is a feature that we strongly recommend you look for as well. If you keep the pen with you at all times, being able to use it to break glass just might save your life if you are trapped in your car because of an accident.

Replaceable Ink. Again, you want to make sure that this is a pen that you want to use as much as possible, to guarantee that you will have it when you need it. Part of that is making sure that it is always able to write. You should look for a tactical pen that you can replace the ink easily.

Top 3 Best Tactical Pen Reviews

1. ATOMIC BEAR SWAT Tactical Pen

Of all the pens that were tested, this is by far the best tactical pen we found. It is made out of strong aluminum; this gave it a great striking strength, which would provide you a means of defending yourself in a pinch. It also has a very comfortable grip and writes well. You can also replace its ink with any standard ink tube.

It also comes with a reinforced carbide tip that can be used both for self-defense, but more importantly to break glass; this would allow you to quickly and easily escape from a situation where you are trapped in your car. In our tests, this tip allowed us to break the glass with either one or two strikes, which is fast and easy.

Summary: This tactical pen is extremely tough and durable. It was comfortable to write with, and its ink can be replaced. It had great striking power and can be used to break glass. All of these features make this pen a great value.

2. Pocket Partners Practical Tactical Pen

This tactical pen has a lot of great features. It is sleek and unassuming but has good striking power, which makes it ideal for self-defense. It is also relatively cheap, which makes it all the more of a value.

The pen wrote very well in our tests. The cap can be placed on the opposite end of the pen so that you don’t lose it when you are writing with it and the ink can easily be replaced by purchasing replacement tubes.

While the pen is sleek and effective for self-defense, it does have some issues. First of all, it can’t be used to break glass. This limits its effectiveness to just self-defense and writing. Secondly, the pen was a bit slippery to write with in comparison to the SWAT Tactical Pen.

Summary: This is a high strength pen that would be great for as last resort in an emergency situation. It writes well, and looks good; however, it cannot be used to break glass and is a bit slippery to hold.

3. BTI Tools, LLC Smith & Wesson Tactical Pen

This pen had the best grip and hand feel of our top three. It was especially easy to hold onto when used for striking; this makes it a really good buy for a self-defense pen.

It also wrote very well, and its ink can be replaced with extra tubes of ink that need to be purchased separately. One problem that we had with it while writing is the screw off cap. Since you cannot just pull the cap off, it is harder to lose. However, it will also make it slower to use for self-defense.

Like our number two selection, this pen cannot be used to break glass; this is a big drawback since it limits the pens effectiveness in an emergency.

Summary: This is a really strong tactical pen with a good grip. While it writes and strikes well, the cap will slow you down. It also cannot be used to break glass, which will limit its effectiveness in certain emergency situations.