Me: I do not own any bolt pens from the big designers, just Temu ones, so the picks here come from makers’ specs and collectors’ reviews.
Refill: Pilot G2. Ships with a Pilot G2 0.7 mm and takes any Pilot G2 style refill, in REFYNE’s words.
Size: 5.04 in long (128 mm); 0.39 in across (10 mm).
Weight: Titanium 26 g (0.9 oz); stainless steel 38 g (1.3 oz); brass 38 g (1.3 oz); copper 42 g (1.5 oz).
Materials: Titanium (polished or stonewashed), stainless steel with black or gunmetal PVD, brass and copper.
Made in: Not stated. REFYNE says it is designed in Huntington Beach, California.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page.
Refill: Pilot G2. Ships with a Pilot G2. Machine Era also lists the Pilot Precise V5/V7 RT, Pelikan 338 rollerball, Pilot FriXion, Pentel EnerGel and Uni-ball Signo.
Size: 5 in long; 0.42 in across.
Weight: No titanium body; Machine Era lists 1.5 oz for its stainless steel and brass versions alike.
Materials: Stainless steel or brass body (black DLC too), with an aluminum or titanium clip. A Draftsman edition has a knurled grip and a 3D-printed titanium clip and is built for the Pentel EnerGel.
Made in: Richmond, Virginia. Machine Era says all of its products are designed and machined there.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page, Draftsman edition and home page.
Refill: Parker-style only. Ships with a 0.55 mm black ballpoint and a spare. Takes a Bastion refill or a standard Parker-style (ISO G2) cartridge, not a Pilot G2. Bastion warns that some wider third-party Parker refills may not fit.
Size: 5.25 in long; 0.47 in across (given for the aluminum version).
Weight: Aluminum 1.3 oz, with refill; titanium 1.6 oz; stainless steel 2.8 oz.
Materials: Grade 5 titanium, 6061-T6 aluminum in colors, stainless steel, and carbon fiber with stainless steel; each also comes as a Slim.
Made in: Not stated. Bastion’s FAQ says designed in the USA, and its titanium page says hand assembled.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed. Bastion’s FAQ says its mechanism is symmetrical.
Also: The Titanium Slim is 5.31 in long, 0.39 in across and 0.8 oz, and takes the same Parker-style refill.
Sources: titanium pen page, titanium Slim, aluminum, stainless and FAQ.
Titanium version on AmazonRefill: Parker-style, going by the refill it ships with. Ships with a German-made Schmidt 9000M; CountyComm says it works with other Schmidt refills.
Size: 5 in long; 0.37 in across.
Weight: Titanium 0.95 oz; Timascus 0.88 oz; brass 1.56 oz; stainless steel 1.55 oz; copper 1.65 oz.
Materials: Grade 5 titanium, Timascus, brass, copper, 300-series stainless steel and Ultem, each with a titanium clip and screws and a Delrin slider inside.
Made in: Not stated. CountyComm brought the design back with the original creator’s permission and guidance; The Clicky Post’s 2014 review names him as Jim Madrid.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Also: The 2026 titanium run (Gen 3) is limited to 1,000 pieces, three per customer.
Sources: titanium pen page, brass, copper, stainless, Timascus and Ultem. Review: The Clicky Post, Sep 7, 2014 (Jim Madrid’s original titanium MaxMadCo, not the CountyComm version).
Refill: Parker-style, going by the refill it ships with. Ships with a German Schmidt P900M and a spare. The (G2) in the name means second generation, not the Pilot refill.
Size: 4.91 in long (124.8 mm); 0.47 in across (12 mm at the end).
Weight: Titanium 35 g (1.23 oz).
Materials: Titanium body and clip, sandblasted or natural finish, with a blue tritium option. RovyVon lists a ceramic tail ball for breaking glass in an emergency.
Made in: Not stated.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page. Review: Everyday Carry, Jun 6, 2023 (a roundup that includes the Commander C10; it may show the first generation).
Refill: Parker-style, going by the refill it ships with. Ships with a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000M; Chaves says it accepts multiple refills without listing them.
Size: 4.875 in long; 0.5 in across.
Weight: Titanium 1.89 oz.
Materials: Titanium barrel, clip and bolt, in a hex-dot pattern.
Made in: Not stated.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page. Review: Everyday Carry, Jun 6, 2023 (a roundup; it lists an earlier Chaves Ultramar pen).
Refill: Parker-style. Ships with a Schmidt easyFLOW 9000 M and takes most Parker-style refills.
Size: 4.53 in long (115 mm); 0.39 in across (10 mm).
Weight: Titanium 24 g (0.9 oz); stainless steel 36 g (1.23 oz); brass 39 g (1.38 oz); copper 41 g (1.45 oz).
Materials: Titanium (polished or stonewashed), stainless steel with black or gunmetal PVD, copper and brass, with Torx T6 screws and a removable deep-carry clip.
Made in: Not stated. REFYNE says it is designed and developed in Huntington Beach, California.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page. Review: Ed Jelley, Nov 16, 2020.
Refill: Depends on the length. Standard takes a Pilot G2 and ships with a 0.7 mm one; Tactile Turn says 16 more refill types fit with no changes. Short takes Parker-style refills and ships with a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. Mini takes the Pilot G2 Mini.
Size: Standard 5.6 in, Short 5.1 in and Mini 4.4 in; 0.43 in across.
Weight: Titanium 1.3 oz (Standard), 1.2 oz (Short), 1.1 oz (Mini); aluminum 0.87 oz (Standard); stainless steel 1.92 oz (Standard); bronze 2.0 oz (Standard); copper 2.3 oz (Standard); zirconium 1.7 oz (Standard).
Materials: Titanium (machined, stonewashed or DLC), aluminum, stainless steel, copper, bronze and zirconium; the bolt-action collection also lists G10, Micarta, Ultem, Tecaform and carbon fiber versions.
Made in: Dallas, Texas. Tactile Turn says each pen is designed, machined, assembled and shipped from its 9,000 sq ft workshop in Dallas.
Left-handed: Yes: the Lefty Bolt Action, in small runs. Every version was sold out on Sep 24, 2026.
Also: Tactile Turn says the titanium Standard has been its most popular pen for more than eight years. Slim Bolt Action: same lengths, 0.365 in across instead of 0.43 in, with a milled titanium clip; in titanium it weighs 0.92 oz (Standard), 0.91 oz (Short) and 0.73 oz (Mini). Everyday Carry’s bolt-action roundup names Tactile Turn its best overall bolt-action pen.
Sources: titanium pen page and refill guide, where it is made, Lefty version, Slim, aluminum, stainless, copper, bronze, zirconium and full collection. Review: Knife Thoughts, Apr 6, 2025 (compares the Standard, Short and Mini).
Titanium Standard on AmazonStatus: Every BoltLiner version on Ti2’s store was sold out on Sep 24, 2026.
Refill: Depends on the length. Regular takes a Pilot G2 and ships with one. Parker Shorty ships with a Unibene 0.7 mm Parker-style refill. Super Shorty takes the Pilot G2 Mini.
Size: Regular 5.1 in, Parker Shorty 4.7 in and Super Shorty 4 in; 0.375 in across (without the clip). Lengths are with the tip in.
Weight: Titanium 22 g (Regular), 21 g (Parker Shorty), 20 g (Super Shorty); stainless steel 33 g (Regular).
Materials: Titanium with a machined grid grip in several finishes; Ti2 also lists a stainless steel weight.
Made in: Pearl City, Hawaii.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Sources: product page. Review: The Clicky Post, Jul 9, 2020 (a BoltLiner prototype).
Refill: Either, set up when you buy it. Karas fits a 110 mm rollerball (the Pilot G2 option) or a Parker-style ballpoint, using an internal spacer and a spring swap. Kits to switch later are sold separately.
Size: 5.53 in long (140.462 mm in Karas’s spec table; its product text says the pen was kept under 5.5 in); 0.437 in across.
Weight: Aluminum 29 g (1.0 oz); titanium 40.4 g (1.42 oz), spec table only, none to buy on Sep 24, 2026; brass 73.9 g (2.5 oz); copper 76.1 g (2.7 oz).
Materials: Anodized aluminum in several grips (smooth, Dragonskin, fluted, Mk II) and polished brass. A tumbled aluminum Bolt and a copper Bolt are also listed, both sold out on Sep 24, 2026.
Made in: Mesa, Arizona. Karas says the body and knob are machined in its Mesa shop, with clips, fasteners and springs from US suppliers and refills from Pilot in Japan.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed. The bolt is a thumb knob on top of the pen rather than a side button, in Karas’s own description.
Also: Karas calls the Bolt its most popular pen; it launched on Kickstarter more than a decade ago.
Sources: product page and spec table, brass Bolt, tumbled aluminum (sold out), copper (sold out), about page and FAQ. Review: The Gadgeteer, Nov 5, 2015 (an earlier aluminum Bolt, reviewed by a left-hander).
Refill: Either, in the same pen. Ships with a Schmidt P950M MegaLine. Big Idea Design’s own sheet for this pen lists 124 refills: 45 shorter ballpoints, Parker-style among them, and 79 longer rollerballs, Pilot G2 among them.
Size: 4.64 to 5.11 in long, depending on the refill; 0.38 in across (grip 0.44 in).
Weight: 0.92 oz (26 g) empty, without a refill; the page does not say which metal.
Materials: Titanium (stonewashed, DLC black or machined raw), brass, copper and zirconium, each with a brass bolt; a titanium Damascus bolt comes in the box.
Made in: Not stated. A 2024 SurvivalBlog reviewer says his came in a box marked Made in China. Big Idea Design’s separate USA Bolt Action Pen is machined in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was sold out on Sep 24, 2026.
Left-handed: No left-handed version listed.
Also: Big Idea Design calls its Bolt Action Pen the most refill-friendly bolt-action pen. A Slim Bolt Action and a Mini Bolt Action (3.5 in, D1 refills, 23 g) are also sold. The Base Line Bolt Action is a Parker-style version in Grade 2 titanium, brass or copper, with no length or weight published.
Sources: product page, refill sheet, USA version, Mini and Base Line. Review: SurvivalBlog, Aug 12, 2024 (a titanium pen after daily use).
Left off: Schon DSGN (none of the pens in its store is bolt-action), Big Idea Design Click EDC (a click pen) and Big Idea Design Pocket Pro (its maker does not call it bolt-action).
| Pen | Refill | Length | Titanium weight | Across | Made in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REFYNE EP1L | Pilot G2 | 5.04 in | 26 g (0.9 oz) | 0.39 in | Not stated |
| Machine Era Field Pen Bolt | Pilot G2 | 5 in | No titanium version | 0.42 in | Richmond, Virginia |
| Bastion Bolt Action Pen | Parker-style | 5.25 in | 1.6 oz | 0.47 in | Not stated |
| MaxMadCo Design Bolt Action Pen | Parker-style | 5 in | 0.95 oz | 0.37 in | Not stated |
| RovyVon Commander C10 (G2) | Parker-style | 4.91 in | 35 g (1.23 oz) | 0.47 in | Not stated |
| Chaves Knives Bolt Action Pen | Parker-style | 4.875 in | 1.89 oz | 0.5 in | Not stated |
| REFYNE EP1 | Parker-style | 4.53 in | 24 g (0.9 oz) | 0.39 in | Not stated |
| Tactile Turn Bolt Action Pen | Standard: Pilot G2; Short: Parker-style; Mini: Pilot G2 Mini | 5.6 / 5.1 / 4.4 in | 1.3 oz (Standard length) | 0.43 in | Dallas, Texas |
| Ti2 Design BoltLiner (sold out) | Regular: Pilot G2; Parker Shorty: Parker-style; Super Shorty: Pilot G2 Mini | 5.1 / 4.7 / 4 in | 22 g (Regular length) | 0.375 in | Pearl City, Hawaii |
| Karas Bolt | Pilot G2 or Parker-style (set up at purchase) | 5.53 in | 40.4 g (1.42 oz) (none to buy on Sep 24, 2026) | 0.437 in | Mesa, Arizona |
| Big Idea Design Bolt Action Pen | Either | 4.64–5.11 in | 26 g (0.92 oz), empty; metal not named | 0.38 in | Not stated |
Titanium, standard size, maker’s figures (ounces converted to grams) · * no titanium version to buy on Sep 24, 2026 · † weighed empty, metal not named
The heaviest you can order is the Chaves Knives Bolt Action Pen, at 54 g (1.89 oz). The sold-out Ti2 Design BoltLiner is lighter still, at 22 g. Makers weigh differently (Big Idea Design weighs its pen empty, and most don’t say), so treat a gap of a few grams as a tie.
Want lighter? Slim models are separate, so they are not in the chart: Tactile Turn’s titanium Slim in its Mini length is 0.73 oz (about 21 g), and Bastion’s titanium Slim is 0.8 oz (about 23 g). Both could be ordered from their makers on Sep 24, 2026.
Aluminum is lighter where it’s offered: Tactile Turn’s aluminum Standard is 0.87 oz against 1.3 oz in titanium, and Karas’s aluminum Bolt is 29 g. The heaviest pen on this page is the Bastion Bolt Action Pen in stainless steel, at 2.8 oz (79 g).
Its Lefty Bolt Action puts the bolt on the other side, so it stays clear of a left-hand grip. Tactile Turn says the current Lefty is the same as its right-handed pens, only flipped. It comes in small runs, in titanium, copper, bronze and zirconium and all three lengths. Every version was sold out on Sep 24, 2026.
Two other makers describe their bolt in a way a lefty may care about. Karas puts it on top of the pen as a thumb knob rather than a side button, and Bastion’s FAQ says its mechanism is symmetrical.
The ink matters as much as the bolt. The Gadgeteer’s Julie Strietelmeier, who is left-handed, found the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 slow to dry under her hand in her 2015 review of an earlier Karas Bolt. Bastion’s FAQ points left-handers to fast-drying ballpoints such as the Uni-ball Jetstream SXR-600, which is also on Tactile Turn’s list for its Short.
I’m a lefty too. The knives I have checked in my left hand are on my lefty page.
Pilot G2 is the longer gel refill. Big Idea Design files it with the longer rollerball refills on its sheet, Karas fits a 110 mm rollerball for its Pilot G2 option, and Tactile Turn calls the size Euro Style.
Parker-style is the shorter ballpoint: about 98 mm long and 5.8 mm across, by Bastion’s figures. It is also sold as ISO G2 or International G2, which is not a Pilot G2, so Bastion spells out that its pens don’t take one. The Schmidt refills these pens ship with are all Parker-style, and Tactile Turn’s Short takes the EasyFlow 9000, P900 and P950 MegaLine (its list).
Minis take their own refills. Tactile Turn’s Mini and Ti2’s Super Shorty use the Pilot G2 Mini, which Tactile Turn says is about 0.7 in shorter than a Parker-style refill. Big Idea Design’s Mini takes D1 refills.
Watch the name. RovyVon’s Commander C10 (G2) is the second generation of that pen, and it ships with a Parker-style Schmidt P900M, not a Pilot G2.
The pens come from Everyday Carry’s roundup and the reviews linked on each pen. Every length, weight and refill is from the maker’s own page, read on Sep 24, 2026.
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