United P2 Pocket Pen review

Pens like other EDC gear provide a personal statement about the owner. People see the items others carry and can tell that they like rugged gear, home brew gear, gear with bling, etc. The United P2 Pocket Pen from United Machining LLC shows people that you like gear that is elegant, unique and has been designed to stand the test of time. The P2 is a new Kickstarter project that reached its funding goal of $1500 within two days. Let’s see if this pen is worthy of a spot in your pocket.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

It’s called the United P2; P2 stands for Pocket Pen. The body is machined from 6061 aluminum and has been hardcoated black for a durable finish. The cap is made from 17-4 Stainless Steel which yields a beautiful finish and is one of the tougher grades of stainless available. The finish on this pen is satiny smooth with no rough edges. You can just barely feel the seam between the body and the cap.

The body and cap are held together purely by a slip fit. There are no threads, magnets or anything of the sort. It’s precision machining at work holding the two pieces together. If the cap diameters are off by .0001” (1/10 the thickness of an average human hair) it wouldn’t fit properly.

The cap conveniently posts on the back of the pen while you’re writing, which means you won’t accidentally lose it from rolling off the table. Speaking of rolling, the P2 doesn’t have a pocket clip, which means it will roll away from you when you place it on a flat surface.

A unique feature of the cap is a hole that goes straight through. There is a hole in the cap because the seal between the cap and body is so precise that it’s air tight. The cap won’t fit on either end without that ventilation hole. The machining needs to be extremely precise for the cap to stay on the body, yet still be able to be removed easily. Any tighter and the cap would stay on permanently, any looser and it would fall right off. You can actually feel and hear a slight suction when you remove the cap.

The United P2 Pocket Pen uses D-1 sized refills which are readily available online and from office supply stores. Needle nose pliers make it very easy to replace the refills.  There is a note on the Kickstarter page stating that the final P2 will be able to accommodate pressurized Fisher ink refill cartridges.

The P2 Pocket Pen has a unique hourglass shape which makes it easy to grip. For me the P2 is the perfect size for a pocket pen while remaining large enough for comfortable writing. I like the smooth finish and lack of knurling which I have always found rough and uncomfortable. I’ve used other pocket pens which felt like I was trying to write with a toothpick. Even though the P2 is small, it does not feel too small at all. It’s the perfect size for me.

With the cap posted on the back, the P2 prototype that was sent to me for this review, is almost four inches in length. Since the Kickstarter project was started, the designer has decided to make the P2 Pocket Pen .875 inches longer and .060 inches larger in diameter than the one shown here. My personal preference would be to stick with the smaller size or offer two sizes. Adding almost one inch to the length means the pen is close to not being a pocket pen anymore.

The United P2 Pocket Pen looks great, feels great, writes great and fits in my pocket. I’m not sure what else a pen and EDC lover can ask for that this pen doesn’t offer. It will retail for $65 after the Kickstarter campaign ends in March, but can be ordered now for $40 – $80 with shipping estimated for April.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by United Machining LLC. Please visit their Kickstarter campaign for more info.