REVIEW – Do you like to carry a pen in your pocket or gear bag so that you’ll always be able to jot down a note or ask a famous person’s autograph when you run into them (am I the only person who has thought about this scenario?) If you answered yes or no, this review is for you because it might be helpful for people who like to carry pens, and it might convince someone who doesn’t carry one to change their mind.
What is it?
CountyComm Pen-Go mini pens by Maratac are just what you have already guessed – mini pens. If you’re wondering who Maratac is, it’s a spin-off from the popular EDC brand CountyComm.
What’s in the box?
The CountyComm Pen-Go mini pens by Maratac are available in 4 styles. There’s copper, brass, Ultem, and titanium. I was sent a copper, Ultem, and titanium Pen-Go mini pen, which arrived in a plastic tube. The copper version was also packaged inside a vacuum-sealed plastic bag (not pictured) to help prevent oxidation.
Design and features
Let’s start with the Ultem version of the CountyComm Pen-Go mini pens by Maratac because it’s made of a material that has become popular in recent years. What is Ultem? It’s a PEI (polyetherimide) thermoplastic that is semi-transparent, light weight, and very strong. It reminds me a lot of amber fossilized tree resin that people use to make jewery.
The Ultem Pen-Go mini pen and all of CountyComm’s Pen-Go mini pens feature a screw cap with a loop at the end that you can use for a lanyard to wear the pen around your neck or attach it to a keychain, etc.
The Pen-Go pens have a minimalist tactical style.
Like the Ultem version, the titanium version of the Pen-Go has grooves along the length of the barrel and also around the barrel to give the very tiny pen some extra grip.
The Pen-Go mini pens are 2.88 inches long and .37 inches wide. Each of the pens reviewed here has a different weight because they are all made of different materials. The Ultem Pen-Go weighs in at a featherweight of .2 ounces. The titanium version is slightly heavier at .5 ounces, and the gorgeous copper version is the heaviest at 1 ounce.
All of the pens here are CNC machined by CountyComm, and the fit and finish are perfect.
The tip of the pen unscrews to reveal an O ring (each pen includes an extra) and a LAMY M22 black ink pressurized refill.
Pen-Go pens are small and depending on the size of your hand, you may have problems writing with one comfortably. That said, you’re not going to write the great American novel with one of these mini pens. But they will work just fine for a quick note or, as I mentioned before… asking for George Clooney’s autograph when you run into him at the grocery store. Hey, it could happen!
What I like
- Well made
- Affordable
- Great for EDC
What I’d change
- Create a mini pen with a postable cap
Final thoughts
The CountyComm Pen-Go mini pens by Maratac are great little EDC pens that you can stow anywhere from pocket to a bag, and you won’t even notice that they are there until you need one. Because the caps don’t post on the back of the pens, it’s best to attach a lanyard so you won’t accidentally drop it and have it roll away to an inaccessible spot. But other than that little “issue”, these pens are affordable and will probably last longer than you will.
Price: $19.95 (Ultem), $29.95 for the other versions, $4.95 for refills
Where to buy: CountyComm
Source: The sample for this review was provided by CountyComm.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
These look nice, but CountyComm needs to get the memo on including portable caps in their pen designs. Their Embassy Pen looks great, but I’ve never pulled the trigger on purchasing one because pens that won’t post their own cap are a bit annoying.
Bought one in Ultem. Without the cap being able to post, the pen is just too small to be usable in an adult hand. Add on the proprietary refills only available from CountyComm and it’s a waste of money. All in all, there are much better choices for pocket-sized EDC pens.
The refills aren’t proprietary. They are Lamy M22 refills that you can find on Amazon, JetPens, etc.