Tacray MP1 Review: A Titanium Pen That Hides a Full Toolkit in Plain Sight

REVIEW – Nobody asks what’s in your pocket when you clip a pen there. It’s invisible. Expected. Boring. Which is exactly why the smartest EDC tools don’t look like tools at all. They look like office supplies. The moment you strap on a holster or hang a pouch from your belt, you’ve announced yourself. But a titanium pen that writes, cuts, breaks, and unscrews? That just looks like you take notes.

The Tacray MP1 plays this game better than most. CNC-machined titanium, bead-blasted finish, and a silhouette that passes for a premium writing instrument. Pick it up and the weight feels right: 1.76 ounces distributed across 3.7 inches. Heavy enough to feel substantial, light enough to forget about. The kind of object that earns pocket space by not demanding attention.

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Price (at time of writing): $48.60 (10% off $54 MSRP)
Where to buy: Tacray MP1 on Amazon

The Toolkit Nobody Sees

The MP1 ships with interchangeable tool heads designed to slot into the same titanium body. Included bits vary by kit, but the standard configuration covers most daily needs. Unscrew the cap a quarter turn, pull the current bit, drop in the replacement, tighten. The swap takes longer to describe than to execute.

The pen refill accepts standard 60mm cartridges including the Lamy M22, which means smooth ink that doesn’t skip when you’ve left it sitting for weeks. Flipping the box cutter around hides the blade in the handle until you need it. Tungsten carbide glass breaker for emergencies you hope never happen. Phillips and flathead screwdriver bits for the screws that hold the world together. Capacitive stylus for screens you don’t want fingerprints on.

Tacray includes a small carrying case for the bits you’re not using. About the size of a pill organizer, easy to toss in a bag or stash in a glove box. The assumption is that you’ll keep the pen loaded with your most-used tool and swap only when needed. Most days that probably means the pen refill stays installed. The other bits wait for their moment.

The bolt-action mechanism deserves attention because it changes how you interact with the pen. Press down on the pocket clip and the internal carriage slides forward, deploying whatever tool is loaded. Release and it snaps back. No twisting, no clicking, no cap to lose. One thumb, one motion, done. There’s a tactile satisfaction to it that makes fidgeting inevitable.

What Titanium Actually Gets You

EDC forums argue endlessly about titanium versus steel versus aluminum. Here’s what matters: titanium resists rust even when it lives in a sweaty pocket all summer. It shrugs off corrosion when coffee spills in your bag. It survives drops onto concrete. And it develops a patina over years of use that steel and aluminum can’t match.

The MP1 uses a titanium alloy commonly found in premium EDC gear. Overkill for a pen? Probably. But the bead-blasted finish hides fingerprints and scratches while the material itself handles abuse that would destroy cheaper alternatives. This is a tool meant to outlast the trends that inspired it.

Build quality reports from early buyers suggest Tacray got the tolerances right. The bolt action stays smooth. The bits seat firmly without wobbling. The cap threads don’t strip. Time will tell whether that holds up after years of daily use, but first impressions land on the positive side.

The Math

At the time of writing, Amazon has the MP1 at $48.60, down from the fifty-four dollar list. Prime shipping included. Early reviews average four stars, with praise focusing on the mechanism and materials while noting the compact size limits marathon writing sessions. Grey and black finishes available, both built from the same titanium underneath.

Comparable titanium pens often run seventy to ninety dollars without the tool system. The MP1 undercuts them while adding functionality they don’t offer. Whether that math works for you depends on how often you’d actually use the extra bits.