Keychain Pen Review; Picopen vs Telepen

KEYCHAIN PENS:

Tec Accessories Pico Pen vs True Utility Telepen

I've had the tec accessories picopen for a little while now and I've been meaning to compare it to my other keychain pen; the true utility telepen (reviewed here).  Here are some of the differences, that I note.

Above: True utility telepen, Below: Tec accessories picopen

PACKAGING

The tec accessories pico pen comes nicely packaged in a metal box.  Included in the box is a bunch of accessories including: a gate clip, small split ring, wire cable keychain, stylus/pda insert and instruction manual/information card.

Pico pen with included accessories, packaged in a rectangular metal tin

The true utility telepen comes in a clamshell packaging.  Between the two, I feel the pico pen looks better when giving it as a gift.  The added accessories and better packaging makes it look classier.


SIZE AND SPECIFICATIONS

Both pens are comparable in size.  The tec accessories pico pen is slightly longer, but is also slightly slimmer than the telepen.

 
COST

True Utility Telepen: GB £4.99
Tec Accessories Picopen: US $19.95

Using the current coversion rates, the telepen is less than half the price of the picopen.


BUILD QUALITY

The tec accessories picopen feels solid and well made, I haven't noticed any issues in build quality during my time with this pen.  With the telepen, I do note there is some wobble and play in the telescoping segments.  Also, as mentioned in the telepen review, I had some issues taking out the refill catridge.  Neither are huge issues, but something to point out.

It may be that their range is smaller and simpler design, but in general I find the build quality of items from tec accessories to be pretty good (e.g. the p7 suspension clip and glow fob).  I find some of the stuff from true utility can sometimes be a mixed bag.  The Firestash I have, has since come apart and I can not get the wick back in.

Having said that, true utility's offerings usually come at a fairly affordable price. And, if anything does go wrong, I have read on some forums, they have pretty good customer service.

USAGE

When actually using these pens, I prefer the feel of the true utility telepen.  The telescoping ability of the telepen makes it more versatile, allowing you to adjust the length.  The width of the telepen is also controllable, to a certain degree.  I find the the pico pen a little too small and thin to grasp comfortably.  For me, the picopen would be a last resort writing utensil.

OTHER

Both these keychain pens can use normal pen refills.  You can also buy official pico pen refills, which are stainless steel (instead of the usual plastic refills).

The pico pen comes with a stylus/pda insert, which can be used instead of the pen cartridge.  I don't have any pda's to test it on, but it doesn't work with my current smart phone.

One downside I find with the tec accessories pico pen, is the magnet in the keyring attachment.  This magnet does the job of holding the pico pen firmly in place.  However, I find the magnet also attracts other metal components on my keyring.  These components (such as split rings, clips and snap gates), annoyingly, get stuck to the keyring attachment.  I'd also be concerned about keeping the magnet near magnetically sensitive objects like credit cards.

There is a magnet in the keyring attachment of the pico pen

CONCLUSIONS

Given a choice between the two, I would prefer the carry the true utility telepen on my keyring.  I find the tec accessories picopen more difficult to use, and I am not a fan of magnetic attachment.  The picopen does make good gift, presentation-wise.

In future I hope to try the valiant concepts keychain pen.  Once again, the smaller size may make it more difficult to use than a telepen, but I would like to test out a keychain pen that uses a Fisher ink cartridge.  These ink cartridges are meant to write on more surfaces, as well as upside down.


LINKS

http://www.trueutility.com/pocket-tools-store/telepen.html
http://www.tecaccessories.com/products/product.php?II=13

True Utility TelePen Review

"As I swipe my credit card to pay for my groceries, the obviously sick cashier coughs and splutters into her hand.  With her germ ridden hands, she kindly proffers her pen to me so I can sign the credit card receipt.  Having no pen of my own, I have to accept the pathogen-covered utensil, sign the receipt and finish my transaction."

I know this makes me sound like a germo-phobe (I'm not), but the situation above, has made me consider adding a pen to my keychain.  Pens always seem to go missing, sometimes they can't be found when you really need one.  Having a back-up pen on your keychain, can certainly be useful at times.

In the past few weeks, I have added the True Utility TelePen to my keychain.  I originally bought this pen with my keytool order; it was not overly expensively and I was open to giving it a try.

While I have been very critical of the keytool, I feel that True Utility Telepen has hit the right notes with me.

When closed the telepen is relatively inconspicuous measuring only 50mm x 5mm (~60mm with keyring attachment).  It can be extended like a telescope, up to 115mm in length.  You can choose not to have the telepen fully extended and use it with some of the segments pushed back in.  As you push in the telescopic segments, you get more width to hold the pen.  Personally, I prefer to use the telepen with one segment pushed in.  I find this provides a good balance in term of length and width, for holding the pen (in my hands). 

 The True Utility Telepen needs firm pressure to take it in and out from it's key ring attachment.  While this means it is slightly more difficult to take out for use, it is also unlikely to accidentally fall out from the key ring attachment.

Keyring attachment, refill cartridges, telepen

With the packaging, the True Utility Telepen, comes with three black ink refills.  When these run out, you can replace them with a standard ballpoint pen refill (cut down in length).  This is great, in that you do not have to worry about sourcing specialised cartridge refills, or worry about refills if the manufacturer stops making the item.

It may have just been my sample, but I had a lot trouble removing the original ink cartridge.  In the end I had to pry it out with a small screwdriver, and ended up ruining the ink cartridge.  I have since put in one of the replacements... however, the replacement also feels like it will be difficult to take out.  I guess if I use up all the ink in the cartridge, it will not be an issue if I ruin the cartridge when removing it.

At GB £4.99, the telepen is affordable and less expensive than some other alternatives which are out there.

I have to say the True Utility Telepen was a surprise for me, I did not have high expectations for it.  I would not recommended it for extended use, but it is perfect for signing receipts, jotting down phone numbers or scribbling a few notes.  Great as a back-up pen.

I have only had the telepen on my keychain for a few weeks, but I have a feeling this may stay on my keychain permanently.

Specifications:

Material: Stainless Steel
Colour: Silver
Size: L50 (closed) L115(open) x W5mm
Weight: 14 grams
Included:  3 Refills (black ink), Split Ring, Key-ring Attachment
Cost: GB £4.99

Manufacturer's Website: 
http://www.trueutility.com/pocket-tools-store/telepen.html

Some alternatives to consider:
Valiant concepts keychain pen - comes in stainless steel or titanium.  Uses special pressurised cartridges.  These cartridges can write on various angles and on more surfaces.  May have issues if maker stops manufacturing the cartridges.  Significantly more expensive than the telepen.
TEC accessories pico-pen -  more expensive.  Longer in length
Inka pen -  uses pressurised cartridges.  Significantly larger.

Additional Photos:

True Utility KeyTool Review

The True Utility Keytool, is a one piece key ring tool that wraps around a standard door key.  Here are the specifications:

Features:
-Bottle Opener
-Eye Glass Screwdriver
-Medium Screwdriver
-Large Screwdriver
-Nail File
-Finger Nail Cleaner
-Thread Cutter
-Tweezers

Product Size:
50L x 20W mm

Material:
422 grade stainless steel

Cost:
GB £4.99

The great thing about the True Utility Keytool, is it is very light weight and takes very little room.  I don't have anything precise to weigh it with, but it's lighter than the swisstech utilikey, which I would consider to be one of its main competitors.

Swisstech Utilikey, True Utility KeyTool, Included Snap-gate Clip

To help provide leverage and support, the keytool is designed to wrap around an existing key.  In some ways this can be beneficial in helping you to differentiate the various keys on your key ring.  However there is a downside in that certain features, are difficult or impossible to use when it is wrapped around your key.  This means you will need to remove both the key and keytool from your keychain, before you can use these features... a little fiddly at times

To help counter this issue, the True Utility Keytool comes with a ~25mm 'snap-gate' clip.  This clip makes it easier to remove your key and keytool, when you want to separate them.  It is similar to a 'mcgizmo' clip, which can often cost $2-4 at various online vendors.

An example of a feature that can not be used while attached to your keys, is the tweezer facility.  The keytool needs to be taken off the house key, to allow you to squeeze the tweezer ends together.  The ends of the tweezers do meet up tightly and has a good 'spring-back' action.  I have rarely needed tweezers in my EDC, but I could imagine using it to remove a splinter.  Do note, the tweezer tips are very short, so its not ideal if you need a longer pair of tweezers.

The medium and large screwdriver features can also be difficult to use when the keytool is attached to your key.  The 'head' of your key may get in the way during usage. As these screwdriver sections are short, they may be hard to use in difficult to reach areas.  The screwdrivers on the keytool lack thickness and strength, and I would not use them for heavy jobs where there is significant torque.

Key may get in the way of large (L) and medium (M) screwdrivers

The eye glass screwdriver is good though.  It is small and thin enough, to fit most glasses screws.

Nail cleaner (NAIL) adds unnecessary sharp edges.  You can use the small (S) screwdriver instead.

 The bottle opener facility on the True Utility Keytool is acceptable.  I find it opens bottles, better than the swisstech utilikey.  Take care, as there are a lot of sharp edges on the keytool.  These can dig into your hand, when using the bottle opener.

The True Utility Keytool also has a nail file, finger nail cleaner and thread cutter.  I can't help but feel these have been added purely to increase its 'feature' count. The nail file is blunt and does not file very well.  I feel the finger nail cleaner is totally unnecessary, and only adds unwanted sharp edges.  You could use the mini screwdriver to clean your nails in a similar fashion. The thread cutter is very blunt, I have had limited success using it to cut a sewing thread.

Nail File - not very sharp

I like the concept behind the True Utility Keytool; a small lightweight key ring tool that provides multiple features.  However in practice, I do not carry the Keytool on my regular keychain.  I find it has too many sharp edges and can be uncomfortable to carry.  The mini screwdriver and bottle opener are probably the most useable features on the keytool.  A lot of the other features are useless, or have limitations.  With some redesigning the keytool, could be much better.

If you are looking for something ultra minimalist, it may be for you.  The price is not overly expensive and may be worth a try.

Manufacturer's website:
http://www.trueutility.com/pocket-tools-store/true-utility-key-tool-tu47.html