Hi everyone, Jason here from TITANBOLT.
A backer recently asked us about something very specific: where the bolt handle sits when the pen is clipped inside a shirt pocket.
They’d used another bolt-action pen that pressed against their chest when they leaned against something. Could we move TITANBOLT’s bolt slot closer to the pocket clip, so the handle would sit farther toward the outside?
It’s a useful question, especially for anyone who carries a pen in a shirt pocket rather than a bag.
Can the Bolt Slot Move Closer to the Clip?
We’re evaluating whether we can make this adjustment before batch production.
The main thing to check is the space between the bolt handle and the clip. Moving them closer together could help with pocket carry, but the handle still needs enough clearance to travel through the entire slot without catching on the clip.
We’ll review that with our engineering team before confirming a change. For now, the campaign photos show the existing layout. A revised slot position hasn’t been finalized.
Do you carry your pen in a shirt pocket? If you’ve had a similar experience, we’d like to hear about it.
Is the Blue Clip Also Zirconium?
No—the black barrel is zirconium, and the blue clip is titanium.
The blue comes from anodizing the titanium. We chose it as a small contrast against the dark barrel, keeping most of the pen black.
A backer also asked about the anodizing voltage. From their experience with other titanium products, some blue finishes showed fingerprints more noticeably than others.
We’re checking the actual voltage with our surface-finishing team and evaluating their suggestion of a higher-voltage blue finish. We also plan to assess a protective finishing treatment to help reduce visible fingerprints, including whether it changes the final color.
Those details are still being reviewed, so we don’t want to promise a fingerprint-free surface.
Lighting makes a difference, too. The clip can look brighter in direct light and more subdued in shade. Looking at a few photos under different conditions gives a better sense of the color than a single studio shot.
Why Use Titanium Clips on All Three Versions?
The brass, titanium, and zirconium versions all use titanium pocket clips.
For the brass pen, we chose titanium because brass is softer and wasn’t our preferred material for the clip. We also liked how the cooler-toned clip looked against the warm brass barrel.
On the black zirconium version, the blue anodized clip makes that contrast more noticeable.
If you’re still deciding on a barrel material, we cover those differences in “Brass vs Titanium vs Zirconium EDC Pens: Which Is Best?”
What Would You Like to See Up Close?
The shirt-pocket question gave us a specific detail to revisit before production. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to explain how they use their pens—not just which finish they like.
For our next photos or video, what would help you most? A close-up of the bolt moving through its slot, a view of the pen clipped into a pocket, or more daylight photos of the blue clip?
Leave a comment on Kickstarter and let us know.
View TITANBOLT’s material options and rewards on Kickstarter →
Thanks,
Jason