So far I've not broken a Pilot in my pocket but it's on my mind.
I've broken countless Pilot G2 clips off, which set me on my years-long search find something better. So far I've found that Pentel Energel (the one with the plastic clip and translucent body) has the strongest clip. I've also found that I prefer the needle point Energel to anything. The 0.5mm is the best compromise between writing smoothness and precision. I actually prefer the 0.4mm for my uses, but it doesn't write quite as nicely. The Energel is one of the quicker drying gel inks you can get.
I usually carry a space bullet, but I do want a clicky with a clip as the bullet tends to roll away on me.
when I do space pen, I go fine to skip the blocthy. I prefer fine points in general
As do I. I have a growing stash of black medium FIshers because so many of of the pens you see above came with them. Schmidt Easy Flow 9000s too.
$ ?
maybe $50
It's not a need, I just had a whim.
Weight ? on the light side, aluminum, titanium, thin stainless, no copper or brass.
I've never had a bolt, I will try one some day
Probably a clicker of some style.
I don't care for twisties
I prefer the technical vs tactical look
silver not black with all sorts of odd things
For $50 and under, it's gonna be a bit tricky. As I said, the less expensive Chinese made ones typically use Parker style. In my picture above, the pen to the right of the carbon fiber Mathew Martin has a titanium body and uses a "Japanese style" gel (which is what the Pilot G2 is). Oddly though, it does
not work with a Pilot G2. Of the gel pens I have handy, it does use a Zebra Sarsa, Pentel Energel, and Bic Gelocity. I can't find any Uniball gels (I have some...somewhere), but I can tell you that the Uniball Jetstream ballpoint fits (Jetstreams write very smoothly, btw, better than any ballpoint I've tried). Honestly though, it's probably the most mediocre of all the pens in that lineup. It's obviously not the most attractive, and while I haven't had any issues, the bolt doesn't hold it very securely when extended.
There's a Smootherpro bolt you can find very easily (you have 2 obvious choices, which I can't mention) with an aluminum body (PTC050 or 051 depending on color choice) that seems to be the same way - it comes with a Pentel Energel but can't use Pilot G2. I don't own one myself.
I'm honestly unaware of any clicky pens that fit this category for under $50 other than 2: The Grafton Everyman and the titanium one in my picture to the right of the copper one. The Everyman, honestly, is not great. It's not a bad pen, really. It's a bit thick for my tastes (I like 10mm or thinner), and while the body is solid the anodization isn't very durable. The plastic clicky parts are what makes it feel particularly cheap - essentially it's a cheap plastic pen with a thick metal body, although I've felt plastic pens that were smoother clickers. Again, not a bad pen, but it'll leave you feeling like it's not worth the $40 you spent.
The other pen, the titanium one that's a trio with the copper and other titanium one, doesn't really have a brand name. It's made here in Tucson by "The Right Choice Painting Company", and an absolute bargain for $40 (the copper was $30 or $35). But unfortunately they're all sold out. It's probably my fault too. The shorter titanium one (uses Parker style) is my daily beater pen, and customers are constantly complimenting me on it, so naturally I told them where to find one. Stock was already low, so I bought a second shorter one and the copper one. I'm pretty sure I got the last copper, the last Pilot G2 one, and close to the last titanium Parker. Everything is sold out now. You could reach out to them and ask if/when they plan to make more.
I have a few parker jotters, but my fingers slide down the severe taper at the point.
good for a car pen with a space pen refill since it won't leak and always works, but not good for a lot of writing.
Gel Parker refills are probably the most practical for me to start with.
If you can go with a Parker style, your options open up greatly. There's a bunch of inexpensive titanium ones (and steel and aluminum) under $50, or thereabouts, that you can find. The vast majority will be bolt.
The pen 2nd from the right is a Tacray, one of several that are very similar to each other, including the Civivi furthest on the right (they are different lengths with different textures, but the mechanism is identical). The bolt action goes either direction, which honestly makes it harder to use (when you try to retract it it's very easy to switch it to the other side instead). But it was $30, far cheaper than others of the same design/manufacture. Yes, the top is a spinny fidget thing (with a ceramic glass breaker on top).
The one to the left of the copper tipped DDR (the only one with a silver body and copper tip) is a Titaner and can be found for under $60, and it's my other daily beater. It's smooooth (after breaking in), and doesn't look too tactical, despite having a tungsten carbide glass breaker. It's honestly one of my favorites since it's mass produced, meaning I don't have to feel bad using it as a daily pen instead of one of my nicer ones.
The one 2nd from the left is also a Titaner, and it's an interesting pen. It comes with a Shcneider Gelion (writes nicely, costs too much to buy extras) but is designed to fit without the plastic bit. Also fits Ohto, Itoya, and other similar plastic body Parker style. It's between $50 and $60, and I only mention it because it's obviously smaller - the smallest retractable I've found that doesn't use a tiny D1 type ink (like the BigIDesign to its left), and closest to a Fisher in size.
Your best bet might be the Twosun I mentioned before, 3rd from left. ~$40 from China (more from the auction site, but they come from the same sellers). The click action is very smooth - it seems to be designed after the Schmidt SKM-88 mechanism (the DDR and painting company ones use it, the Tuffwriter copied it). The clip (also titanium) rides a bit high, but won't spin around like some designs (you have to remove it to unscrew the mechanism section) and leave a mark around the body. This one is bead blasted, but they make a satin/machine finish one now, but it only comes with a gold anodized clip, which you may or may not like. I bought 2 myself, and plan on stonewashing one (both if it turns out well). I do wish it had some texturing at the grip, but otherwise it's a great pen, and a bargain compared to spending ~$100 or more for something that isn't made in China. Don't confuse it with the Twosun 3rd from the right - it uses a D1 refill, and is mostly crap.
There's a cheap (under $20) titanium clicky pen that you can find (also sold under the name Valtcan for 3-4x as much), but I can't comment on it other than I don't feel confident in the clip holding up well. For the price I'd be surprised if the mechanism held up over time (or was anything other than plastic).
There's a Titaner with a thin titanium body, speckled finish (different colors), and kinda a mushroom topped clicky, for $40 or under. Don't bother. The mechanism is cheap plastic, the action is mushy and likes to jam up.
I may get a Schmitt 9000 easy flow at the same time.
I was seriously disappointed in the Schimidt Easyflow 9000. I read how great they were, but I think they're the worst ones I've tried. They don't always write off the bat, requiring some scribbling to get things going, and they glob horribly.
Of the gel refills I've tried that are Parker style, the Ohto Flashdry might suit you the best. Assuming you're OK with black, anyway. They write well, the needle tip gives you precision, and obviously a big selling point is that they dry quicker than others. Schneider Gelion 39s write very smoothly, and come installed with a lot of the Chinese made pens, but are expensive otherwise (especially if you want something other than black). Itoya Aquarollers are nice (manufactured by Ohto, actually), but are ballpoint rather than gel, so won't write quite as freely. I can't comment on Parker brand gels, having not used one in years (I remember not caring for it, but that was a long time ago). My gel Parker style of choice is the Monteverde needle point. I love needle points, and they come in blue, which is my preference, and they write smoothly with no globbing. Kinda pricey though, compared to others. The Monteverde fine ballpoint write well too.
That's all I can think of right now.
