Inkless pens are the way of the future. OK, probably the way of the future is the elimination of pens altogether, in favor of app-controlled telekinetic writing implementations, but in the interim, we have an anodized aluminum scrawling instrument that contains no ink, never needs to be refilled, and promises not to run crying to the pencil sharpener after every 30 minutes of use. Or ever.
The Ink-less Pen’s wee metal tip is made of lead, so it draws gray line similar to that of a pencil, but doesn’t smudge and cannot be erased. It functions smoothly on most paper surfaces, in any temperature or weather condition.
There are already a few variations that are for sale across the world. Here’s a brief look at them.
1. The Awesomer Inkless Pen
I’ve seen miniature pens that you can wear on a key ring or even on a necklace; the idea is that you always have a pen with you. The problem with these small pens is that they have tiny ink reservoirs, so they quickly run out of ink. With the Metal Inkless Pen + Key Ring from The Awesomer, you won’t have to worry about running out of ink. This pen doesn’t use ink – it writes in metal. It’s virtually smudge-proof, and it never needs sharpening. It’s comes at $35.00.
2. Metalpoint or Silverpoint Inkless Pen
The metal pen takes its inspiration from medieval times when artists and scribes often used a metal stylus in order to draw on a specially prepared paper surface. The material the pen was made from was a sign of the status of the scribe’s employer. Gold and silver were used by the upper classes and lead by the less wealthy. This type of pen was commonly known as Metalpoint, or Silverpoint when the stylus was made of silver. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci used them. It is priced at about $29.95.
3. 4.EVER Pininfarina Cambiano writing instrument
Pininfarina is known for turning Ferraris and other exotic cars into even more impressive works of art, so it’s a safe assumption that its new 4.EVER Pininfarina Cambiano writing instrument is going to cost a small fortune when available. But with an inkless design that never needs a new cartridge, it could eventually pay for itself—after a century of use.
Where you’d normally find a ballpoint tip, on the Cambiano there’s what’s called an ethergraph tip which is a special metal alloy that leaves behind a trail on paper not unlike a graphite pencil. Except that this writing instrument never needs sharpening. It will supposedly write forever, or at the least will keep on going until you’re done paying it off.
4. The Inkless Metal Beta Pen
Because it doesn’t require sharpening or refills, the Inkless Metal Pen is an amazing gift for artists or doodlers. Its “ink” is solid, so it will never leak, and it can be used upside down or under extreme conditions.
The Inkless Metal Pen works on most any writing surface and is available in two styles: standard and keychain. The standard version is available with an anodized aluminum barrel (in silver or black) or a cherry wood barrel. It is priced at $27.99.
5. U Drive Memory Pen concept
Now here’s a concept that spies might consider bringing with them to the field – we’re talking about the U Drive Memory Pen. At the tip of this ink-less pen lies sensors which will be smart enough to “read” and store written text as well as sketches into the internal memory card. All information stored can later be accessed through the USB key which is located at the other end of the pen. This means you can go fully paperless with this, where the mere action of writing on any surface will do. How about its power needs? Well, it will juice itself up whenever it is connected to the computer, so there’s that. We would love this to be waterproof though, but copying a lengthy document as a spy just doesn’t quite cut the mustard when it comes to being efficient, so we would have liked to see this come with a built-in digital camera as well.