I've been holding onto this pen going on 4 or 5 months now and told myself early on that I wouldn't review it until I felt it had sufficiently "aged". That is one nice thing about copper is that it is going to develop a character all it's own. The copper Bolt is no exception.
Now, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on The Bolt itself as it has been reviewed previously on The Clicky Post as well as other blogs, but I mainly wanted to showcase this unique finish.
The first instance of copper on Karas Kustoms pens occurred with the launch of the Retrakt Kickstarter campaign and has since grown to be one of the most popular versions. Granted, it is a bit heavy to use for long writing stints, it is definitely a head turner and an interesting conversation piece for friends and colleagues. These pens are not copper colored or plated, they are machined from solid copper stock which makes for an amazing experience.
I don't claim to know the full reasons why Karas Kustoms decided to make copper versions of their pens (other than it is a killer material), but what I can tell you is that those guys run deep in their roots which Arizona is a big part of. Copper is a large part of Arizona's history and was (and still is) one of the state's largest industries. In fact, Arizona produces more copper than any other state in the US comprising upwards of 60% of the total copper production nation wide. Kind of a big deal, right?
Enough of the history lesson, but I definitely know that Arizona is a big part of why Karas Kustoms does what they do and is a nice tribute to the place they call home.
The copper edition of The Bolt doesn't run cheap at $105 apiece. This is due to the machining process being a bit more difficult as the metal is a bit "sticky" to machine according to Bill Karas and the material cost is much higher. The fellas have offered me pretty much a permanent promo code for my readers of 10% off of any purchase. Use the promo code CLICKYPOST at checkout to receive the discount which will save you about $10 if the copper Bolt was on your list.
I really enjoy this pen, but there is one thing to consider before buying particularly if you have a sensitive nose. As copper tarnishes and oxidizes it puts off a bit of a metallic scent that can get on your fingers. Metallic smelling pen = metallic smelling fingers. If that metallic penny (or cent in the US) smell offends you, it may not be right for you. A seemingly small thing, but one to think about.
Copper is antimicrobial though which is a bonus.
One thing I really love about the copper (or brass) versions of The Bolt is how smooth the mechanism is. With the aluminum it feels like it scrapes a bit; not offensively, but you can feel it. On the copper or brass editions it is like butter. Maybe some metallurgist readers could explain some of the surface properties, but all I know is that it is silky smooth.
Definitely a neat piece that might be of interest to some. I'm still awaiting my chance to get a copper Render K... Keegan from One Star Leather Goods managed to beat me to the punch on being the first person to get one. :)