
Inkless metal pen will write forever - testrun
http://www.cnet.com.au/inkless-metal-pen-will-write-forever-339346586.htm
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Nacraile
A case study in solving a problem that doesn't really exist? Maybe this is
just me, but it seems mean time to lose a pen is much smaller than the amount
of time it takes to run out of ink. And replacement is hardly a pain - it's
not onerous to keep a few spares around (and necessary anyway, again, because
the damn things get lost)

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nathanb
Ok, so I'm going to have to disagree here about solving a problem that doesn't
exist.

There are a number of problems with the standard ballpoint and fountain tip
pens:

* They can ruin a pair of pants (or the inside of a purse). This is especially a problem with the "clicky" pens, as an accidental activation means that anything the tip touches gets a constant flow of ink.

* There are a number of situations where they do not write well, or reliably (and not just gimmicky answers like "in space").

* They do run out of ink; I have had several pens run out. This is not because I'm supernaturally good at holding on to things, but because I do a reasonable amount of hand writing.

I'm not saying the solution is necessarily a gazillion-dollar writing
instrument / fashion accessory, but just like fancy features start out in the
Mercedes S-class and then make their way to cars mere mortals might own,
hopefully if this technology is truly viable we'll be finding it on drugstore
shelves a decade or so hence.

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Nacraile
I'll admit to being hyperbolic in "doesn't exist".

My actual point being: Even when I was writing a lot (note-taking in
university), a nice-ish $2 fine-point pen solved my problem pretty well. The
issues you cite are all real problems, but they're all pretty minor. All of
those problems are/were waaaaaay down at the 'negligible' end the 'problems
whose solutions would make a measurable improvement to my life' list.

So, to be precise: this isn't solving nonexistent problems, it's solving
insignificant problems.

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nathanb
For you, maybe.

I'm apparently kind of a spaz when it comes to pens. I have to buy pens with
caps, because my clicky pens always activate in my pocket and then literally
ruin my pants by barfing ink all over them. It's also a huge pain when I've
been out in the cold, or the pen has been upside-down in my pocket and the ink
flows away from the tip, or there's some rubbish stuck in the nib and the pen
just doesn't write consistently. And I don't run out of ink all that often,
but the pens I use are opaque and so I don't know it's coming until I go to
write one day and nothing happens.

In the grand scheme of things compared to things like world hunger and
tribalism in Africa, yeah these are pretty insignificant, first-world
problems. But in the writing implement space, they're legitimate.

So no, we're not curing cancer or anything here. But I bought the $29 one from
a few years ago linked in the article, just to see if it will work out for me.
Worst case, I'm out a few bucks and I leave a negative review so the next
person maybe doesn't make the same mistake. Best case, I've upgraded my
everyday carry and possibly saved some of my pants from an inky death.

And that, to me, would be worth thirty bucks.

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r0h1n
> "As you write, tiny amounts of this metal are deposited onto the page."

Does it also have regenerative qualities that continuously replenish the metal
that is deposited onto the page? If not it's an open-and-shut case of a
journalist blindly parroting the _marketing definition_ of "forever".

~~~
obblekk
I think the idea is that it's such a small amount relative to the size of the
source, that you wouldn't notice a difference over some ridiculously long
period.

I could be wrong though!

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jack-r-abbit
Their other pens sell for $2046.45 & $1773.59 (US Dollars). I can only imagine
what this will sell for. I'm pretty sure that even if I had more money than I
knew what to do with... I still wouldn't pay $2000 for one pen.

~~~
mappum
The other one that article referenced is only $28 and looks to be pretty much
the same: [http://www.vat19.com/dvds/the-inkless-metal-
pen.cfm](http://www.vat19.com/dvds/the-inkless-metal-pen.cfm)

EDIT: And now they are all sold out. If only I had signed up for their
affiliate program...

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cratermoon
It's a pencil that wears down very slowly and doesn't erase?

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ggchappell
Looks that way. Possibly it's essentially the same thing as this:

[http://www.amazon.com/Jac-Zagoory-Beta-Inkless-
Pen/dp/B005GL...](http://www.amazon.com/Jac-Zagoory-Beta-Inkless-
Pen/dp/B005GLYHLG/)

EDIT: Not quite. Apparently the tip of that pen is lead, while the one in this
post is some kind of alloy. Same idea, though, I imagine: soft metal that rubs
off much like a pencil.

~~~
stan_rogers
Doesn't have to be particularly soft. _Coin silver_ wire (2mm to fit standard
draughting leadholders) is "normal" for the silverpoint drawing technique, and
there wouldn't be a whole lot of sharpening involved if super-fine cross-
hatching wasn't one of the expectations ("scumbling" a duller wire will also
achieve shading).

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blah32497
reminded me of this
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverpoint](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverpoint)

Given they say

"Each pen will be sold with a notebook made of "stone paper"" I suspect, just
like silverpoint, it doesn't work, or doesn't work well, on any random
surface.

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fvox13
Inkless metal pen will write until the tip is all worn away. FTFY.

~~~
ghayes
Forever isn't very long, then?

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tomelders
We'll I clearly don't speak for everyone, but I think an ink less metal pen
that writes forever and looks like that is pretty cool.

~~~
taylorlapeyre
I've had a pen like this before. It was not practical, the tip becomes very
round very quickly and it requires a significant amount of downward pressure
to write. Furthermore, the pen doesn't write very well on anything but paper
on a hard surface. Just a word of caution.

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cordite
In other words, it is a well made pencil.

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crystaln
That can't be erased. So really it's more like a pen.

~~~
stephengillie
A metal grease crayon?

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kapnobatairza
I have a pen like this - Uses some sort of graphite-metal alloy. They are no
replacement for real pens, or even pencil. You end up writing in what looks
like faded pencil, not to mention there is a significant amount of friction
between the tip of the pen and the paper, which makes it awkward to buy.

Don't feel bad about passing on these - Waste of money. Especially when it's
wrapped in $$$$ worth of markup.

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ageofwant
Last time I checked, to powder stone took more than 0 Joules of energy. Unless
this powder was transported back in time from gigayears after the last sun
burned out in this universe and entropy is near max, to now, to make this pen.
In which case, it would be an stupendously awesome pen, and I'll totally buy
one.

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kqr2
Would this work in space too?

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen)

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pcunite
I actually bought one of these. They work well.

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abrowne
From the description of pen at [http://www.vat19.com/dvds/the-inkless-metal-
pen.cfm](http://www.vat19.com/dvds/the-inkless-metal-pen.cfm)

    
    
        Warning: Not intended for children (due to small amounts of lead in the tip)
    

Doesn't sound like something I'd want to use too frequently.

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acjohnson55
I wouldn't worry that much about it. A lot of electrical cords have tiny
amounts of lead in them too.

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tonymillion
"Forever" is a long time...

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danaw
> Each pen will be sold with a notebook made of "stone paper", an eco-
> friendly, water resistant and durable paper made from powdered stone.

How on earth (pun intended) is powdered stone eco friendly? At least trees
actually grow back...

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barbs
Awww, I was kind of hoping it would somehow take small amounts of dead skin
from whoever was holding it, and then somehow turn it into graphite...

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chris-martin
How about a photosynthetic process that makes graphite from atmospheric carbon
dioxide?

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PebblesHD
It may well cost the better half of $2,000 but damn it looks nice. No wonder
Ferrari uses them.

~~~
pekk
I don't understand. Does Ferrari lack sense, or are they giving them to valued
customers, or what?

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selectodude
The company that made this pen is normally a car design firm whose clients
include Ferrari.

~~~
CamperBob2
Pininfarina actually does the industrial design for quite a few products
besides cars. I've even seen their name on video projectors.

Same with Porsche Design.

