Description
A minor change in plans in terms of special grip profile releases on the Modal. Initially, we were not going to release any grip variants on the Modal until mid-late 2024. This decision is mostly due to the fact that we currently have limited stock on Bolt lower bodies with alternate grips, but also we wanted time to develop a few grip profile styles specifically for the Modal. That is still the official timeline on a full expansion of alternate grip profiles, but in the interim we’ve decided to release a small number of grips that were allocated for Spring 2024 Bolt Special Releases. We’ve reallocated these parts to the Modal and have been able to get two small batch Special Releases out of the parts. The first is this Matte Green & Orange Dragonskin Modal which is going up as a standard site release. The second small batch release will be a Pen Club Exclusive later in April.
The Matte Green & Orange Dragonskin Modal is a small batch special release featuring our Dragonskin grip section in a colorway inspired by the Mazda 787/787B Renown livery made famous in the 1990 & 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. With a new anodizer comes more consistent colors, we knew we could take advantage of this fact to get a quality matte green and matte orange combination that would be close to the original colors used in that livery. This colorway was a planned release for a Bolt in 2019 but we were unable to get quality anodize in those two colors, and have reserved this colorway for nearly five years. The parts were put through an extensive tumbling process prior to the anodize portion where a matte coat of “medium” green was applied to the bodies while the buttons and clips received matte “medium” orange anodize. These have been assembled with white Delrin sliders, and they look amazing. The finished product is very close to the original livery colors; we couldn’t be happier. When you check out, you’ll be prompted to select from a variety of refill options to customize this Modal to your writing preferences.
The long wait is over, our latest pen is here. The Modal is our latest everyday carry, retractable pen that features several new design and functionality elements. This pen has been the most requested design in the history of our company. From the day our Bolt Kickstarter launched, we were asked if we would ever add a traditional side-actuated bolt-style pen. Our response was always, “Only if we can find a reason to make one in our style because the market is saturated with that style of pen.” It’s been over ten years since the Bolt was released, and we finally found our reasons. Initially, we wanted to create a pen that was roughly the length of the EDK but accepted the Pilot G2 or other 110mm refills. A five-inch length pen is about the shortest pen that is comfortable to the average pen user. Our second reason was that most bolt-style pens on the market use a side button that sticks pretty far out from the body of the pen. The button is uncomfortable and often gets caught on clothing or jabs into your hip if you’re pocket-carrying the pen. Also, for some reason, most of the current bolt-style pens feature a backward J-slot, requiring the user’s thumb to move in a weird motion bringing the button down and back towards the heel of the palm. We designed a button that is oval shaped, with a slightly convex face that is raised just enough off of the body of the pen to be functional but doesn’t interfere with clothing and won’t jab you in the hip. Our J-slot is more of a modified checkmark, and requires the user to simply push their thumb down in a swift motion before the action “catches”. The button is easily retracted with a swift upward motion of the thumb, but the catch on the slot is positive enough that the refill won’t retract during use. Finally, we developed a deep pocket carry clip somewhat resembling the INK clip but fastens via an internal thread that isn’t visible. The internal slider mechanism is machined from Delrin which provides a perfect smooth action. The body, clip, slider, and button are designed and manufactured in our facility in Mesa, Arizona. The standard Modal ships with the Pilot G2 refill, and will accept most 110mm/Euro style refills.
Specifications
Length – 130.17mm / 5.125″
Body Width – 11.11 mm / 0.437”
Width w/Clip – 14.73mm / 0.577″
Weight – 64.4g / 2.27 oz
Limited Availability
“Many G codes and M codes cause the machine to change from one mode to another, and the mode stays active until some other command changes it implicitly or explicitly. Such commands are called “modal”.” – Dynomotion.com
The Modal is made from 6061-T aluminum on our CNC lathes and Swiss machining centers, in Mesa, Arizona. Pilot refills are manufactured in Japan.
