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Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
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| Biographical Information |
Name:
|
Mark
Wood
|
A Brief
Introduction
I grew up camping with my
parents and had taken a few short backpacking trips, as well as a
couple of 10-day trips before I got married. While my wife and I have
enjoyed car camping and day hiking for close to 5 years, this year we
have decided to make backpacking a permanent part of our lives. Our
trips are generally shorter (2 - 5 days) over rocky, hilly terrain. My
general pack weight for a 3 day trip is around 35 lb (16 kg) including food
and water. |
| Age
/ Sex: |
25 / Male |
| Height: |
5' 11" (1.8 m) |
| Weight: |
240 lb (109 kg) |
| Email
Address: |
woodmark0 at yahoo dot com |
| Location: |
Chenango County, NY, U.S.A. |
| Product
Information |
| Manufacturer: |
Inka Corporation |
|
| Year of Manufacture: |
2005 |
| URL of Manufacturer: |
http://www.inkastore.com |
| MSRP: |
$25.00 US |
| Listed Weight: |
None listed |
| Weight as Delivered: |
0.63 oz (18 g) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
None Listed |
| Materials: |
Hardened 304 stainless steel and a
high-strength lightweight composite. |
The Inka Pen is a collapsible
writing instrument which lends itself to outdoor use. It features
a hardened stainless steel and high-strength composite body. All
joints are sealed with rubber o-rings to keep the elements out.
For a more detailed description of the Inka pen, please see my Initial Report.
|
| Long Term Report |
I can't believe I've had
this pen for 4 months of testing already! Since it's lived on my
key chain every day I'm not out backpacking I've become very accustom
to having a pen handy. In fact, my wife often asks if she can
borrow it when we are in the store or driving. What's more, I've
taken this pen on many outings and I can't notice any real damage.
The stainless steel barrel is slightly scuffed up, but no real
scratches are present. What's more, the Inka logo is still
looking as nice as the day I received it. If only my car's paint
held up so well...
Testing
Having answered most of my initial questions regarding this pen in my Field Report, I have only a few remaining questions to answer.
- Will it hold up to the constant abuse of being in my pocket
almost every day?
- I'm happy to
report that after four months of daily carrying, I notice no problems
with the pen and it writes as good as the day it arrived.
- Do I notice any corrosion or other deformities on the pen
after submitting it to the harsh conditions it claims to survive?
- I've pretty well
abused this pen and tested it in any ways I could think of. There
are no deformities or problems with the pen to report.
- Will I need to purchase refills during the four month
testing period?
- While I really
don't use the pen for more than quick notes in shelter registers or on
grocery lists, I've used this pen at least one a day to jot something
down. So far, the original cartridge is still going strong.
- With the short size of the pen, how long does each
cartridge last?
- Longer than four months the way I used the pen!
- Are they hard to replace?
- Since I never had to replace the cartridge, I decided that I'd at least see how hard it would be. My results are below.
Since I never had to replace
the cartridge, I decided I would at least see how the pen comes apart.
Since there were no instructions, I decided to experiment.
The easiest way I've found to remove the ink cartridge is to
remove the pen from the stainless steel sleeve and remove the end cap.
In this configuration, the PDA stylus is visible. At this
point, pressing down sharply on the point of the pen popped the stylus
and ink cartridge out of the pen. Not too hard!
The only issue with replacing the cartridge is that I could only find
the refills available on the manufacturer's web page.
This means that I will have to carry spares with me instead of
just stopping at the local office supply store. |
| Field
Conditions |
While I feel that the true test for the Inka pen is
everyday use, I will use it on any hiking and other adventures I may
take. This should amount to a couple trips each month either car
camping or backpacking. Most of these trips are two nights and two days
long and during the testing period, the pen should receive both rain
and some mild snow. I also propose to attach the pen to my key ring
and carry the pen with
me every day. It will see use during work as both a pen and a quick
stylus for my Palm Tungsten T. At the end of the four month testing period, this pen will
have see a lot of use and some mild abuse!
|
| Summary |
Overall, I am impressed with the quality and
construction of this pen. It has performed very well and is very
easy to keep handy. I'm still not really sure why a PDA stylus is
included as it is really not that easy to use. But as a quick use
pen to carry every day, this can't be beat!
Likes:
- Writes very well
- Compact when closed
- Very attractive with great workmanship
- Durable design
Dislikes:
- The stylus is really not needed. If people have their PDAs handy, they most likely have access to styli.
- The pen is a bit short unless it is fully assembled.
While I really don't see this as a huge problem, I find I must
assemble the pen for any significant writing.
|
I
would like to thank Inka and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test!
Read more reviews of Inka gear
Read more gear reviews by Mark Wood
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