While it is rare, I have been known to look into the realm of pens that are only available through promotional channels. In this case, that means a little pen I picked up that has a foam body with a ribbed grip section. As one sometimes does, I found mine in a bin of identical items at a thrift store (always a great endorsement for a product⸮) and these particular ones had “Orthopedic Solutions” printed on them, making me think that perhaps they had been selected for their ergonomic qualities. I didn’t know at the time that this was only available as a promo item.

The design is a nice pocket-sized one, being about 4½ inches capped. This means the body is a little bit shorter than most people like for average use, and, despite the solid metal construction, the main body is covered in enough foam to make it feel quite light and strange. Fortunately, posting the all-metal cap to the back gives the pen a more normal length and weight, even making the whole thing feel more balanced (for me, anyway). The simple, bullet-shaped design is pretty generic, but a classic; it doesn’t really stick out too much.

All of its functions are passable. The plain, chromed metal clip is tight but not jagged or prone to ripping. The refill is Parker-type, and while unpleasantly sticky (requiring quite a bit of force) with considerable startup issues, it can be easily replaced with a superior tip and ink (though it must be said, it is getting harder to find Parker refills these days). The main interest point of the foam is underwhelming. The whole body of the pen is covered in a spongy-feeling, surprisingly-unyielding warmish foam; the rear of the pen is solidly covered while much of the (grip) section is cut into 1.5mm ribs. The whole thing is quite grippy and I have no problem maintaining control nor fear that it will slide out of my hand. It is, however, not particularly comfortable to hold, its larger size doing more to minimize hand-cramping than its hard foam exterior.

So its an entirely usable pen, but not one worth seeking out to try. If it seems like the right pen for your business you could be doing a lot worse, but the foam grip isn’t a real innovation in the pen world.