Ballpoint pen knife

A ballpoint pen knife is a multi-tool pocket knife consisting of a blade concealed inside an ordinary-looking ballpoint pen. The blade, typically 51 to 127 millimetres (2.0 to 5.0 in) in length, is usually hidden. They first appeared as custom-made pens from various custom knife makers before being mass-produced by production companies.

A common ballpoint pen knife with a concealed blade (top), and an unsheathed blade (bottom).

Uses

Pen knives such as these are designed for self-defense due to their ease of concealment. Their small size renders them impractical as weapons in elaborate combat, but their slim profile allows them to cause great harm in close-range combat with an element of surprise.

A knife of this type can be used as a standard letter or package opener. The knife can also be used for cleaning fingernails, peeling fruit and vegetables, cutting meat, and carving or shaping wood. They come in many versions, including variants with special purpose razors for shaving.

Kinds of blades

All ballpoint pen knives come with straight blades, which are easier to conceal than curved blades. These 51-to-127-millimetre (2.0 to 5.0 in) blades are fixed to the topmost part of the pen, hidden inside a hollow cap, serving as both the pen's end and the knife's sheath. Common blades may be the single-edged thrusting type or the double-edged dagger type, or even an unsharpened stiletto type point that can only thrust, not cut. Blades can be razor-sharp or deeply serrated for use in a range of situations. Swiss Army Spectrum Series released their S.A.S.S. Ballpoints, which look and function like regular ballpoint pens. They come with an array of foldaway blades and tools including knife, scissors, file, opener, screwdriver and battery-powered light.

Legality

Ballpoint pen knives, because they allow a knife to be disguised as an innocuous object, are subject to restrictions or prohibitions in some jurisdictions. For example, in North America they are not available for sale in California or Canada.

References

Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Guna Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bōchō Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pirah Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tsakat Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife X-Acto Yanagi ba Yatagan
Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh naka Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Daga Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hachiwara Hunting dagger Janbiya Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Qolxad/Jile dagger Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō Marine Raider stiletto V-42 stiletto Yarará Parachute Knife Yoroidōshi
Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Caber Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Dirte Knives Eikhorn Ek Commando Knife Co. Emerson Knives Erizo F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives MercWorx Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy Knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Randall Made Knives Ranz Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Shun Cutlery Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Tramontina Victorinox Vox Knives W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof Yarara Ltd Zero Tolerance Knives
Knifemakers	American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers

Pens
Types	Active Ballpoint Brush Demonstrator Digital Dip Fountain Gel Ink brush Light Marker dry erase highlighter paint permanent UV Qalam Quill Rastrum Reed Rollerball Ruling Skin Stylus Technical (rapidograph)
Parts and tools	Blotting paper Ink blotter Inkwell Nib flex nib Penknife Pounce
Inks	Alizarine Fountain pen India Iron gall Stark's
Other	Ballpoint pen artwork Ballpoint pen knife Counterfeit banknote Birmingham pen trade Pen Museum Kalamos Pen computing Penmanship Pen painting Pen spinning Retipping
Related	Calligraphy Cartooning Comics Lettering Pencil mechanical pencil Narayam
List of pen types, brands and companies

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