That’s No Sharpie, It’s A Survival Tool

A 3-week Indiegogo campaign to create a Sharpie look-a-like that serves as a survival tool â€“ but not a marker â€“ more than doubled its funding goal before it ended earlier this month.

EDC Pointie Tactical Marker

The Pointie Tactical Marker looks like a Sharpie knock-off, including using Sharpie-style font for its name, but instead of a marker tip, the point is actually a steel spike.

From the Indiegogo page:

Meet the Pointie: a practical, tactical, concealable self-defense and survival tool. Put simply, it’s a hardened stainless steel spike inside of a familiar marker body. The Pointie can be used as a glass breaker, a backwoods hiking tool, and anything in between. Except as a writing utensil. It won’t do that.

Pointie maker Martin American Designs set a goal of US$3,500 for the project, but blew past that to take in US$8,595 by March 4.

The Pointie comes in two models, one with an obvious steel spike tip called the Signature and one with a steel tip disguised to look like a marker point, called the Concealed. Both are covered by what appear to be regular marker caps.

During the campaign, the Pointie sold for US$25 with free shipping in the US and international shipping for $5. Backers who spent US$50 or more also received a kydex marker sling by Nack Design. The nifty slings are made to carry actual Sharpies in a pouch that you can clip to key rings or anything else.

Kyder Marker Sling

Image from Pinterest

While the Pointie has received enthusiastic reviews, I can’t imagine that Sanford, the maker of Sharpies, will be all that pleased by a stabbing device that mimics the iconic markers. I bet they also could not have envisaged the other crazy things people do with Sharpies.

EDC Pocket Shark Marker

Still, it won’t be the first product to make a play on the Sharpie name. In fact, it won’t even be the first weapon disguised as a marker. There’s the Sharkie, now known as the Pocket Shark. Which is built for impact and functions as an efficient Yawara stick. If you are wondering how effective a pen is in a fight then take a look at the 7 Best Fight Scenes with a Pen.

Sharkie Marker

EDC Tactical Marker with Sharpie Refills

And the Tactical Marker, which uses Sharpie refills and exploded some fundraising goals of its own on Kickstarter.

EDC Tactical Marker

Presumably, Martin plans to continue selling the Pointie, although at a higher retail price. The purchase of the survival tools will be limited to those 18 and older.

Of course, if you’re one of those people who see potential attackers lurking in every shadow, you might just stick with an ordinary Sharpie. Apparently, the stainless steel Sharpie pen is recommended as a self-defense tool all by itself. if or if you want to know more about tactical pens then check out tactical pens are made for street fights.

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Tony Bridges

As a seasoned journalist and freelance writer, I've spent over three decades telling stories and exploring the world through the written word. With a passion for writing instruments, I found my niche at The Pen Vibe, a blog that shares our collective fascination with pens, pencils, and other tools that have shaped the art of writing.

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