Sminiker Defender
The Defender Disappoints
The Defender is Sminiker’s first and only tactical pen. It is built from Aircraft Grade aluminum and features a carbide glass breaking tip.
The Sminiker company is an interesting entrant to the tactical pen industry. They are actually a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, making a startlingly huge variety of products. Their repertoire includes things like vacuum cleaners, USB battery chargers, and hair clippers. Take a look at their website to see the full product list.
I bring up their product history because tactical gear isn’t Sminiker’s focus. In most cases, companies that focus on one thing and doing it excellently tend to make better quality products than companies that have a massive inventory. The Defender seems to be an good example of that axiom.
Toughness
In our research, most people who purchased a Defender typically liked it. People specifically love the price to quality ratio, saying things like:
For the price it is a great pen.
It also gets good marks for very strong but also light. Most reviewers found it to be nearly indestructible. Some people said they put it through a good amount of punishment but were unable to do more than chip the paint. Since it is built out of Aluminum the weight is a mere 1.6 ounces (48 grams). Thats approximately the weight of a 9 volt battery. Not bad for a pen made of solid metal!
That’s about the limit of the good on the build quality for this pen however. There are a lot of reviews that mention that the pen leaked ink, was impossible to replace the ink refills, and just flat out broke after minimal usage. Here is a sampling of some of the reviews:
No matter how much I twisted the pen tip wouldn’t emerge. Did I mention I had to hold the pen together as it kept falling apart ?
And:
Have had it only 10 days and the pen leaks profusely. Appears well made but the ink is all over the place.
Our Recommendation
If you are extremely strapped for cash and are ok with a potentially spotty product, this might be good for you. However, most people should probably avoid the Sminiker Defender.