Pen Gift Guide: Focus on Cigar Pens

Looking for a unique handmade pen gift for someone special (including yourself)? Cigar pens are one of our most popular pen styles, and for good reason. Let's take a closer look at some of their features, and see what makes these pens excellent gifts.

Easy to use: Cigar pens (also sometimes called Cuban pens or Big Ben pens) are twist pens; the ink refill is extended and retracted by twisting the pen via a smooth twisting action from the middle of the pen. Twist it 'round, and the ink refill is extended. Twist again and it is retracted. Easy enough! Cigar pens are ballpoint pens, so anyone who has used a ballpoint pen can use a Cigar pen (whereas fountain pens may take a little getting used to).

Plating options: Cigar pens are a very popular pen, and as such they can be obtained in a variety of plating materials. In addition to the standard chrome, gunmetal, and gold options, there are more unique options such as: copper; antique brass; satin chrome; and even prism! Some of these options are even combined in two-tone varieties. You can make a very unique pen using some of the more exotic plating options.

Customizable: There are a few variants of the Cigar pen (and modifications) that can be made. Some examples of this include the addition of stylus tips, changes to the clip, or the removal of the center band! As this pen grows in popularity, more options are becoming available.

Fun colors and materials: Cigar pens look good dressed in wood or resin. An all-wood Cigar pen exudes sophistication and class, whereas a wild-colored resin Cigar pen can be an eye-catching statement piece. Cigar pens are the "little black dress" of pen hardware - they go with everything!

Easy to get refills: Cigar pens accept a standard Parker-style ink refill. This means you can acquire refills from just about any big-box office store or online vendor (including us!). Parker-style ink refills are available in a variety of ink colors as well as sizes (e.g. medium, fine). You could also simulate a rollerball-like writing experience by installing a Parker-style gel ink refill or something like the Schmidt easyFLOW ink. Or change it up every time you need to refill your pen!

Substantial size: Cigar pens are a sizeable pen without being overly huge. They are nice and weighty, and clock in at 5.5 inches long. Cigar pens work well for those with larger hands or those desiring a writing experience with a more substantial writing instrument. Unlike some very large fountain pens or rollerball pens, the Cigar pen is not SO big that it cannot be tucked into a bag, purse, briefcase, or backpack. It's substantial without being massive - the Goldilocks of a larger writing instrument.

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Cigar pens are simple enough to refill: the pen comes apart from the middle and the refill can be accessed and removed. It's a straightforward process and an easy pen to refill. If you'd like to see a video of the process, you can check it out on our Pen Refills page under "Cigar - How to Refill".

All caught up on Cigar pens? If you are trying to pick these out of a pen lineup, a standard Cigar pen can be identified by its larger size, presence of a center band (with upper and lower pen bodies), and the hexagonal solid detailing at the top of the pen.

If you'd like to see what we currently have on offer for Cigar pens, you can view the collection here: Cigar Pens

Not sure if a Cigar pen is for you? Need help picking out the perfect pen? Don't hesitate to contact us. Thanks for reading!