This is the Kent, it’s the first bolt-action pen design from the James Brand. It’s designed to be an heirloom quality pen that’ll last a lifetime – and probably quite a bit longer.
Each one is made from 303 stainless steel and they use Parker-style G2-style cartridges, meaning it’s nice and easy to find refills no matter where you are. The rifle-inspired bolt action mechanism opens in one smooth motion, and it’s a lot more reliable than standard click-to-open pens.
This is the Kent, it’s the first bolt-action pen design from the James Brand. It’s designed to be an heirloom quality pen that’ll last a lifetime – and probably quite a bit longer.
History Speedrun: The James Brand
The James Brand was established in 2012 in Portland, Oregon by designer Ryan Coulter. The company was created to modernize everyday carry tools, focusing on clean design and practical use rather than the military-inspired style common in the knife industry. Its first product, The Chapter, set the tone for what was to come – it was a simple folding knife built with top notch materials and minimalist styling.
James operates with a dual base – its design studio remains in Portland, while its headquarters are in Oceanside, California. This gives the company a combination of both the Pacific Northwest’s tradition of knife making and California’s outdoor culture. In recent yeas the product range has expanded from knives to pens, multi-tools, and accessories – all sharing the same design-first philosophy.
Steel choices like D2 and Sandvik 12C27, along with high-end manufacturing, and packaging/presentation are all carefully considered. The James Brand has grown steadily over the past decade plus, revisiting its original design on its tenth anniversary in 2022 with The Chapter 2.
The company’s tools are intended for every day carry, aimed squarely at people who need functional gear that balances modern design with genuine hands-on functionality and usability.
The Bolt Action Pen From The James Brand
The Kent is The James Brand’s first bolt-action pen – it’s built around a 303 stainless steel barrel with a stainless steel clip produced using metal-injection molding. Instead of having a conventional clicker, the bolt mechanism deploys the ink tip in a smooth, one-handed motion – it also prevents accidental openings in a pocket.
The pen measures in at 5.3 inches in length, 0.3 inches in diameter, and weighs 1.3 ounces, keeping it slim, lightweight, and pocket-friendly. Internally, The Kent accepts Parker-style G2 refills, making it compatible with a wide range of readily available cartridges that are available not just in the USA, but around the world.
The pen is now available to buy directly from The James Brand, you can choose from stainless steel finishes or a black finish and each one comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
The bolt action mechanism was refined through countless prototypes to deliver both reliability and a tactile experience designed to be satisfying to use, without being obtrusive. The pen has a lightly textured section near the tip to improve grip, and the overall design maintains that well-known minimalist aesthetic that runs through the company’s entire product range.
It’s now available to buy directly from The James Brand here, you can choose from stainless steel finishes or a black finish and each one comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Images courtesy of The James Brand
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
