When I was selecting the #hindererinvestigator I read a few customer reviews, the biggest complaint was the length. Here's a side by side comparison with a #kubaton and the common place design for a #tacticalpen Yes it is short. The top cap area is flat for thumb placement. The war hammer is hefty with a strong point and no doubt have penetration ability. Tactical pens tend to not have a flat area or require the striking end to be same as pen, could result in damaging function. If you strike with the beveled end, the pocket clip will dig in your hand on impact.One flat surface is prudent. The Uzi tactical pen is similar in that way but as I mentioned the pen/strike area are one in same.A kubaton is not meant to be a full swing bludgeoning tool. It's a vital targets striking tool and pain compliance lever.So the Hinderer Investigator is plenty long as my hands aren't small. And the machine #copper is grippy.The pen is very well made, and overall I'm happy with my purchase. I do have a couple of slight criticisms. The cap and body of the pen do not match. The stainless color is off, and it is noticeable on my pen. It's not that big a deal to me, but if you are a perfectionist, it will bother you. I could send it back, but like I said, I can live with it. The other problem I have is that it really needs to ship with o-rings for the threads. Without o-rings, the cap will work itself loose on both ends of the pen. It's a $2.00 fix from Lowes, no big deal, but Hinderer really should include these. Now, just my personal preference, I bought another set of o-rings to fill in the gaps in the body, another $2.00 from Lowes. They make the pen more comfortable to write with. Just my opinion.Its a very nice pen. Cool design and nice work. I wear large size gloves and find this pen fits in my hand just fine. It is a little small, but useable for sure, even as a weapon if needed. I added 8 #47 O-rings to the cut outs in the grip portion and other side of the body of the pen to add a bit more grip for getting it out of the pocket or writing. Also added #61 o-rings on either side where threads are for cap, this helps keep cap on. The pen shipped with one O-ring for cap, but I added another. Pricy, but nice. Want a hinderer knife really bad but could never spend that much money on a folding knife.Overall, I think that this is a very nice product, and because of its stealthy design, I have not had any difficulties with Security with taking it through multiple US and foreign airports (in my briefcase). The pen is nicely balanced and very well made, and that's exactly what I wanted when I ordered it. Several of my colleagues have commented positively on it, and asked where they could get one. Fortunately, I haven't had to use it for its secondary purpose, so I can't comment on its capabilities in that area.Only change I would make is to design it a bit longer - an inch would make it perfect for my medium-sized hand. With its current length, it doesn't offer any position options for my hand in either its writing or striking modes.Most bad reviews I see for this talk about how “this is not a tactical pen, it’s too small ONE STAR!” Well you should have read the discription. It’s perfect for me, it’s very rare that I have to cave in someone’s skull, yet very common that I need a small pen, this thing totally dissapears in my pocket and perfectly compliments my O-light s1 mini baton in copper as well. My only issuue with it is that I wish the pocket clip was a little more robust. It just looks weak but I haven’t bent it dispite the punishment I’ve put it through wearing thick pant material.While some may complain that this pen is smallish in size, I have found it to be perfectly suited to my hand(s), and the heft is real like as in present but not obtrusive or obnoxious. Fisher space pen cartridge allows for smooth writing in almost every environment (not yet tested in -20 temps), and the machining reminds me of art-deco or steam punk type of designs. The threads are thick and the tip is threaded and interchangeable with other tips sold on Rick's site. This pen came with one rubber ring but you'll want to get at least one more. These supply the cap enough bite not to unscrew. I liked this pen enough to purchase the brass version and I'll be getting the titanium bronze colored one as well.I've had other tactical pens, this one is a good weight and very solid. It's not the heaviest pen I've had and for me, it's kind of on the short side. Overall it's a good pen.I purchased this pen a little over 2 years ago and after trying to use it several times I gave up because the rings at the bottom of the pen have sharp angles which dig in to my finger and after using it several times it was relegated to my valet box. Luckily, after watching a YouTube video review on this pen, I was able to add o-rings to fill the spaces and make the pen actually usable which is a good thing as this is a $60.00 pen. I like the weight (stainless model) and the size of the pen is good for me because I have small hands. Chamfering the sharp corners would go a long way to making this pen user friendly. I also flattened the "tactical" end attachment on the pen. This is an option that you can purchase for an additional $18.00 (sold out on the website, take a hint). Would've been nice to have the option to choose the end attachment as part of the purchase price. Although I did add the o-rings, as another reviewer said, I should not have to modify a $60.00 pen to make it usable for me.