Yeah, having the mechanism built into the clip, without any J-shaped channel for it to move through or anything kind of bolt sticking out the side, makes this a really clean design!
It definitely could have been smoother out of the box, but I've noticed it smoothing out just in the short time I've had it. I also had the opportunity to talk to the guy at Koenig who designed the mechanism for it, and he said his personal one has gotten exceptionally smooth with use. It would be great if you didn't have to break it in, but it will break in.
Great question -- I wondered the same thing when I first saw it, thinking maybe it was just being held in place with a detent. The mechanism actually works a lot like an air hose disconnect, so the only thing that can release it is intentionally sliding the internal collet (attached to the clip) up, allowing the ball bearings inside to slide out of the groove they get locked into. Pressure on the tip of the pen refill alone cannot unlock anything.
The knife is still down at the tip where you'd expect, it's just incredibly tiny and, counterintuitively, round. Weirder still, when you use it against your paper foes, they bleed pitch black blood exactly where you cut them. Metal as hell! 🤘🏻
In the words of Percy Jackson…. “This is a pen… this is a PEN” little did he know that was a pen from the gods that turns into a sword. This is not that. This is a pen 🤓 but it’s badass nonetheless.
