The "KZ Defence Stylus" boasted the following specifications:
Aircraft Grade 6061 CNC Machined Aluminum
Ergonomic Design
Heavy Duty, 1/16 Inch Stainless Steel Heat Treated Pocket Clip
Type II, Class 3 Hard Anodized
5.6 Inches Long
1.7oz
Upon receipt, first impression was good. It is a solid piece and really does have a low profile appearance. The stainless steel clip appears to be bead blasted. The end where the clip attaches is fairly thick. This lends itself to a very positive grip but does retract from a "pen like" appearance. There are visible screws on top of the end which would be protruding from your pocket or where ever you have stowed it for daily carry.
The hard anodized coating is nice; but very slick. Introduction of any fluids (blood, sweat, or even water) will likely make this stylus hard to hold onto and will definitely play hell on trying to draw it minus modification to the item.
The stylus is the perfect length for an "ice pick" style grip, which is my preferred grip for this particular tool.
While experimenting with stowing the stylus, both in a pants pocket and shirt pockets, I noticed that the clip on the one I had simply applied too much pressure and was simply clamping down so hard that it was very difficult to deploy quickly, especially from a shirt. I played with drawing it from the pen pockets present on virtually every "tactical" style polo shirt in existence these days and from a more traditional pocket present on the typical button up or zip up style uniform shirt. I concluded that the stylus would require modification before being a realistic option at least for me.
I removed the top screws and used a jeweler's file to remove the bead blasting from the inside of the clip and polished up the friction point to make the draw a little "smoother". I also bent the clip slightly to reduce the tension against the stylus and against the clothing material.
While removing the screws I noticed that they were fairly short and to provide reinforcement I mixed up some T-88 epoxy and dabbed a touch of the epoxy in the holes and under the clip prior to re-installation of the clip and screws. I expect that will do the trick.
Ultimately, for the price, I can't really complain. The stylus required a couple of slight modifications to streamline deployment, but nothing really all that difficult. I do have some concerns about the viability of the tool if there are fluids involved, but if a guy really wanted to, he could checker the side of the stylus or simply put a small piece of skate board tape near the end. That would allow some "bite" into the thumb during the deployment process.
If you're looking for an inexpensive backup tool that doesn't have an edge, a defense/tactical stylus is definitely a viable option.
