How to Hack the Zebra F-701 Pen to Build a Stronger and More Handsome Writing Instrument

A cheap and delightful pen mod

The Zebra F-701 retractable ballpoint pen is a beautiful writing instrument for one you can buy hanging off a hook in a stationery store for $8.

It’s nearly uniform stainless steel body and knurled grip are quite handsome, but the pen falls short in one small area: its plastic push button mechanism.

Its push button mechanism is partially made of black plastic, which is not only an aesthetic interruption in an otherwise gorgeous pen but also a point prone to breakage. It has a knurled grip like the mechanical pencils I coveted as a kid, a strong-looking stainless steel body, and then *burp* a weaker black plastic push button mechanism. I mean, really.

In the photo below on the left you can see the Zebra F-701 with its black ring around the push button, and on the right the Zebra F-402, which has a nearly identical push button mechanism in the stronger and more attractive silver.