Belkin QUADRA 4-IN-1 Pen, Stylus, Laser Pointer & LED light

by Belkin

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1 x 4 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00008KIU8
• Item model number: F8U0304
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 16, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Quadra 4-in-1 Pen includes a very bright LED beam that lights up your reading material virtually anywhere. It also features a laser pointer with a 500-yard laser emission range, a ballpoint pen with a quick, sturdy propel-and-retract mechanism, and a PDA stylus with a plastic tip for smooth navigation.

Product Description

The Quadra 4-in-1 Pen includes a very bright LED beam that lights up your reading material virtually anywhere. It also features a laser pointer with a 500-yard laser emission range, a ballpoint pen with a quick, sturdy propel-and-retract mechanism, and a PDA stylus with a plastic tip for smooth navigation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jack of four functions, master of none...expensive to operate!, July 26, 2005

By 

D. Best "moving forward" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Belkin QUADRA 4-IN-1 Pen, Stylus, Laser Pointer & LED light (Office Product)

The LED is quite bright at full power and is helpful for finding things in the dark at a short distance (up ~2 meters away). The laser pointer is reasonably visible and has a nice range, too. However as stated in previous reviews, this all-in-one's batteries die out very quickly unless you can find a way to keep its buttons from being depressed while it rides in your pocket. Even if such a precaution is taken, the four batteries do not last long, and new ones can be very expensive, although they can be found online quite cheaply.

The same cannot be said for the ink tubes, however. The ink tube is tiny and does not last long at all, which is understandable considering that the pen's barrel has to hold both a stylus and an ink tube. I am a university student who takes about ten pages of notes per day, and I went through the first ink tube in about two weeks. I bought a 2-pack of refills but they were really way too expensive at 8 dollars; I wish I could have just made my own to save some money! The ink tubes are expensive online, too...the amount of money it takes to keep this pen working for a month or two could easily equal or exceed the amount paid for the new pen in the first place (around 15 bucks in my case).

The tip of the twist-barrel also became very loose after about a month of use, allowing the heavy end of the pen containing the electronic parts and batteries to wobble constantly while I wrote. It eventually became so loose that when I would twist the pen tube out to write the whole barrel would slip off leaving me with half a pen in each hand.

In short, if you have the money and time to replace the ink and batteries in something that should just work when you need it to, you might want to give this a try. If not, save your money for an all-in-one unit that can do just a few things properly and is a much better value, like a pen/stylus, a pencil/pen or an LED flashlight/laser pointer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, marginal execution..., November 18, 2005

By 

M. Frost "Denver" (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Belkin QUADRA 4-IN-1 Pen, Stylus, Laser Pointer & LED light (Office Product)

The idea of a 4-in-1 lazer-light-pen-stylus gadget was too good to pass up. Now that novelty is gone, reality is; poor battery life, marginal construction, pen & stylus get "stuck" requiring constant disassembly & coersion. All in all a good idea, but I'd say pass & save a few dollars & headaches.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Tool!!!, June 28, 2004

By 

Ted Berry (Stevensville, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Belkin QUADRA 4-IN-1 Pen, Stylus, Laser Pointer & LED light (Office Product)

After reading some of the other reviews for this product, I am a little dissapointed at the complaints about battery life. The biggest problem I noticed was the buttons on this pen have a tendency to get pressed in your pocket. If the buttons are getting pushed while in your pocket, it is easy to understand why the batteries don't last too long. Once you figure out how to carry it around without inadvertantly pushing the buttons, you will find the batteries last alot longer.

The replacement batteries are a little expensive if you get them from your local Radio Shack. It takes 4 LR41 batteries at $3.29 a piece!!! Luckily, with a little effort these batteries can be found for sale on the internet much cheaper. I actually ordered 100 of these batteries on the internet for 29 cents a piece, and shipping was included.

The biggest problem I've faced is finding ink refills. I have been unable to find the belkin refills locally, and ordering pen refills online is expensive due to shipping unless you order in bulk. There are other refills available at your local office supply store, but all I have seen are 3-packs with 3 different colors for $3.00.

Overall, this is a great pen and overall tool! I am an auxiliary operator at a nuclear power plant, and this pen is awesome. The stylus is very useful for taking readings throughout the plant on my PDA, and I use the laser often for pointing out equipment issues to other people/workgroups, and also for training new operators. I would recommend this pen for anyone who has a need for a pen and stylus or laser pointer.