From even the most grueling and unproductive trade shows, critical investigative journalism can emerge. Gadget Lab presents its incisive rundown of the key product category from the CES show floor: those little pens they give away so you don't not have a pen.

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Wiseaudio__

Wiseaudio's pen aims for a sleek, translucent look, but succeeds only in confusing the design with odd angles and curves. Does such needless complexity reflect its product offerings? Time will tell. The retraction mechanism, however, felt quite sturdy, and it produced a reasonable line.

RoseArt

RoseArt's pen is extremely disappointing: it's clearly a very basic model stamped with the company name in gold leaf. The line was poor, but the malleable polyethylene of the cap was delicious.

Trust Peripherals

Trust Peripherals is a European Logitech-like peripheral giant that's only just come to the U.S., and is aiming to swarm the U.S. with its vast selection of premium-grade computer gear. Its pen is minimalist, white, almost pure. It's as if Trust wants you to project your hopes and dreams onto it, as embodied by a nickel's worth of pressed acrylic. The line: excellent. The cap's swivel action: insouciant. One to watch.

CoolerMaster

Is Cooler Master's pen trying to say something? Its Rubens-esque figure is heavy and curvaceous, but surprisingly easy to hold. Extension of the ball point requires a sturdy thumbing of the retractor nipple — resulting in a surprisingly thin, precise signature in blue. Hard to recommend, but certainly ergonomic.

Official CES Pen

Supplied with the press bag, the official CES pen is unmarked and unheralded, but saw a lot of action at the show. With such basic design (and excessive size) it will remain unloved, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi to its severe geometry. The line, like everything else about it, is perfunctory.

Chi Cheng

The Chi Cheng Group hails from Eastasia, and its free pen is the shock of CES: it is a beautiful, arrow-like metal example, garbed in matte charcoal and producing a stunning gel-ink line. Expensive-feeling and weighted like a finely-honed rapier, Chi Cheng's entry is unquestionably the superior pen in our roundup.

Diguang

Diguang's entry is, if nothing else, startling: cut from translucent plastic, a concealed flag can be pulled from it, bearing the phrase "Diguang creates brightness and beauty." Let go, and a hidden mechanism pulls it back in. Momentarily enchanting, it leaves a note of unease after the first few giddy uses: do such superfluous frills indicate a focus on presentation and impact rather than the production of a consistent, high-quality line? Indeed, the flag itself, made of glossy paper, is replete with advertisements for Diguang's wares.

Novatel Wireless

While Novatel Wireless's pen has a wonderful ocean blue color and a similarly-hued ergonomic grip, repeated use reveals certain limitations hiding behind its attractive, chrome-lined finish. This pen's internal components rattle, ever so slightly, as if produced cheaply and in great numbers, perhaps at short notice. Its ink, too, was unremarkable, and somewhat paler than the deep range of blacks offered by competitors. Fans of the design may be happy—for a while.

Symantec

Symantec's Norton pen, themed on its anti-malware suite, shares a little of that package's faded glory. Too big, too ugly and packed with brutal design decisions, it strikes one as an unappetizing alternative to more modernistic examples. Put to use, however, it offers a bold and vigorous line that's the equal of almost everything tested here today. This strange counterbalance of attributes results in a disposable but commanding pen.

Pepcom Digital Experience

Similar in many respects to Novatel's sleek design, Pepcom's scribbler opts for a deep, glossy crimson finish with metallic undertones. Limned with black accoutrements, this gently curved and organic design is otherwise unimpressive, thanks to a lackluster output and flimsy lack of heft.

Titan Memory

In casting aside any pretension to good taste or style, Titan Memory's luminescent orange pen is boldly utilitarian: its something one might expect to see on the customer service desk of a used car dealership, or poking out of a navvy's shirt pocket. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that's not where the boldness ends: this is not a standard pen at all, but a highlighter. Though useless for everyday jotting, one is left to ruminate on this clever strategic decision — by aiming for such an odd niche, perhaps Titan guarantees a longer and more distinctive functional lifespan?

Nero

Nero's issue is the disappointment of the show for this reporter, offering a poor line to go with the transparent red enclosure's uninteresting insight into the device's inner workings. The plastic from which it is constructed seems hard, harsh and brittle, offering the nervous stylophage an unsatisfactory bite. With the ballpoint retracted, moreover, it clatters incessantly about, rattling with every stroke of the hand. Avoid.

Proshow National Event Staffing

Tiny and vivacious, there's an overwhelming charm about Proshow National Event Staffing's miniature model, which has no extension mechanism or other unnecessary fluff to get in the way of a clean, uplifting writing experience. Barely three inches long, its cap—to which a useful chain is attached—simply squeezes off. The line is mediocre and it will surely soon be lost, but the distinctive form factor will likely prove useful to road warriors with the need for it. As they say, the pen you actually carry is always better than the pen you leave in the glovebox.