A pen or pencil with no markings to indicate the manufacturer. Many minor makers did not put their company's name on their products. These are most often cheap instruments, but some are of surprisingly high quality.

a twist-piston filler by Conklin introduced in 1931. Early models were round, but later pens were faceted. Nozacs came in several sizes and colors including a herringbone pattern. Some had "word guages," markings on the barrel that supposedly told the writer how many words were left in the ink supply. This was an early sac-less pen, and the name Nozak was a takeoff on " no sac.""