Fisher Bullet Pens

The Bullet pens I've had were interchangeable with the Military for the refill. Maybe the way you would hold a Military, more easily than gripping a slippery little nubbin, makes it write more lightly and smoothly.
 
Buzzbait said:
Maybe the Bullet is fine tipped, and the Military is medium? I much prefer the tip on the Military.
I think the bullet comes with a medium tip stock, 'cause I had to ask for the fine cartridge to be swapped out when I bought it at the pen store. I haven't played with a Military though...
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Click to expand...
 
I ended up getting five of them from the Discovery special and I thought I'd post my initial impressions...

They're nice and small, just the right size for dropping in a pocket. Also durable, and I like the overall aesthetics. I want to do away with the stylus tip in favor of the more classic bullet lines, but no luck on that yet.

My issue is with the writing quality. I figured they would be ho-hum, but I was still disappointed that I could not write a sentence without it looking like it was photocopied. There were that many gaps and inconsistencies with the line that I don't even really like writing with it.

Opened one up...little bit of ink seeping out of the butt-end of the cartridge. Thought it was aberrant so I opened another one...same. Another...same. All five pens I ordered had ink seeping out of the cartridge, so is this normal behavior for the pressurized carts?

I really do like using the bullet's body though. Are there any refills that give the pen better writing performance? I find that I need to apply a lot of pressure to even get a semblance of a black line.

I thought it might be a lemon...but 5 lemons in one order seems a little strange.

What do you guys do to improve the writing quality?
 
All of those refills will be replaced by fisher as a warranty defect.

It is usual for a bit of ink to seep out at the tip occasionally (especially as it ages) but not out the back. The seal breaking at the butt end of the cart had probably let the gas escape and is responsible for the shoddy quality.

Get a nice fat jumbo refil from penwa.com and it'll write like a dream.
All my space pens write smooth bold dark lines.

N2
 
Hmm...

So, I take it I should just call them and tell them my situation with the seeping cartridges?

I'm also wondering if I should stick with medium or if I should go with a fine point on this pen. Is there any general preference for improved writing smoothness?

Just to demonstrate what I mean though by the writing quality, here's a photo of a little write-off I did between a few pens of mine.

Smoothness went to Pilot G2 and Penagain, best lines went to the gel pens (though the Sanford needs to be scribbled with a lot before it even gets a line).
Beware, large pic to show detail:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~maro0049/writeoff.jpg
 
You guys are bad for my bank account. :D

I got the matte black (seemed like the best option, the chrome would print up too easily, etc). It fits nicely in the 5th pocket of my jeans, right next to my SAK Tinker.

Two questions:

I've read a couple other's remarks about the clips popping off. Mine's done that a few times already. Is there a way to keep it on long term?

2. Can I use any ole pen refill or only specific types?
 
Robert Marotz said:
Hmm...

So, I take it I should just call them and tell them my situation with the seeping cartridges?

I'm also wondering if I should stick with medium or if I should go with a fine point on this pen. Is there any general preference for improved writing smoothness?

Just to demonstrate what I mean though by the writing quality, here's a photo of a little write-off I did between a few pens of mine.

Smoothness went to Pilot G2 and Penagain, best lines went to the gel pens (though the Sanford needs to be scribbled with a lot before it even gets a line).
Beware, large pic to show detail:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~maro0049/writeoff.jpg
Click to expand...


Yeah that's not normal (at least for me). I would stick with the medium (since I like the bold) for the smoothest line.
Call Fisher and have those replaced, it shouldn't be a problem at all. It might be that those are old stock from back after the fire at the Fisher plant and the team up with Eversharp (that hurt their QC for awhile).
I will admit that a gel pen may give a blacker line due to it's semi liquid state but I really like the slight resistance you get with a good ball point. It feels like you're writing on a cloud rather than scratching at the paper.

Once you get the new refills post another picture so we can see if there was a change (there certainly should be).

You may be able to find fisher refills at a Marshall Fields if you're looking for more instant gratification (call first, it's usually one per metro area with the fancy pens).

Good luck,
Neko2
 
Thanks a bunch for the information, Neko2.

I called them and talked with the woman there. No hold, no transfer, nice small business-style phone call.

Looks like I will send all five pens to Fisher. They wanted the complete pens for some reason but they just said send them along with a little note explaining the situation and they will do what they can.

Maybe I'll be able to request a standard bullet cap on one just for the heck of it LOL...they might not do it but can't hurt to make a silly request like that I suppose.

Thanks again, I hope this transaction goes through nicely and that these will show marked improvement over their current performance.
 
DonL said:
If you're looking for an easy pocket carry that's not a Fisher, look into the Cross Ion. It's short, extends with a cool cam system, and if you want, it has a cap that can attach to the tip for use in carrying on a lanyard or keychain. It's a gel ink pen, and I'm not as fond of those as a standard ballpoint, but I have to say I still like mine alot.
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See my post re: swapping out the Ion cartridge for a Fisher Space Universal:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...light=cross+ion
 
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