Next EDC Pen...

[dirtsqueezer]

Zebra F701. I love it. Better than my AG Spalding & Brothers. Grips better than the jotter, mechanism is slick and satisfying and the ink is much smoother than the space pens.

 

[Macchina]

Zebra F701. I love it. Better than my AG Spalding & Brothers. Grips better than the jotter, mechanism is slick and satisfying and the ink is much smoother than the space pens.

I just got one of those and the ink was terrible. I purchased a blue medium refill and it was a little better, but still not as smooth as a space pen. This goes to show you how much writing style has to do with pen performance...

 

[Iron City]

For somethting different check out Retro 51 pens. Mine takes a G2 refill.

 

[Grubbster]

I just got one of those and the ink was terrible. I purchased a blue medium refill and it was a little better, but still not as smooth as a space pen. This goes to show you how much writing style has to do with pen performance...

There is a very simple mod that will allow you to use a space pen refill in the 701. All you have to do is remove the plastic insert that is in the very tip end of the pen that unscrews. I love mine with a space pen refill!

 

[Bayoublaster]

Quick question, are Parker ballpoints, rollerballs, and gel refills interchangeable? I don't know if I'm happy with how the fine ballpoint refill I put in my Perrin is writing. Which would write better?

 

[Psychopomp]

This isn't as expensive as some, but it's been my go to pen for a little over a year now.

Pilot G2 Limited. I think I paid around $11 for it. I have several different refills for it, though I usually stick with black (I keep a few blues and a blue-black or two on hand too).

 

[Prat]

I've had a Tombow Object for a few years now. It's really comfortable, and they've finally started offering it in a ballpoint version. Hard to beat at $15.

http://www.penwa.com/tombow/objectcd.htm

Very cool looking pen. Love the orange/gold.

Lamy Safari!!!

Get it in rollerball. Nothing will write smoother for $30.

Also cool looking.

For somethting different check out Retro 51 pens. Mine takes a G2 refill.

Nice! Very interesting pens.

I've got a question/complaint/story about the Parker Jotters everyone seems to like so much:

I had one of these back in high school. Lasted about a month. Half the pen's barrel was plastic that then screwed onto the metal part. The plastic threads cracked in no time. And the clicky got very hard to push, complete with a worn spring sound, in less than two weeks. I still tried to use the thing, but had to constantly keep screwing the plastic barrel onto the metal barrel part (trying in vain to keep the few threads still gripping) until I just taped it shut. Then the clicky broke completely (jammed, wouldn't retract) and I threw the pen away and never bought another. Total junk.

Besides these issues, I found the whole pen too small to grip well and developed a callous from gripping the cheap hard plastic barrel so hard to keep it from slipping (it was very slippery of course). Not ergonomic at all.

So my question is are these pens all metal barrels now (I know you can get them with all metal barrels at least, you could when I bought mine too), and if not, has no one else had the cheap plastic threads crack on them either? Or had the clicky break? Or just found the pen too small and uncomfortable? I don't see the big deal.

I switched to pilot gel rollers for the rest of my high school career, and those and papermate something-or-others for college. I'll never buy one of those jotters again.

Just my experience. I did have a friend who had one too who had the plastic threads crack right away as well though. Seems to be a really bad design.

 

[kozak6]

I bought a Parker Jotter towards the end of last month.

There are still plastic barreled models available. I purchased one. The model with the stainless steel barrel is still available, but that's all I know about that.

The male plastic threads on the barrel actually thread into a female plastic insert in the metal half of the pen.

I hold pens and pencils "wrong", so I actually wish it was a bit thinner. I've been carrying it in a cargo pocket with keys and change to rough up the plastic a little bit. If anything, the plastic is slightly sticky, but that may be because I used it while typing at a public computer terminal :barf:.

I'm a little disappointed with the pocket clip. It seems a little tight, so it's difficult to actually use, and the tip of the arrow is very sharp. I'm going to try to take a file or sandpaper to it later tonight.

I've also recently purchased a Zebra F-701. It's a sharp looking pen, and feels quite nice too. The quiet gentle click makes for a very interesting contrast to the Jotter's CLACK-CLACK. I only purchased it yesterday and haven't used it much, but I've been quite impressed so far.

I also picked up the Zebra F-301 and F-402. The F-301 seems to be a very good value, although I have some concerns about the plastic grip, which has male plastic threads that thread into the tip, and to a female plastic insert in the main body of the pen. However, at its price point, it's easy to replace. I'm a little disappointed with the F-402 since there is a good amount of casting flash on the rubber grip, which doesn't feel terribly good to begin with. The barrel is also plastic under the rubber.

Yesterday, I also picked up the Pentel Graphgear 1000 in .9mm. It feel absolutely glorious, and the tip violently retracts when the clip is opened. Although it's a mechanical/drafting pencil, there is a ballpoint version available, which I might buy if the pencil holds up. It's kind of long, though, just under 6". Here's the pen version:

 

[Prat]

I bought a Parker Jotter towards the end of last month.

There are still plastic barreled models available. I purchased one. The model with the stainless steel barrel is still available, but that's all I know about that.

The male plastic threads on the barrel actually thread into a female plastic insert in the metal half of the pen.

I hold pens and pencils "wrong", so I actually wish it was a bit thinner. I've been carrying it in a cargo pocket with keys and change to rough up the plastic a little bit. If anything, the plastic is slightly sticky, but that may be because I used it while typing at a public computer terminal :barf:.

I'm a little disappointed with the pocket clip. It seems a little tight, so it's difficult to actually use, and the tip of the arrow is very sharp. I'm going to try to take a file or sandpaper to it later tonight.

Ok, so that's different than what I had (this was 15 years ago). Mine was the plastic front barrel threaded over the metal barrel. So plastic threads over/on top of metal ones.

Now it's plastic threads into plastic threads. That seems less likely to break. :thumbup:

I wonder if the clicker is improved too? There has to be some reason people like these now because they were crap back when I bought them (circa '95).

These things are still too small for me (unless they've changed that, but when I see them in stores they look the exact same size as I remember), and I have small hands, which were smaller when I was a still growing teen!