Pens....what is your favorite?

[texas gun person]

My guy is still in high school. I graduated in 2006, we learned cursive back in 2nd grade I think. So have they not been teaching cursive in schools for the last ten years?

It depends on where you live. Here in Texas, cursive instruction is still mandated by the state.

 

[jkwithawave]

It depends on where you live. Here in Texas, cursive instruction is still mandated by the state.

Florida, the dumbshine state I gess.

Kidding, I like Florida. I can carry any knife I want!

 

[buckeyejake]

Pilot g2 black ink .05. Only pen I use now !
Jake

 

[A.L.]

I've never really carried pen as I haven't really felt like I need one. I have couple in my manbag though, in case needed on the go and small pen in my victorinox swiss card in the wallet.
I have however, tried to carry pens at work where I do indeed need them.

I tried Böker plus CID "tactical" pen, but although kinda cool, the bolt was quite tiresome and the fit of the ink cartridge - especially at the tip - was so loose it was quite poor to write with.
I also dug out my old 90's parker jotter in stainless steel, that felt like nice pen, but my fear of the plastic interior came true when I dropped the pen on the floor and broke it.
I have also tried Parker fountain pen, where I dropped that also, got replacement and dropped that one too. Both broken.

So for now, I have just decided to pick whatever disposable pens we have (zebra's I think they were) at work and put that in the pocket for the day and take it off as I leave.

I would love to hear suggestions of robust but relatively affordable pen that I could drop on the floor without fearing of breaking some plastic insert inside that makes it useless. I would prefer it to have pocket clip and clicky at the top, and not too expensive.. and stainless steel?

 

[SpydrMan]

I've never really carried pen as I haven't really felt like I need one. I have couple in my manbag though, in case needed on the go and small pen in my victorinox swiss card in the wallet.
I have however, tried to carry pens at work where I do indeed need them.

I tried Böker plus CID "tactical" pen, but although kinda cool, the bolt was quite tiresome and the fit of the ink cartridge - especially at the tip - was so loose it was quite poor to write with.
I also dug out my old 90's parker jotter in stainless steel, that felt like nice pen, but my fear of the plastic interior came true when I dropped the pen on the floor and broke it.
I have also tried Parker fountain pen, where I dropped that also, got replacement and dropped that one too. Both broken.

So for now, I have just decided to pick whatever disposable pens we have (zebra's I think they were) at work and put that in the pocket for the day and take it off as I leave.

I would love to hear suggestions of robust but relatively affordable pen that I could drop on the floor without fearing of breaking some plastic insert inside that makes it useless. I would prefer it to have pocket clip and clicky at the top, and not too expensive.. and stainless steel?

Parker Jotter. Throw in a Fisher Space Pen refill and you've got a SS clicky that writes great. About $15.

 

[emjay]

I learnt cursive at school but hated it, so when we were given an option of being allowed to write normal, I took it. I hate cursive in general. I have trouble reading it, so I'm not complaining about schools doing away with it

Anyway, back to pens. I've had a Parker Jotter with green plastic handle since 2005. It's the only "fancy" pen I've ever had, and I like it, used it a lot, but I always had trouble with the refill cartridges leaking in hot weather, and the refills are quite expensive for me to justify using a Parker that leaks, so stopped using it. I use BIC pens now. I really like one model in particular, the yellow 0.7mm tip black ink ones, it's my favourite to use. They write great, and if I lose one, no big deal. I don't usually lose them anyway. I use them till their ink is finished, throw them away, and crack open another. Does the same job as my Parker with less mess, is dirt cheap, so I see no reason to get anything fancier

Having said that, there are some very good looking pens out there! I wouldn't mind getting a nice fancy pen if I was a serious boss behind a wooden desk, signing major business deals, but for now its BIC for me!

 

[Bob6794]

@ Emjay

A fisher space pen refill will easily fit that Parker Jotter, in fact they come with a converter so you can do just that when you buy the fisher refill. That should solve your problem as these are also design to deal with extreme heat if my memory serves me. The fishers aren't the smoothest, prettiest writing cartridge known to man but they are freaking reliable and give you no fuss as far as I can tell. If you put the pen to something and try to write, it will write.

I just converted a Zebra F-301 to take these fisher cartridges and it's quite nice as the Zebra cartridge had a habit of always needing to go through a letter or two before they started flowing ink properly even if it was laying on it's side for only an hour from my experience. Toss in a fisher space pen cartridge, no issue if I put the pen to paper it will write.

 

[emjay]

@ Emjay

A fisher space pen refill will easily fit that Parker Jotter, in fact they come with a converter so you can do just that when you buy the fisher refill. That should solve your problem as these are also design to deal with extreme heat if my memory serves me. The fishers aren't the smoothest, prettiest writing cartridge known to man but they are freaking reliable and give you no fuss as far as I can tell. If you put the pen to something and try to write, it will write.

I just converted a Zebra F-301 to take these fisher cartridges and it's quite nice as the Zebra cartridge had a habit of always needing to go through a letter or two before they started flowing ink properly even if it was laying on it's side for only an hour from my experience. Toss in a fisher space pen cartridge, no issue if I put the pen to paper it will write.

Thank you! I'll try to look out for those. I enjoy writing with my Parker, it makes me feel a bit more sophisticated. I have a cheap refill in it now and while it hasn't leaked yet, it writes a bit thick

 

[jmclfrsh]

I have a Fisher Space Pen Co. "Infinium" model that is guaranteed to never run out of ink. I have used it daily for a couple of years now and it is going strong.

From Fisher: "A regular ink pen cartridge holds about a mile of ink, but often dries up before you can use all of it. A Space Pen refill holds three miles of ink, and the Infinium holds over 30 miles of ink. It it a sealed unit in which the ink does not dry up. It will last an average user 80 years."

If it ever did quit writing, I can send it back and they will replace it for free. But that company is well established with a sterling reputation, and I believe their claim.

I also have a Hinderer Investigator, which is ok but a little small, a Surefire 3, which is a little large and heavy but a very nice pen as well.

A Matthew Martin Ti has been in my crosshairs for a while now, that will probably be my next one but I'll still EDC the Infinium, I'm in meetings daily, write a lot and usually lend out my backup to others that forgot a pen or theirs fails during the meeting. I don't worry about the Infinium a bit.

Mine is DLC coated, retail is $150 and they can be found for around $100.00 usually. Also comes in chrome.

 

[A.L.]

Parker Jotter. Throw in a Fisher Space Pen refill and you've got a SS clicky that writes great. About $15.

I just said that I dropped my jotter and broke it.
I didn't like how the jotter is so thin at the end.. not very pleasant to write with.

 

[Bob6794]

I just said that I dropped my jotter and broke it.
I didn't like how the jotter is so thin at the end.. not very pleasant to write with.

Mod a Zebra F-301 to take a space pen refill, you know you want to.

Ok maybe my opinion is a little biased. I just got done doing my OCD level conversion of one for the fine fisher refill on the zebra no more than an hour ago, the other was a prototype I did about a week ago which worked quite well. By OCD level I mean I spent a bit of time making the tip of the nose cone just barely wide enough to take the refill and not a hair more, in fact I don't think I can wedge a strand of hair in there if I tried when the pen is out. I can't even fit the medium refill in there as the fine refill is a hair slimmer. (I am happy with the results and want to talk about it but no one is around me so you guys will hear about it)

 

[AKC]

Oddly enough, after years of doing MAFs, just the plain 'ol US Gov't Skilcraft black clickie works fine for me...

 

[Pjake]

I'm a fountain pen user almost exclusively (Waterman Laureat, Lamy Safari, Namiki Vanishing Point I, antique Esterbooks, some Crosses and Parkers) but I am out in the barn and working horses most of the time. So for my in-the-pocket pens I use the Pilot Varsity disposable. I've even found a way to refill them.

A common rig for me used to be this old-school setup, a Moleskine and an Esterbrook hand-me-down. I think I actually took my M.A. exams with this pen. This one needs a new bladder, though, so it is now only a dip-pen.

Love the pen! I bought this exact pen at the Dallas Pen Show 5 years ago....then one day was shaking out some water from cleaning, hit the nib on the sink. Going to the pen show this year to get it repaired. My favorite outside of my Parker 51 (circa 50's) is my Stipula Etruria Fiesole.

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Peter

 

[GIRLYmann]

Carry a sharpie and an old rotting

 

[Grouch]

Love the pen! I bought this exact pen at the Dallas Pen Show 5 years ago....then one day was shaking out some water from cleaning, hit the nib on the sink. Going to the pen show this year to get it repaired. My favorite outside of my Parker 51 (circa 50's) is my Stipula Etruria Fiesole.

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Peter

It'll be cheaper and easier to buy a NOS replacement nib.

 

[No Agenda]

Pilot g2 black ink .05. Only pen I use now !
Jake

That was my go to home office pen until I tried a .38 and now I'm hooked on that. In the field I still use a Fisher.

 

[Echo63]

Favorite pen ever was the beaten old Parker 51 i found and used through high school
It was eventually stolen by another student.

My EDC pen now is the best ballpoint i have ever used - a Surefire EWP-01 with a fine space pen refill
This thing is almost bombproof

The EDCF tuffwriter i used before that was nice too, but i didnt like unscrewing the top every time, the SF is a simple half twist by comparison.


For a cheap disposable - the Uni Powertank is excellent - i have one in each EDC bag, and the car, and a few more round the house - the cartridge is pressurised like a space pen too.

For a go everywhere pen, i have a space pen (bullet) in my wallet too



I like the pressurised refills, i tend to write names/addresses/camera settings/ other junk i need to remember doen i. A notebook, and frequently its leaning against a wall - the spacepens and powertanks keep writing, most start skipping after two or three words

 

[K Williams]

Fisher .375 H&H bullet pen, and a Tuff Writer.



I have a Karas Kustoms The Bolt on the way...

 

[Migiello]

On my work edc always an Pilot 0.5 blue, just love how this thing writes.

 

[K Williams]

The Karas Kustoms Bolt arrived! Solid brass version.