Considering A Fisher Space Pen?

I finally broke down and bought one of the Fisher Matte Black Bullet Space Pen With Clip . Originally, I was reluctant to get one of these because from the pictures on the web it looked to be too tiny for a writing instrument. I thought it was about 2/3 the size of a normal pen. I have big hands it might not translate into a comfortable pen.

Instead, what I found was that once you remove the cap the capped it on the back, it expands to the size of a regular pen. I was happily surprised that I was not going to have to cramp my hand to use it.

I bought the standard black finished space pen with the clip. I had this idea that I’d slip the clip into the spine of my Moleskine notebook so I could just pop it in my back pocket before I left the house. I’d have my notebook and pen with me always.

Sounds good huh? Sadly, the clip slides on and off easily. So easily in fact, it comes off when I don’t want it to. And although the clip and pen idea worked at first, after walking and sitting a couple times, the clip came off every time. This left the clip dangling from the spine of my Moleskine and my space pen loose in my pocket. Aside from epoxying the clip onto the pen, I don’t know of a way to get the clip to stay
put on the pen.

The Best Intentions of Mice and Men

For now though, I have put away the clip for a possible resurrection at such a time when I have a way to make it stay on the pen. I am simply dropping the pen in my pocket as is.

The writing quality is nice. The compressed cartridge writes smoothly and claims it will write upside down. I didn’t bother trying that, but it does work while writing in bed. Normally, this doesn’t work for me. I like to make lists in the morning, and when writing on a pad that’s angled upright, a standard pen won’t work. After a task or two I have to get out of bed to finish the list! oh the agony! But not with the space pen, it does write nonstop.

The pen comes standard with a black ink cartridge. That wouldn’t do for me, as a blue ink fan I had to get a blue cartridge. I hesitated over whether to get a medium or fine point cartridge. You see, my most used pen is a Mont Blanc ballpoint. It writes well with a medium point, but the fine ink cartridges are terrible. They skip, feel scratchy, and are overall annoying. I prefer a fine point, but don’t like the headaches associated with them.

Against my better judgment, I went ahead and got a fine point blue cartridge for my new space pen. I thought if it sucked, it would make for a good blog review. After writing for over a week with this baby, I’ll say WOW. The blue fine cartridge writes more comfortably and looks better than my Mont Blanc medium blue cartridge. It might even write better than the standard medium black cartridge that came with the
Space Pen. How great is that?

So the space pen lost some points for the clip, but rapidly gained them back with the fine tipped blue ink cartridge.

Speaking of blue, I just noticed, Fisher has a Blueberry blue space pen that I am suddenly ga ga over. My-o-my what a beauty! It’s on my Amazon wish list if you want to be nice to me.

Blueberry Blue Bullet Pen By Fisher Space Pen

Another point for enthusiasts is putting the cap on the back of the pen while writing. Pen enthusiasts call this “posting” the cap. It is something I’ve trained myself to be wary of because with fine fountain pens, posting the cap often ruins the finish. With the space pen, if you don’t post it firmly enough, it wobbles and clicks while you write.

I have decided since the pen was only $22, that I’d go ahead and post it firmly. Posting it does affect the finish a bit, but the pen does seem rather rugged. It’s made of brass and stainless steel . Speaking of ruggedness, there is something about the pen that makes it feel like it can withstand much abuse. I’ve dropped it a few times and it never cracked or leaked ink. It’s so compact and solid, it’s almost like dropping a small steel rod on the floor. You are not concerned about it breaking – but you might wonder about it bending. I never bent mine, it’s just an observation.

One of the features that I love is as you unscrew the pen to insert a new cartridge you see just how perfectly the cartridge fits into the pen itself. Also with the threads that are used to screw the pen back together are tight and uniform. You normally only see these among the higher quality pens such as Pelikan and Mont Blanc – it is refreshing to find them in a 20 dollar pen.

Also you’ll notice when you unscrew the pen there is what looks to a rubber coated metal washer. This solidly holds the cap on the pen. Once you have the cap on the pen in your pocket it’s on there to stay. I have tested this by jogging with the pen in my pocket and found the cap will not come off. Also the fact that the cap covers 2/3 pen itself also ensures that your pen will not fall apart in your pocket or spill ink into your clothing.

Conclusion

Overall, even though my idea with the clip has not worked and the cap jiggling a little as it’s posted on the pen for writing, I think this is a nice pen. It’s portable and solid as a rock. You can drop it and not worry about it breaking or spilling ink on the floor. Plus adding a blue fine tipped ink cartridge is a great selling point for blue ink addicts like me is the blue fine tipped cartridge that writes like a dream. The Fisher space pen is not quite as comfortable to hold as a Mont Blanc, Pelikan or some of your other finer pens, However it makes up for it and the ability to take it anywhere. I cannot carry a fountain pen with me because I’m too rough on them. Fountain pens have to stay on my desk, however the Fisher Space Pen can go with me anywhere – even jogging.

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