[Pen/Pencil Review] Fisher Space Pen – Lime Green Rerun
The last couple of weeks have been…hectic. ConDFW, birthday, hosting a class at Day Job and working as an evaluator at another one all this week – plus some family stuff have stretched me pretty thin. I haven’t been home much this week. So, I went back to an oldie but a goodie… The Fisher Space Pen. With some new links now that Paradise Pen Company is no longer with us.
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Today’s pen is the Fisher Space Pen. I think I had one years ago, but where it ended up is anyone’s guess. This one I picked up at Paradise Pen Company as part of the Birthday Pilgrimage. I was looking for something a bit more affordable this time around that was still cool… and this one is iridescent lime green. We had a winner.
This pen came with a PR4 Medium Point Black pressurized ink cartridge. This is what makes the Fisher Space Pen unique. The medium point is a 1.1mm ball point, which really makes me want to change it out to a 0.9mm FINE point. However, for a broader point than I like, it’s still an interesting pen. The pressurized barrel of the ink lets this pen write in more environments and angles than other pens, and touts a longer lasting ink life. I’m still working on that….
Fisher has been creating more “festive” pens over the years. Many are variations of their classic “bullet” style, which is what I bought. The Bullet pen is brushed aluminum with various colors. I chose the lime green one, because well, me. I hesitated before purchasing. With the cap on, the Fisher Bullet is only about 3.75″ long, which makes me wonder if it’s going to be comfortable. When you post the cap, it telescopes to about 5.5″ long, making it long enough to be comfortable.
The grip is etched aluminum with chrome plating for something to hold on to. A rubber O-ring seals the barrel and the grip and smoothes out any ridges that might dig in. It has a decent diameter, so you can write with it for a period of time. There is no clip, so you have to be careful or the pen will roll off an uneven surface.
It also comes in a cute box. The nearly transparent plastic box is lined with a felt insert in a moonscape pattern with literature on the pen. Though it isn’t necessary, it does add to the experience.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – I haven’t tried writing with this pen underwater or in zero gravity, but it does write at all angles. I’d show you, but it’s hard to get that proof. The ink flows well. It does what it says it does.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s got traction, not a “grip”. The grip is a ribbed etching in the chrome plating. Though the O-Ring does alleviate any edges, it’s all metal. And borderline comfortable on diameter and length
3. Material – 1 – It’s aluminum. So it’s a sturdy but light pen – for the barrel. The colors and design make it a lovely pen that can stand up to some beating.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s well-designed for what it is. The bullet pen is compact, but long enough to be relatively comfortable. It can be used in any condition. The pen seals up well capped and feels secure with the cap posted. And it does write in a lot of ways.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s not cheap. This one runs $29.00 at Paradise Pen Company (it’s now $23 at Amazon). You can probably find it cheaper or on sale in other places. Refills are available – in a wide array of colors, and even some different point types for common colors – for $6-$7 a pop depending on where you get them. That’s not cheap, but for the length of time they’re useable and how many ways you can use the refills, it makes this a long term use pen that evens out the investment.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
