I spend way too much time and money there. My current favourite is this Pilot G-Tec C4 I usually only use gel pens and like them fine tipped, but for post and packing a Sharpie can’t be beat. I bought some from Amazon that had an ultra fine point on one end and a fine marker on the other, they get a bit of use.
A black Sharpie is a must for me when sharpening knives, helps you see where you are taking metal off. and a good old pencil for freeing sticky frame-locks and liner-locks.
NASA spent millions developing a pen that would write in space, Russia used a pencil and paper. Sometimes if it aint broke why try to fix it.
I worked at NASA JSC for over 10 years, part of that time in a shuttle engineering simulator where I worked with astronauts developing and testing new flight software.
Never saw an astronaut with a "space pen". They used space pencils.
So what makes up a space pencil? Well, they'd get any ordinary mechanical pencil at the JSC supply shop, and then wrap velcro (the hook side) around the eraser end. Voila! Space pencil. The shuttle interior walls, instrument panels, and the astronaut's flight suits all have velcro pile everywhere.
I have one of these somewhere, that an astronaut left in the cockpit one day.
So I am pretty sure the "space pen" was mainly just an advertising gimmick. I don't think it was ever used.
@ 8steve88, I can’t write with fine pens, I know lots of people love them but for me they feel scratchy and when I write with them on padded envelopes they often go right through it. Perhaps I’m a little heavy handed when writing but its natural to me.
I’ve also heard the same thing about NASA spending a million dollars to make a pen that will write in space and that the Russians just used a pencil, I never questioned it but just looked it up and it looks to be partly true.
I looked in to it a little and while partially true that NASA did try to develop one they abandoned it due to the rocketing cost (pun intended).
I wonder how they compare to modern everyday pens for writing.
With a recent refill, it writes just a little bit nicer than a cheap Bic pen… the sort which you can get ten for about a dollar. So, it’s not much like a nice gel pen. With some of the older refills, it writes slightly worse than a cheap Bic.
Granted, a cheap Bic isn’t terrible… but it’s far from a high-quality precision writing instrument. The Space Pen is nice not due to how it glides across paper or how the ink looks afterward, but because it’s small and sturdy and pretty and the ink lasts a really long time. Some models even have a guarantee that they’ll never need a refill. Also, there’s that stuff about writing upside-down and underwater and whatnot. Basically, it’s a reliable and attractive EDC pen.
I have a rainbow titanium nitride-coated space bullet pen (model 400RB) and a small notebook in a pocket of my purse, along with my cell phone. And a black Fisher “stowaway” pen in the fold of my wallet, because it’s tiny and convenient to have when signing receipts. The stowaway has a recent black refill, which writes reasonably smoothly, and the 400RB has an older purple refill which doesn’t write as well. The stowaway is little more than a thin aluminum case+cap around the refill cartridge, so it fits almost anywhere.
I have terrible handwriting but I used to be good at technical drawing and graphic art and design, I find a thin point makes me slow down and try to form the letters correctly. Padded envelopes - Sharpies or other markers every time.
Strangest pen I’ve used to date is the stylus on my Wacom graphics tablet. It’s perfectly usable as a mouse but comes alive in art packages, different pressure on the “pen” giving different thickness of stroke on screen.
The Russian/NASA thing was a bit of fun but has a grain of truth.
I just started using my Pentel Energel-X (1mm) that arrived in the mail today, it makes my writing look a little more sloppy compared to the Pilot G2 (0.7mm) but its way smoother. Funny how yesterday I thought the G2 was so smooth and now its just OK.
I use a Sharpie with a pointed tip for writing on satchels but its too fat to write between the lines on the padded envelopes.
One thing, I have found it improves writing tremendously if you have a good heavyweight paper to write on, preferably with a watermark, matching envelopes as well. Also it gives a good impression when receiving a letter.
It just lifts it all.
apparently quite lots of effort just to find a pen :D
here, just go to bookstore, there're lots of pen choice from around 30 cent upto $1.5 for regular pen.
more expensive one like regular parker jotter (steel mix with plastic) around $8, refill about $3. the rest is more luxury branded pen.
I'm not sure the actual pricing in US or EU soil, but Zebra Jimnie like this for day to day writting is very nice, about 50-60 cents. the ink can last till the end too. it has fine or medium tips choices.
Zebra pen G-301 2 for $~3. The only disapointment (for me) is that the ink runs away and hides before very long. Might just be the quantity of letters I am putting on paper, but my refills dont last. (0.7mm)
