Well, I finally gave in to my curiosity and purchased an anodized aluminum embassy pen from countycomm.
Up until now, I've been content using Zebra bodies carefully modified to host a space pen refill. But no more.
The embassy pen feels wonderful to write with, although I had to switch out the medium point refill it came with for a fine point refill to reduce the rolling resistance a bit (Why is the standard space pen medium point? Who writes that big?). Even when I'm not writing with it, I find myself twirling it in my hand or loosening and tightening the cap repeatedly. It just begs to be played with. I'm not sure how I'm going to keep up with the cap, but I'll come up with something.
BTW, I don't tend to think much about the tactical uses of my writing implements, but (and I'm sure this can't be a coincidence), the embassy pen is a comfortable width and length for assisting strike penetration and joint locking techniques if you're inclined to consider such uses. It's narrower than a lot of the "tactical" pens out there, so it would take less pressure to effect the desired lock and would be less likely to interfere with your grip (though, perhaps, easier to drop).
Anyways, if you like solid, grippy, non-squishy pens, this should certainly be on your short list.
--flatline
My current EDC is a Hinderer Brass Investigator Pen,
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I usually carry a Cross Ion every day though I also carry a nice blue Pelikan rollerball ... I have a Pelikan 400 fountain pen with OB nib plus a roller-ball , ballpoint and pencil all in the striated blue colour ... These four are on my desk at home for everyday home use ... I occasionally take them out with me , but I wouldn't like to lose one so usually they stay at home ... Shame really ... The Pelikan roller-ball refills are superb to write with ; so smooth ... I also have some of the newer Conway Stewart fountain pens plus some expensive Pelikans including the M450 , M650 and M700 series ... These are on display in a glass topped cabinet ... One day I will try them out , but at the moment they are as new ... I do occasionally use my Sheaffers , particularly the one with the stub nib and the one with the Snorkel ... I like to use a nice fountain pen , though for EDC it has to be a gel or rollerball ... When I do carry my good pens , I carry them in small leather cases in my inside jacket pocket ... I guess when I die , the pens will all be sold on Ebay ... None of the children or grandchildren are interested in writing as they all use E-mails and texts ... That is why I got rid of my collection of over 300 Conway Stewarts (plus a few other makes) ... I have kept a few (about 20) assorted good (new) pens as I just couldn't part with them.
Best pens to have scattered all over the house are the Staedtler Triplus Fineliners ... They are even good enough to carry as EDC as they write so nicely and are comfortable for me to write with ... They are also cheap and disposeable when empty.
I just like nice pens ... My Wife doesn't understand my obsession ... She always carries a Cross Ion though , so she can't be all that bad.
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Lately I've been toting a Pilot Precise V5 RT. It made Log Booking quite easy. When I last was driving for PAM I also had a Sharpy Clicky close at had for the route sheets. The Pilot is just a good all around pen.
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PBJS
A Parker Jotter with a Schmitt Easyflow 9000 cartridge. Best pen for the money...
Lamy Vista 1.1mm
Must admit, this is my all time favorite than most of the pens I have.
LUX'Ottica
Streltsov P&A
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TuffWriter! I love mine. Absolutely the perfect pen for me. I haven't used the county comm embassy pen yet but it's next I think.
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Surefire 1 pen in black and blue anodising. Fisher telescopic pen and Fisher Trekker.
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I still carry a Pilot Precise V5 RT the most. It was excellent for log books and does every other thing I need a pen for pretty darn good.
And when this one quits I have another standing by!
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PBJS
Just received a Fisher Bullet Spacepen. Wonder if this will be my new EDC pen
I've been carrying an UZI pen and I kind of like it. I removed the DNA Catcher and now it has the form factor I was looking for. It takes standard Fisher refills though I haven't dropped one in yet.
The MaxmadCo stainless retractable pen is only pen I now use, and I've tried plenty It is a bargain at $85.00. The mechanism is faultless and has never given me any grief and this pen is with me from the moment I wake.
Go take a look here http://maxmadco.com/products/retractable-pen/
Thanks
SQ
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Not-so-Subliminal Message ---> You want to sell me your ARC6
Lately, it's been my Zebra F-701 model.
Honestly, not as robust as it looks on the outside. But very capable as a full-size EDC pen. Technically, the pen insert in my Victorinox Compact SAK is my back-up pen.
"The World is insane. With tiny spots of sanity, here and there... Not the other way around!" - John Cleese.
I guess the "ink booger" problem of the Space Pen has been solved. I've been rotating 2 different Fisher Space Pens as EDC pens for about a year and a half and both have worked great without the "ink booger" problem.
It would be sad if they didn't fix the problem though considering those complaints are six years old.
For practicality, quality, and looking good without being pretentious, the Parker Jotter ball-point with all stainless steel body is my EDC pen of choice.
It's smaller sized than some pens, which I find comfortable.
I use one on a regular basis, and have an extra I keep at home as backup in case the one I use goes MIA even though I keep a close eye on it. If I do happen to lose it, it isn't that big of a deal since they're reasonably priced.
I wouldn't recommend it as a calligraphy pen, but as a general use EDC type pen, it's the one I like the most.
The two I have were made in the UK.
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Last edited by Wrend; 04-02-2012 at 06:37 PM.
No rattle on mine, no wobble either, in fact the hole where the refill exits is so precise that if the refill is too thick it won't fit.
It's my understanding that this pen was built to be bulletproof and a weapon if needed, it is therefore a heavy pen, which I'm very happy about, If your more accustomed to a plastic pen then you will find this one very heavy. (its the first comment I get everytime)
The pen is very smooth stainless steel so I guess if you had oily/wet hands it would be slippery.
The mech is quite addictive to play with, I would have expected it to fail long ago with the amount of actuations I've given it.
Regards
SQ
Edit: I forgot to mention the pocket clip, it's never come loose, rattled or shown any sign of weakness. I clip it to my pants pocket everyday. :-)
Last edited by SunnyQueensland; 04-03-2012 at 01:09 AM.
Not-so-Subliminal Message ---> You want to sell me your ARC6
I received the maxmadco pen in the mail earlier this week.
I never thought I'd be happy to spend $85 for a pen, but this is one sweet pen. It's heavier than I was expecting, heavier even than my aluminum embassy pen with the cap on. It works great with a space pen refill, but the weight and lack of knurling makes it easy to drop if you writing against a wall or upside down. I'll still use it with a space pen refill because I love how they write, but if you're someone who lies in bed doing puzzles or something, this is probably not the pen you want to use for that.
After just two days of playing with the pen at work, one of my co-workers has decided to get one for himself and another is on the fence about it. Seriously, this pen is the HDS of pens in that once you get your hands on it, the price doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. It's that good.
--flatline
I used to EDC a the fisher bullet space pen, but when it ran out of ink, I decided to go for this Fisher Millenium II: http://web.archive.org/web/201101050...lenniumii.aspx
It is non-refillable, but it has a lifetime guarantee. If I manage to run it out of the 30 miles of ink, they will send me a new one. The positive for me is that the clip is not permanent. At first, I used it without the clip and carried it loose in my pocket. Lately, I have put the clip back on and moved the clip to the very end of the pen to allow for deep carry. Moving the clip to the end does make it where the cap cannot store on the end while using it though. There are a couple of negatives though. First is that storing the cap on the end while using it scratches the end of the pen. Second is that it is bold tip instead of fine tip. While these two were bigger draw backs at first, I have gotten used to it and really wouldn't trade it for anything.
I have lately thought about getting that 4sevens titanium pen, but I really can't bring myself to give up my lifetime supply of ink.
I have been toting the Pilot Precise V5 RT pen because it writes first time EVERY time with out skipping or blobbing.
It makes a SUPER logbooking pen and I use it for everything.
The only drawback is that they go through ink in about a month the way I use them.
Thankfully they are avaiable at Wal-Mart including refills.
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PBJS
Hinderer Investigator (in Copper for me, but also available in Ti, Stainless, Brass or Al). It's beautifully machined, wonderfully weighted (varies by material, of course), uses a fisher cartridge (ships with a Bold, I think, I swap everything for Fine) and has a cap so it won't accidentally deploy and ink my pocket like my Fisher Shuttle edition keeps doing. It's 4.25" closed, but open and with the cap on the back it comes in right at 4.5" (an open fisher bullet is 5.25" by comparison).
Just go ahead and order the flat end with it. Personally, I think it looks better, but the pen is a little short (IMHO) to really be used tactically and I want to be able to fly with it without thinking.
I also love my county comm embassy (this one god awfully expensive in copper), but it weighs in at just over 1/4 lbs (4.23 oz) with cap so I can't quite bring myself to EDC it.
A metal Parker Jotter with gel refills. Not a tactical pen, but it had served me well and is reliable.
I got a Kunai pen from a guy on craigslist for $30. I absolutely love this pen, it is a monster! I work retail counter sales and write 60 to 70 invoices a day with mine. Every time a customer asks to borrow it they grab it and immediately say how heavy it is. If you never seen one look it up on youtube there are some pretty good videos on it.
Matthew Martin tactical pen (titanium + carbon fiber). I got it quite recently and I EDC it ever since. Awesome piece made by a talented young man, 17 years old I believe.
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