Fisher Space Pen Questions

J

jefroman

Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
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I am considering getting a Fisher Space pen, but I have some questions. Which model should I get? They are all fairly inexpensive, so the price doesn't really matter. I have heard some negative things about the Bullet pen, though. For example, "It puts globs of ink on the paper" and "It doesn't write smoothly". Are these things true? Obviously this would make me consider one of the other models if these things are true. Why is the Military model so cheap? It seems to have most of the features that the other more expensive models have. Do the ink refills work for every model? Can the Telescoping model be operated with one hand?

Thank you very much!

Jeff
 
jefroman, Fishers are good pens but it's the refill that makes them special. If you have a good Parker ball point the Fisher refill comes with an adapter that makes it fit.
The ink in the refill is about the consistency of chewed gum and the tube is pressurized with nitrogen to keep the ink pressed against the ball. When the ball starts rolling it shears the molecules of the ink and the ink liquifies. It will write on damp paper where other pens will skip or just quit writing altogeather.

I've had 5 differnt ones (except the military) and they are ok. The only problem I've had was with the chrome plated bullet pen. It's so slick that I got cramps in my hand trying to hold on to it to write. The black one is easier to use.
 
I have had a few bad fisher refills and have sent them to fisher in a regular envelope and gotten prompt replacements.

It requires a little more pressure than regular ballpoints but the tradeoff is worth it to write at any angle and on anything.

I have a military model and it is nice. No Waterman but a nice pen. My fav is the checkered astronaut model. Not to expensive but a nice pen.
 
Oh and the Telescoping Pen can be opened with one hand. Not as smooth as a Spyderco or anything, but great in a pinch. I use my teeth still sometimes, but don't tell my dentist.
 
I just got some Fishers. I like the military and the shuttle pens. Military is my favorite though. One thing: the prices have apparently been raised for Christmas. I looked at the Fisher site again to get some gifts and noticed that the price on almost all the pens has been raised from just a couple of weeks ago. I also had to send 1 of 4 pens i bought back because it was defective. I still like them though, and would recommend them at this point. (oh, i ordered the military from Triple Aught, maybe you should check thier prices as well.)
 
I have the Fisher telescoping pen and I was a big fan of it when I first got it. After carrying it for a while, I noticed that it did not close properly about 5-10% of the time. I carry it in my right front pocket and it ruined a pair of pants one day because the ink cartridge did not properly recess into the body of the pen.

While I think that I am not the only one who has experienced this, I would also guess that this is not a widespread problem; otherwise you would have seen numerous posts about it here. On the other hand, I have inspected my pen several times and pondered why it does not function properly, but I am unable to determine just what is wrong. I guess I should send it back to Fisher or at least email them about the problem.

Anyway, something to think about. The telescoping part is neat besides the apparent defect, but taking the cap off the end and placing it over the ink as is required with the original bullet pen, is pretty foolproof.

Also, check out http://www.penwagifts.com/ where I got my Fisher. They have great service and a great selection. When I got mine there was a "hot" thread about the telescoping pen and how through a special link on ebay it could be had for less money than through accessing the penwa site normally. I am sure a search for the "Fisher" or "telescoping space pen" would turn up the aforementioned thread.

In fact, here is the thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=152186&highlight=fisher+telescoping+pen

...and after perusing that thread, here is a direct link to order the telescoping pen from penwa for $20 instead of $35. http://www.penwagifts.com/auction.htm

Bucky
 
All Fisher pens use the same ink reffils, right? Which means the Bullet pen uses the same ink refill that the Telescoping pen uses, right? So why does the Telescoping pen write better or more smoothly?

Thanks again,

Jeff
 
I had a black matte bullet for a long time. I loved writing with it even though it left globs and the overall quality kinda sucked. I lost it about a month ago so I just bought a Rotring that's way better.
 
I bought a telescoping Fisher when I read about it here. A really neat gadget, and worth having to endure my wife's telling me I was crazy for paying $35 for a stupid pen- especially when my employer provides plenty of "regular" pens for free. I carried it daily and used it quite often.

The other day, it fell out of my pocket and hit a tile floor. Now the cartridge won't stay retracted, rendering the pen unusable for carrying- but it still writes great.

I suppose Fisher could repair it; but it seems a bit silly to pay additional money to fix a toy. It is a really imaginative concept, however; I always had a writing instrument handy...

Steve
 
I have a Telescoping pen also. I was disappointed to hear some of the problems that have been experienced with it. I thought these units were more foolproof. Anyways, I use mine for work. I just keep it in my coat pocket and it comes out and is opened whenever I need to write. It certainly isn't as smooth as my Cross Morph, but it can write upside down, or on walls, which is very important to me.
 
All Fisher pens use the same ink reffils, right? Which means the Bullet pen uses the same ink refill that the Telescoping pen uses, right? So why does the Telescoping pen write better or more smoothly?

Thanks again,

Jeff

P.S. I posted this again on purpose. Does anyone know the answer?
 
Originally posted by jefroman
All Fisher pens use the same ink reffils, right? Which means the Bullet pen uses the same ink refill that the Telescoping pen uses, right? So why does the Telescoping pen write better or more smoothly?
Click to expand...

Sorry to bring you down, old son, but I have both.
The telescoping one certainly *doesn't* write smoother - but it looks *way* cooler.

I bought the telescoping one form penwa, too - whom I'd recommend to any other Brit reading.

HTH.HAND.
 
I ordered one of these as a gift; I did not know they had these blotching problems. Should I send the thing back? I have not written with it, it is wrapped up. Will I be able to send it back if it does blotch(do companies generally take back slightly used pens?) Thanks.
 
If it blotches, you should be able to send in just the ink refill that it came with, not the whole pen. I think that Fisher would gladly send you a new refill.

Jeff
 
Concerning your refill, a new Space Pen refill normally has about 2.5 miles of write-out.
This length is a misnomer however, because the time you get out of a refill depends
somewhat on how much you write, and IF the refill cartridge got a "full shot" of ink on
the assembly line. With the refills line being one of the only production areas that is
highly automated, it's difficult to say if your refill received a full shot of ink AND
did it receive the full 40 psi shot of nitrogen. With the cartridge being brass, we
can't see the physical ink supply inside. When a space refill begins to run out of ink,
the "oozing" might be more pronounced.

The "oozing" phenomenon that you identified is characteristic of a space pen refill that
is sealing itself yet in a small amount - not a large blob that requires wiping before
every writing situation. With 40psi of constant pressure forcing the space pens visco-
elastic ink to the point, the point tolerances of a space pen are very precise. Within
these tight tolerances, there needs to be just enough "room" if you will, to allow the
ink to attach itself to the ball that distributes the ink to the writing surface.

Now the real weird part. Not unlike human blood clotting, the thixotropic ink must "seal
itself" quickly (and most often not noticeable to the user) with a small amount if
residual ink at the point. This way, you won't have a pocket-full of ink. If this
"sealing" process produces amounts of ink too large on the ball point, then something
must have been wrong with the viscosity (or thickness) of the batch of ink that was used
in your refill. We will stand behind your refill yet please understand when a space
refill begins to run out of ink, this oozing occurs.

Jim Jobin, Owner.

This is the response he gave 20 minutes after I sent him an e-mail asking about the blotching. Excellent.
 
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