Here's a situation we can all relate with... you're mobbed by adoring fans and they want your autograph. Don't ya just hate it when you are using someone's mostly upright back as a writing surface and the ink in the ballpoint pen quits on you? Impatient fans are crowded around you as you shake the pen desperately, while papparazzi are taking snaps of your triceps..... well, with a genuine Fisher Space Pen that will never happen again.
You might be wondering what a pen has to do with survival or disaster preparedness, and honestly, I am not too confidently sure either... LOL. But I do know of several true anecdotes where it has saved a life as a self-defense weapon (stabbing), as a medical airway adjunct (cricothyrotomy), and in the space programme (helping Apollo astronauts to return home). And I know that in my daily life, I seem to need my pen at least 2 or 3 times per day, and even in this age of electronics I find myself jotting down "old school" paper notes more often than not because it's still the quickest, most reliable system around. It may be something as simple as jotting down a phone number for the US Embassy (when you have only 1 phone call), Lat and Long coordinate (as your boat sinks), radio frequency (as you need help landing a plane), or PIN code to arm/disarm something.
I've been a longtime user and devoted fan of the Fisher Space Pen since the 1970s when my Dad brought home the original version that "the astronauts took to the moon". I've used many pens through the years with fancier casings, more exotic features, better ergonomic grips, with easier feeding inks and gels, but I have yet to encounter a flat out better pen (ink delivery system) than the Fisher Space Pen.
For those that don't know, Fisher pens use a pressurized ink cartridge. Inert nitrogen gas pushes the ink toward the ballpoint, rather than gravity. This permits the pen to function in any orientation (like upside down), in the absence of gravity (like in space), or even underwater. This may seem like an odd feature for non-astronauts, but imagine using a pen writing against a wall... or perhaps reclining supine in a chair doing a crossword. Additionally, the proprietary ink formula remains viscous in extreme temperatures, is more "permanent" than most ballpoint pen inks, and seems to last much longer than a normal pen (without drying out). The special ink formulation allows you to write on glossy photographs, waxy paper, or even oily surfaces. I think the Fisher literature reads "2 1/2 miles of ink".
I own about a dozen Fisher Space Pens of various designs, and all of them are excellent in their own way (whether it be for compactness, ergonomics, or variety of features), but the Telescoping Space Pen is my current favourite. It combines the excellent compactness of the 'Bullet' model with the comfortable ergonomics of any of their full size pens and it uses this aesthetically pleasing yet practical lightweight brushed aluminum casing. The heart of the system is still the standard Fisher pressurized ink cartridge, a marvel of engineering. The Telescoping Pen compacts to a nice, smooth (non-snagging) mini-pen that can easily fit in a jeans pocket or through the spiral loops of a small notepad. The casing serves as it's own cap when?closed/retracted. The best part of it's design however is that in order to deploy the pen, the end of the case must be PULLED rather than pushed (like the usual retracting ballpoint). This design means that it is nearly impossible for it to accidentally deploy (and stain clothes, poke holes, etc). Furthermore, when you pull the case, it extends the length of the pen so that it perfectly fits the hand for comfortable, ergonomic writing. I just love this design. I "holster" mine in an elastic loop on my cell phone pouch?and when I need a pen, with one hand I just grab the end of the casing and pull (this simultaneously extends the pen and deploys the ballpoint tip as it clears the elastic loop and I'm instantly ready to write). There is no cap to worry about or lose.
Some mods: I glued on a metal clip to the body so that it more securely stays put in my elastic "holster". Just to make it a bit more comfortable when writing, I added a nubby rubber grip tube from another pen to my Telescoping Fisher, making it even more ergonomic. From the Fisher catalog, I ordered a Black Fine Point ink cartridge also, which allows me to write very, very small when I need to. The company offers a variety of fun and interesting ink cartridge refills to suit your personality, including gold ink and silver ink! From another source I bought a notebook with waterproof paper, so I am all set if I need to write a note in a rainstorm.
The Fisher Telescoping Pen retails for about $35 to $40 if you shop around and is IMO worth every penny. I cannot really think of any shortcomings for this pen, except that it is desireable and people will try to nick it from you.... LOL. I mean people will casually wander off with it after "borrowing" it.
The pen just works well, it's made of high tech materials, and it even looks good! I have yet to encounter any problems with it through 8 years of use.
No comments:
Post a Comment