check this out

[supercheesegirl]

Holy crap I totally want one of these. Engraved with my name so no one could ever steal it. Although I would like to try one out before purchasing it--it writes upside down and underwater, so I imagine it would handle wonderfully in general, but hey, I'm a writer, I'm picky about pens. I wonder if any stores carry these? Like sciencey-type stores, or stores that have cool gifts for dads, you know what I mean?

I go to read the page about personal productivity, and my takeaway is that I want a pen. That figures. :)

Comments

[piscosubito.livejournal.com]

My sister got one of these for my dad a few years ago, I think. He loves his space pen! I think she bought it while she was working at the Museum Store (which I don't think exists anymore).... so I bet if you looked in a store like a Discovery Channel store, you'd probably find it.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Discovery Channel store!! That's what I was thinking of when I said "stores that have cool gifts for dads"! Thanks!

I think I would probably still order it direct from their website, since I do want to get it engraved if I'm going to spend money on the thing, but I would like to try it out in a store first.

[piscosubito.livejournal.com]

see, I always think of Discovery Channel stores as "stores that have cool gifts for my sister". :)
That's always where I end up when I have no idea what to get for Karen for Christmas.

There's even a chance that Office Max or Staples would have it for you to try out - they've usually got a case up near the front of the store with the fancy pens.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I checked the websites for all of the above, and none of them seem to carry the space pens--although Office Max does carry the refills. Amazon carries space pens, but that doesn't do me any good for what I want to do.

I think I may write to the space pen customer service department and ask them if any retailers carry their pens and explain why I'm asking. They do have a money-back guarantee on the pens if you're unsatisfied for any reason, but I don't really want to go to the trouble of ordering the pen and possibly getting it engraved just to find out that I don't like how it feels in my hand.

[handmadedark.livejournal.com]

You might also ask them if any of the museum gift shops near you carry them. The Franklin institute did have that whole space exhibit when we visited. Who knows, perhaps they have some tucked away in the corner of their gift shop somewhere. Just a thought.

[darxus.livejournal.com]

I've had two of them, totaling about forever. A chrome one that my mom bought me a long time ago, and when I lost it I got a black one. They're nice. Just order it. (My only experience is with the most basic "bullet" type.)

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

If I got one, I would just be getting a basic bullet type.

[x-hj-x.livejournal.com]

Fisher Space Pens have been around for donkey's years and were considered amazingly awesome back in the '70s when we were all eating dehydrated ice cream and Space Food Sticks. They're pretty easy to find at decently-stocked stationery stores—I know they have them at Bob Slate out here, and I'm sure you can order them through Amazon, too. At one point I believe I saw them at Staples, but don't hold me to that.

If you're picky about pens, I suspect you might not like these. It's true they write at any angle and on almost anything and underwater, but it's because the ink is pressurized and some weird elastic concoction. I found writing with one only slightly less irritating than writing with a standard ballpoint, and I hate ballpoint. This was a long time ago, though, so maybe I'll give it another spin. But I'm not likely to give up my S.T. Dupont anytime soon. ;-)

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

See, this is exactly the sort of feedback I was hoping for. I've got a collection of random ballpoints in my purse, for general use and such, but for actual Writing I always use a Pentel G2 gel pen. The ink bleeds a little, but the pen is fast. That's why I wanted to try the space pen first, to see if this would be an investment in an official Writing Pen or if it would be just a fun splurge.

Now that I've been pondering it over the course of the day, I don't know that a space pen is a top priority for me. Although they are really cool.

[x-hj-x.livejournal.com]

Do you mean a Pilot G2? Not much familiar with Pentech, but I'm totally addicted to Pilot's G2 rollerball gel ink, so I usually have a fistful of G2 retractables around (black, extra-fine), and I carry a G2 Pro retractable (little bit better feel) with my notebook.

The Dupont's too expensive to carry around, because I know I'd lose it, but it's what I use at home—the first time I tried one in a store, I almost wept at how perfect the weight and balance felt (and then cursed the universe when I saw the price tag). But being addicted to G2 ink, I eschew Dupont's $6 French ink cartridges in favor of G2 refills modified to fit by Krazy-Gluing a whittled bit of pencil eraser to the the ink plug.

As for the Space Pen, the weight and balance of the bullet model isn't bad at all, and when closed, the thing is tiny; I like the matte black bullet, myself. It's nice to carry around just to have something to jot things down with, and you know it won't leak on a plane trip. I just doubt you'd like the on-paper feel for extended writing sessions, because the ink sort of sits on the surface instead of sinking in like real ink (which is how it can write on anything). It is smoother-flowing than regular ballpoint, though; sort of approaches a rollerball feel a little. Call a few local stationers and see who carries them—it's worth trying in the store, because you never know—you might love it.