Review: The Fisher Space Pen

I have to start this post by saying that this pen is one of those iconic pens that one wonders about -- is it really that miraculous a pen?  How does it write?  Is it worth the money?  I decided to splurge and buy one to find out.

The pen is definitely a thing of minimalist beauty.  All shiny chrome and sleek like a beautiful bullet.  In the package it looks impossibly small, which initially worried me since I have large hands, and trying to write with a too-small pen is the worst kind of torture.

However, I needn't have worried -- when the cap is posted, this pen is just the right size, something along the lines of a Cross pen in length and thickness.  Subtle ribbing near the point provides an excellent gripping area too.

Did I say minimalist?  It fits in a pocket so well that you don't even know it's there.  In fact, as I carried it around in my pocket today, I found myself repeatedly putting my hand in my pocket and it was just so I could absentmindedly caress the smooth finish of the pen.  (Is that weird?  I don't think so.)

I am sure other reviewers have mentioned this, but really the only disappointing thing about this pen is the ink.  Yes, it's a Space Pen, so it writes upside down, underwater, through grease, etc.  But the ink comes across as just ordinary ballpoint pen ink.  And that's not a bad thing -- it's just ordinary.  Still, it is a smooth writer, and it feels good in the hand, so if the ink is just ordinary, then that certainly is not a crime, and it does nothing to detract from the beauty of this pen.

Another, slightly inconvenient, feature of this pen is the fact that it's perfectly round and therefore prone to rolling off a table or desk.  They do sell clips for the pen on the Space Pen website, which would help the rolling issue.

Speaking of the website, it's well worth a visit.  The company has taken a simple pen design and cleverly embellished it in every possible (and collectible) way.  There's a Breast Cancer Awareness version (in pink, naturally), Space Pens with military insignias, religious symbols, Halloween pens, and pens in every possible color and finish.  I don't need more than one Space Pen (especially since I can't really see this as a Daily Writer), but the website certainly does make one salivate.

So my verdict?  I'm glad I bought one, just to satisfy my curiosity and to be able to say that I own one of these famous and historic pens.  But I will take a G-2 or a PaperMate any old day.