Yeah, get a pen

Posted by: TeacherRO

Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 12:16 AM

A pen is light cheap and useful everyday..Do you edc one?
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 12:34 AM

Absolutely; and I try to also carry something to write on (besides my palm). A small notebook in a shirt pocket is a good idea.
Posted by: LaLine

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 12:42 AM

I keep a Zebra mini pen clipped in my tri-fold wallet with a couple sheets of Rite in the Rain paper cut to fit behind my credit cards. Use them 2-3 times a week if not more. Also have a couple notepads and pens/pencils in the car at all times. I'm a list maker. wink
Posted by: wildman800

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 12:51 AM

I edc a bic medium. The barrel can also be useful for an emergency tracheotomy in the field.
Posted by: Nomad

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 12:52 AM

Usually two, sometimes three.
One is a Parker T-ball with a gell cartridge.
One is a dual point (fine & Medium) sharpie.
In my PSK is a space pen. Most of the time I have all three.

The T-ball is a stainless steel pen. I have several. The one I EDC is the one with the newest refill. Very robust pen. Writes on most surfaces.

I also carry a small piece of tyvec (how is it spelled??) which is a near indestructible paper. The sharpie on this is very weather resistant. Thanks to a thread here about using tyvec. Works great.

If I am doing a project, (archeology, ham radio etc.) I usually carry a mechanical pencil. Been using them for years and no failures.


Nomad
Posted by: LED

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 01:52 AM

Yup. EDC stainless pen from JSBurlys. It wasn't cheap but it has more than paid for itself since I use it all the time. It lives in my wallet with a few sheets of write in the rain paper.
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 02:01 AM

I have a couple of very nice pens that I picked up some months ago at a local store. All this talk about Zebra caused me to look carefully at mine - sure enough -Zebra F-301. Great pen!
Posted by: Arney

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 03:03 AM

Currently EDC a basic chrome Fisher Space Pen. I usually drop both a Fenix E05 and the Space Pen in my pants pocket. The Fenix is probably scratching the heck out of the Space Pen, but I don't expect anything I EDC to remain pristine.

I'm still looking for a small notebook (maybe like 2"x3") that can withstand riding in a pants pocket without getting destroyed. I've been toying with the idea of taking those blank cards you can use for flash cards (they come in different sizes) and putting a small number of them in something like a business card holder so they don't get bent or crumpled up in my pants pocket.
Posted by: haertig

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 04:46 AM

Originally Posted By: hikermor
All this talk about Zebra caused me to look carefully at mine - sure enough -Zebra F-301.

Me too! Too funny! I was reading all the comments about this Zebra thing and I thought, "Well, I have a neat little pen too. Maybe I'll mention it as an alternative to this Zebra everybody is talking about."

But right there written on my pen's clip: "Zebra F-301"!
Posted by: MDinana

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 01:26 PM

Nope. I used to, but changed wallets and lost it somewhere along the way.

My dad does - typically the old military Skilcraft. He's been out almost 20 years and making do with nice custom made pens (my uncle has a woodworking hobby), so I got him some as a tongue-in-cheek wedding present (mine, not his).
Posted by: Mark_F

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 01:29 PM

I certainly need to, but unfortunately I don't, at least not on my person. In the winter, I wear a lot of shirts without pockets, so I get out of the habit of carrying one, then when the weather warms up and i can break out the short sleeve shirts with pockets, I always forget to include one. I do however have plenty of pens at the office, and in my bag that travels to and from work with me, but after that, and on the weekends, I have to go for the pen stash when I need one.

I'd like to get into the habit of carrying one, and a good notebook, so it looks like I either need to reconsider where to carry them or reconsider my winter work wardrobe.
Posted by: gonewiththewind

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 02:23 PM

Yes, Fisher Space Pen.
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 02:38 PM

For a while I carried an Inka on my keychain. I still have it and I like it a lot -- it uses Fisher refills. After moving it off my keychain I upgraded to a Fisher Bullet. Sadly, I lost it, but I took the opportunity to buy a titanium nitride Bullet. It looks great and doesn't show scratches like the stainless steel one did.
Posted by: MoBOB

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 02:44 PM

I have a Victorinox pen from their SwissCard in my wallet. I often forget I have it. The rest of the SwissCard has gone the way of the dinosaur.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 03:01 PM

Nope, I do not EDC a pen. If I need one there are two in my truck, four or five on my desk at home, three in my flight bag -- they're all over. I don't carry one in my pocket.
Posted by: Roarmeister

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 03:23 PM

Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
A pen is light cheap and useful everyday..Do you edc one?


Pen and pencil (and stick eraser and marker). I also geocache so to be without a writing implement of some sort would be criminal. smile
I wear either my ScottEvest or jacket all the time which has convenient pockets for both. Often carry a small notebook as well.

Yes, I know I can keep notes on my smartphone or dictate a voice note but I can't draw a decent picture with it.
Posted by: nursemike

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 03:49 PM

I cut a bic stick down to 3 inches, recapped the barrel end, poked a hole in the cap and ran a tiny cable tie through it, and added it to the key chain. Total cost: approximately nothing. Bling factor: negative 10. The rest of my kit is equally dashing, as is the rest of my life. I recently devised a backpack out of rope, cable ties and a 5 gallon plastic bucket: it provides water proof storage at the beach, a place to carry my ropes and stakes for securing the beach umbrella, and, filled with sand, provides an effective umbrella anchor on windy beach days. It garners few compliments, but DW will still sit with me, so I do not care.
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 04:58 PM

You obviously need a tactical beach umbrella.....
Posted by: GarlyDog

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 05:48 PM

Always need a pen it seems....

I EDC a pico pen on my keychain.

http://www.tecaccessories.com/products/product.php?II=13
Posted by: bsmith

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 06:16 PM

Originally Posted By: GarlyDog
I EDC a pico pen on my keychain.

i had one too, until i managed to overcome the rare earth magnet and lose it.

now i have an inka pen - can be a bit of a bother to use (can be used shortened, which may be too short for some to use, before taking it apart and reconfiguring it for regular use), but i haven't managed to lose it.
Posted by: Andy

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 10:56 PM

Originally Posted By: GarlyDog
Always need a pen it seems....

I EDC a pico pen on my keychain.

http://www.tecaccessories.com/products/product.php?II=13


I used to until it levitated off my keychain. Any one want some refills or an extra cap/ring assembly PM me, happy to find a home for them.

I now keep a Zebra pen and pencil set in my mission wallet.


I also keep a PicoPad (some sticky notes with a small ball point pen in my regular wallet.

A good shooping spot for a variety of pens, pencils and pads is JetPens.

Just a satisfied consumer of all of the above.
Posted by: UTAlumnus

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/28/12 11:47 PM

Tao Pen from CRKT

Got it for Christmas. Before this one, the only pen that survived as a daily carry in a pants pocket was a matte black Fisher Space Pen. This one is showing almost no wear (high points on the threads and sharp corners on the cap). The Space Pen had a few chips on the pen end but the rest of the finish wore from matte to a textured semi gloss. The Fisher had started coming unscrewed in my pocket.
Posted by: JerryFountain

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 01:24 AM

As a died in the wool geek, I carry a pen at all times. (I even still carry a slide rule in my breifcase. :-) The pen I carry now (and the first one I have not been able to break is a Countycomm Embassy pen. Fisher Space refill, smooth ends but sturdy enough to use as a kubaton, non-threatening to security.

I also carry a Write-in-the-Rain notebook in a plastic sleeve that I picked up somewhere. It is used for notes I want to keep for a while. I also carry a cheap notebook for scratch notes.

Respectfully,

Jerry
Posted by: acropolis5

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 02:44 AM

I EDC a Tornado by Retro1951, in stainless steel. About $22.50, if I remember correctly. Indestructible and retro cool. My only disappointment is that it will not take Space Pen refills. I use the rollerball refills.
Posted by: bigmbogo

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 04:03 AM

I love this one that fits in my Victorinox SAK. It actually writes pretty well, and since I always have my SAK with me, I always have a pen handy.

http://tinyurl.com/cvtwbdu

David
Posted by: Mark_F

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 01:20 PM

nice big. My SAK came with the tweezers and that almost completely useless toothpick. Next time I am somewhere that sells those pens, I'll see if it will fit in the toothpick's space.
Posted by: Mark_R

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 08:20 PM

Originally Posted By: IzzyJG99
Like most EDCers I've come to love Zebra's pens. The model F-701 Stainless Steel seems to be a favorite amongst people. It's my primary full size EDC Pen. Second is the F-301 Compact. The F-701 was like $5.99 at Wal-Mart. And you get, at least at the time you did, two F-301's for I think $4.95.

About two years ago we invited a LEO into our home to report some crime. He had the F-701 that he was very protective of. He said he never lets anyone use it and that he has disposable bic pens for anyone filling out a report. I said "Hold on...I'll get my F-701." And he laughed.

And like most people I've got a nice 3x5" Rite in the Rain notebooks (About 10, actually. But only 1 with me, of course) I got free through various promotions from some tactical companies.


The pen is my most used piece of daily ballast. Zebra F-701 in my pocket and a Uniball Vision micro needlepoint gel in with the checkbook. I haven't found a mechanical pencil I really like, so I'm still using the cheapies.

I carry a basic 3x5 memo pad in my back pocket. The Rite in the Rain ones are overkill for how fast I go through them.
Posted by: JBMat

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 09:26 PM

A pen/pad was more or less required carry when in the Army. One problem was the pen was borrowed and not returned. Here is my trick.

Carry two pens, one to use, one to loan. The loaner pen has to have a cap. When you loan the pen, don't loan the cap. If you keep the pen, you get a nice stain.

Also, instead of a pad, I carry 3x5 cards with a clip holding them together. For that matter, I carry business cards I can write on the back of.
Posted by: Jeanette_Isabelle

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/29/12 09:45 PM

Which is the better pen, the Zebra F-701 or a Fisher Space Pen, particularly the AG7?

Jeanette Isabelle
Posted by: Frisket

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/30/12 12:35 AM

Been looking for a EDC pen Bought the F-301 a half hour ago. Its Decent In construction better then most pens I have liked. The Rubberized part is plastic all the way threw but i can live with that. The Tailcap clickie switch Stays in the pen along with the part that swivels Which is a great bonus. The Spring is wedge fitted onto the ink cart so it doesnt lunch itself off or simply slide off so that is another big bonus.

What Rides in my EDC bag is a promotional give away pen that is all metal and of really surprisingly decent quality. The Pen I Put in items such as a Laptop bag is a Pilot G-2 which just glides the way I love across paper.
Posted by: boatman

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/30/12 12:50 AM

I use the ZEBRA F-701 at work.Fisher bullet space pen is EDC and has been for six or seven years.

Mark R,Zebra makes a mechanical pencil that matches the F-701.Saw it on www.survivalresources.com



BOATMAN
John
Posted by: ChristinaRodriguez

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 06/30/12 08:04 PM

I use a Levenger International Pocket Briefcase for my wallet: http://www.levenger.com/Cases-15/Pocket-Briefcases-765.aspx.
A Field Notes-sized notebook fits perfectly inside along with business cards, credit cards, cash, etc. and a very slim pen. When closed, it's about the same size as a Pocket Moleskine.

For the pen, I use one of these that I got from Jetpens: http://www.jetpens.com/Ohto-Needle-Point...k-Body/pd/3195.
Posted by: powerring

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/01/12 03:42 AM

Originally Posted By: IzzyJG99
Originally Posted By: Christina
I use a Levenger International Pocket Briefcase for my wallet: http://www.levenger.com/Cases-15/Pocket-Briefcases-765.aspx.
A Field Notes-sized notebook fits perfectly inside along with business cards, credit cards, cash, etc. and a very slim pen. When closed, it's about the same size as a Pocket Moleskine.

For the pen, I use one of these that I got from Jetpens: http://www.jetpens.com/Ohto-Needle-Point...k-Body/pd/3195.


I get Levenger catalogs and want to become a reporter just to validate buying their expensive pens. I had their "Bomber Jacket" wallet for a few years until it got washed and then dried up into beef jerky.


Ouch! I use a Levenger Bomber Jacket wallet too and I love it. The thought of turning it into a Slim Jim is devastating. cry

I like the Pocket Briefcases too.
Posted by: marantz

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/01/12 06:04 AM

My EDC pen is a brass bodied marketing pen with a nice slightly concave rubber grip, which takes Parker refills. So now it has a Fisher Space pen refill. I don't have to worry about what angle I hold the pen to write down (write up?) prices in stores, etc. It writes on pretty much anything, including slick thermal cash register receipts, and doesn't freeze in the winter. To write on, I carry 2-4 sheets of mini legal pad paper, folded twice. Creases on the two folds make it easy to rip off half or a quarter of a sheet, to give someone a name, phone number, a website, or a quick and dirty map or directions. Why do we carry pens and paper? The same reason we carry pocket knives and other tools: we're civilized people who like to be prepared.
Posted by: Brangdon

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/07/12 08:56 PM

I've had an Inka on my keychain for many years now.
Posted by: Stephen

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/07/12 11:00 PM

I was issued one of those tactical clicker write in the rain pens. I am usually wary of anything hyped up as being "tactical" but it's solid metal, dosen't freeze or smudge, I nice to write with,and the dammed ink lasts forever. I have since purchased several of my own I like them so much.

I haven't come across a situation where I had to write upsidedown or underwater yet, but who knows.
Posted by: Teslinhiker

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/08/12 03:04 AM

I don't carry a specific EDC traditional ink based pen, however I do have a thin point Sharpie that IMO, is much more versatile then any ink pen and can be used to write on almost any type of object/material out there.
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 07/09/12 02:14 PM

Originally Posted By: Stephen
I was issued one of those tactical clicker write in the rain pens. I am usually wary of anything hyped up as being "tactical" but it's solid metal, dosen't freeze or smudge, I nice to write with,and the dammed ink lasts forever. I have since purchased several of my own I like them so much.

I haven't come across a situation where I had to write upsidedown or underwater yet, but who knows.


The Rite in the Rain pens I've seen are Fisher Cap-o-Matics, which is one of my very favorite pens for all the reasons you mention.
Posted by: TeacherRO

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 08/01/12 05:46 PM

I've started to EDC 2 pens...Plus some in the car, desk, briefcase, etc.
Posted by: BillLiptak

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 08/02/12 12:20 AM

I carry a Fisher Futura pen and pencil set in my pocket organizer. I also carry one of my Tuff Writer pens in pocket or clipped to my collar.
Posted by: widget

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 08/02/12 12:45 AM

Originally Posted By: JeanetteIsabelle
Which is the better pen, the Zebra F-701 or a Fisher Space Pen, particularly the AG7?

Jeanette Isabelle


Jeanette, the Fisher AG-7 is a great pen but it costs about 8 times what the Zebra 701 does. You can actually buy a Fisher Space Pen refill and by removing the inner plastic tip from the tip of a Zebra 701, put the Space Pen refill into the 701 and you have a great pen, for way less than an AG-7. I leave a modded Zebra 701 in my cars all the time and temps above 110F, the pens work perfectly.

I also carry in my pocket for everyday, the Fisher X-MARK CHROME SQUARE TOP BULLET pen. Not expensive and small for the jeans pocket. I never leave home without that pen.
Posted by: Jeanette_Isabelle

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 08/04/12 05:53 PM

Originally Posted By: widget
Jeanette, the Fisher AG-7 is a great pen but it costs about 8 times what the Zebra 701 does. You can actually buy a Fisher Space Pen refill and by removing the inner plastic tip from the tip of a Zebra 701, put the Space Pen refill into the 701 and you have a great pen, for way less than an AG-7.

I’m confused. Are you saying the AG7 is the better pen or that a modified Zebra F-701 is better than either of the two?

Jeanette Isabelle
Posted by: widget

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 08/04/12 09:14 PM

Originally Posted By: JeanetteIsabelle
Originally Posted By: widget
Jeanette, the Fisher AG-7 is a great pen but it costs about 8 times what the Zebra 701 does. You can actually buy a Fisher Space Pen refill and by removing the inner plastic tip from the tip of a Zebra 701, put the Space Pen refill into the 701 and you have a great pen, for way less than an AG-7.

I’m confused. Are you saying the AG7 is the better pen or that a modified Zebra F-701 is better than either of the two?

Jeanette Isabelle


I think the AG-7 is the best of the bunch but costs a lot more than the Zebra. So, a modified Zebra is a great pen at a decent, affordable price. I prefer the Fisher AG-7 to any other ball point pen though.
Posted by: TeacherRO

Re: Yeah, get a pen - 05/03/13 10:26 PM

the rite in the rain black tactical model...