Choice of Ink Pen

[ThaLastLetter]

Hey guys,
Do you guys have a preference in a favorite pen you prefer to use when writing reports or citations especially on those citation papers that all pens do not work on? Gel-pens seem to work.

I just know I prefer a retractable pen vs. a pen I'd have to take the top off and then start writing. The one-click option makes work much easier.

Uniball, Pilot, etc?

Thanks

[Groove]

It took some work but I have found the perfect set up. Take the clicky from a Zebra F 402 and put it on the body of a Zebra F 701 (this required a pair of pliers) and there you have it. The pen is hefty and has a nice solid feel, the barrel is one solid piece of metal so it won't ever work loose, the clicky is now metal (not sure why the factory clicky is plastic but it's junk) and it fits in the pen slot of a uniform shirt perfectly. There isn't any rubbery grip part to get caught up on the shirt and it comes out of the pocket nicely (I don't clip my pen on my shirt I slide it all the way in the pocket, i think the pen clipped on looks sloppy). The barrel is thick enough that your hand doesn't go numb if you have to write a lot also. I get compliments on my pen quite often.

[Motown]

I use the Pilot G2 7mm pretty consistently. They're cheap throwaway pens, but pefect for my writing style.

I like the 7mm more than the 5mm because it seems to press a bit harder and go through all the copies.

[hxd]

I buy large packages of the Zebra F301 at Sam's Club. It's a pretty solid pen, it writes on damn near everything, and it's inexpensive enough that I don't feel bad if it disappears.

I just need to find the stripper that took one from me a couple weeks ago...

[Ten10]

We use the Zebra Sarasa .7mm They work great...

http://www.zebrapen.com/gel-sarasa.html

[Chiller]

Zebra F-301

[ArkansasFan24]

Hey guys,
Do you guys have a preference in a favorite pen you prefer to use when writing reports or citations especially on those citation papers that all pens do not work on? Gel-pens seem to work.

I just know I prefer a retractable pen vs. a pen I'd have to take the top off and then start writing. The one-click option makes work much easier.

Uniball, Pilot, etc?

Thanks

My shirt pens that I do little to nothing with other than perhaps write my signature with are Parkers. They're cool looking because of the arrow clip. ;)

The pen I use most writing with is a "Bic Soft Feel Med." Why? It's what the secretary buys us in seriously vast quantities. It's kept in the cargo pocket of my Streetgear pants.

[OverKill]

I'm watching this thread. Good topic, I was just thinking about that.

[ThaLastLetter]

thanks...its a pretty important topic...i was told by senior officers that our best weapon is the pen..which is true.

[dbphotos]

I use a computer to write reports, but for anything I have to hand write I buy a box of basic Bic pens at Costco, so when I loose them I have another in my pursuit case.

[Mabbottusmc]

http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0086851_sc7?$sku$

Zebra f-301. Cheap and write very well.

[HEDP]

http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0086851_sc7?$sku$

Zebra f-301. Cheap and write very well.




+ 1.



This is what I use, write great and cheap, so if you lose one (which you will) you don't feel bad.


Sorta like a knife, you want a good solid one, but under $100, so if you lose it, you aren't mad that you lost your $200-$300 knife.





We use the Zebra Sarasa .7mm They work great...

http://www.zebrapen.com/gel-sarasa.html



These are gel pens, don't they streak?


Or if you go over what you wrote they smear and also get on your palms?



.

[Ten10]

+ 1.







These are gel pens, don't they streak?


Or if you go over what you wrote they smear and also get on your palms?



.

Yeah, they will occasionally. It's more of a problem for me being left handed, my hand crosses over the ink when I'm writing.

[CERT437]

I, along with most of the officers at the correctional facility that I work at, use the Pilot G2.

[powerstroked]

i use whatever it is they hand out in the basement at the main

[phillyrube]

I use plain old Bic pens, with white barrels. That way if I drop it it's easy to find in the dark car.

[ThaLastLetter]

So what are the pro's of why you guys like the Zebra F-301? I just bought a 12 pack for about $12.00 from Sam's Club...Can't wait to use it tomorrow...I feel bad for tomorrow's traffic =P

Also whats your perspective on the con's of gel pens? I had an incident where I was using a uniball gel pen and it dropped on the writing tip of the pen...Now the ink will not come out when I try to write and it was a new pen full of ink!

[HEDP]

So what are the pro's of why you guys like the Zebra F-301? I just bought a 12 pack for about $12.00 from Sam's Club...Can't wait to use it tomorrow...I feel bad for tomorrow's traffic =P

Also whats your perspective on the con's of gel pens? I had an incident where I was using a uniball gel pen and it dropped on the writing tip of the pen...Now the ink will not come out when I try to write and it was a new pen full of ink!




I love the Zebra's because they just plain write well on most any surface. I hate it when a pen doesn't write. They are also relatively cheap. If you lose them (and you will) you don't feel bad. They are also readily available, so you can buy them anywhere.

Also, if you ever got into a fight and it was in your hand you could use it as a weapon. Not the greatest weapon, but you could jab it into someone's face or eye if you were fighting for your life.


I won't use gel pens because they usually smear, and I'm a righty, so that shouldn't be a problem. Plus, if one blows up in your pocket your screwed. Not that a regular pen couldn't do that too.

.

[2971511]

http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0086851_sc7?$sku$

Zebra f-301. Cheap and write very well.


I like this one as well. A wise old training officer once told me 3 good qualities to look for in a pen:

1. Writablity, carbon, non carbon etc. ( a pen is no good if it does not write)

2. Push button ,, NO CAP, you want to be able to manipulate it with 1 hand.

3. Thin enough to push down the barrel of your gun, so in a bad jam, you can clear the weapon with the pen if you have to and get back in the fight..


THESE rules seem to be very much common sense. But I FOUND THEM TO BE BRILLIANT. 20+ years later they still make a lot of sense.

[Groove]

I hate Zebra pens, they're to thin. I like to write with a Dr. Grip Center of Gravity pen but it's pretty big so I keep it in my pocket. Ink it very dark and doesn't run. I've had mine for about 10 months and runs on refills.


The F 701 I mentioned above isn't thin. The Dr. Grip is a great pen as well, I use it at school. Too bad it won't fit in my shirt pocket at work.

[Monty Ealerman]

I like the Zebras, but I use other stuff, too.

The Fisher Space Pen writes sideways, upside-down, (and underwater, but let's hope you never need that, 'cause the paper might get soggy).

They've got lots of models that use the same pressurized ink cartridge. Here's an example:

http://www.spacepen.com/images/products/detail/ppro.jpg

In my experience, FSPs tend to get swiped, and right now I have refills with no pen.

[Resq14]

That's why you buy waterproof paper (http://www.riteintherain.com/) to go with it!

:)

I'm terrified of losing my FSP. It lives in my clipboard. I use Zebra's on my uniform.

I used to carry a Cross pen and pencil on my uniform... but save those now for fancy occasions, as they're not too practical. They do look nice though.

[Monty Ealerman]

I went to that website and checked out the vids. Neat stuff.

I have a brother who lives "a stone's throw" from Puget Sound. He's an artist working for Microsoft. I'll have to suggest to him that he check that out. "Oh, by the way, I drew this while I was SCUBA diving in the Sound".

His wife is a ceramist. I'm not sure you could make wheel-thrown pots or plates underwater, but it might be worth a try.

I like Cross and Mont Blanc pens, and Parker fountain pens, and lots of other pens.

When I was 11 (I was in school in Oxford at the time) my handwriting was horrible, I mean nearly completely illegible to anyone but me, and my Dad sent me to a handwriting expert on Broad Street. That guy was amazing. When I got there, he'd written my name over and over in Italic calligraphy. He taught me exercises, and to develop a pleasant handwriting style that was personally adapted to my hand, and easy for others to read. He had a shop with all the finest pens, and we were required to use fountain pens in school.

A fountain pen was called a "pen" and a ball-point pen was called a "biro" (unbeknownst to me at the time, after a then-defunct brand name). We were not allowed to use biros for our subject-labelled noteboks, or for our assignments or exams, only for the "rough notebook".

When I asked for a new rough book, my old one was inspected, to ensure that I wasn't wasting paper. I had pulled out the middle sheets. I always used the middle sheets when I was scribbling complete trash. On inspection, the teacher didn't even look at the contents. He just held the notebook by the fold, said "a bit thin", gave me a new one, and said "try to do better with this one".

[cobes]

I carry two bic throwaways for the hobos to use, and I have an F701.

[Taylor13]

I, along with most of the officers at the correctional facility that I work at, use the Pilot G2.

Those smear like gel pens.

[LASD6833]

Cheap, black indelible ink, and retractable.

[bajakirch]

If I have to do a lot of writing, I prefer the Pilot G2 7mm. Very smooth writing. But the rubber grip makes it a bear to get in and out of the pocket.

I picked up a FSP after getting fed up with pens that refused to write in temps under 30 degrees. I cannot seem to lose that pen. I've dropped it several times, even in the snow, and have always been able to find it. It's like we were fated to be together.

The only problems I have with the FSP are that it isn't particularly smooth-writing and the ink is a bit light.

[Groove]

I carry two bic throwaways for the hobos to use, and I have an F701.

I hated the plastic clickyon the 701, have you had any problems with it? Now that I have fixed it I love my 701, so does everyone else.

[IN UR REAR VIEW]

[QUOTE=Groove;1709629]It took some work but I have found the perfect set up. Take the clicky from a Zebra F 402 and put it on the body of a Zebra F 701 (this required a pair of pliers) and there you have it.


MY GOD I DID THE SAME EXACT THING A MONTH AGO..... Works great

[cobes]

I hated the plastic clickyon the 701, have you had any problems with it? Now that I have fixed it I love my 701, so does everyone else.

No problems yet. Think I'm gonna try the 402 "mod."

[scotty707]

I like to use a G-2, but it's not so good when it rains here. So I now use a Parker Jotter with a Fisher Space Pen cartridge in it.

[KenW.]

This is too funny... A two page discussion on pens; oops, INK PENS. As opposed to syrup pens, beer pens, or battery acid pens.

I use just about any retractable thats available. Skillcraft made by the severly handicapped work just as well as the expensive gell pens.

[bajakirch]

I love the fact that we talking about pen mods and specs like some of the guys in the Firearms area talk about their ARs.

[Resq14]

The pen is mightier...


(reminded me of celebrity jeopardy there... haha)
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/celebrity-jeopardy-cageflockhartconnery/1411110059

[NBW791]

My "daily driver" is a Zebra F701. I've had it about a year now and really like it. It's stainless with no rubber, so if you DO get "funk" on it, you can easily wipe it down with alcohol gel.

http://www.zebrapen.co.uk/images/f701.jpg

It's still a toss-up, but I REALLY like the Papermate Profile 1.4B. It writes very bold (that's what the "B" stands for in the name) and claims to be the smoothest writing pen in the world. The downfalls are trying to get into tight places with it and I can burn through one in about 2 to 3 weeks easily.

The rubber grip tends to drag a little too. They redesigned them with a slimmer grip, but I can't find them in the stores anymore. Anyway, they are $1.46 for two, so they are cheap too.

http://www.papermate.com/common/images/product/SN/large/SN35830_aux_lg.jpg

Sorry it's purple....but that's all they had on Papermate's website. It comes in black.

Gel pens suck. They don't cut through 5 copies of citations and they smear.

[cobes]

This is too funny... A two page discussion on pens; oops, INK PENS. As opposed to syrup pens, beer pens, or battery acid pens.

Hey, it's been slow at work, okay? :D

[opd743]

I like the TUL retractables. I use the gel for most report writing but keep a ballpoint clipped onto my ticket book for citations.

www.tul.com

[Drummadude12]

I like my Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball Extra Fine Point pen. It's nice for taking notes. But for the 2 tickets I wrote on a ride along once, I decided it would probably be best to use a nice ballpoint pen.

The extra fine point is good for fitting a lot of notes on a little pocket notebook but when I wrote on the carbon copy ticket, it did not transfer well, because the point is so thin.

In the future as an officer, I'd probably just buy a box of Bic ballpoints for the heavy duty writing and keep a Pilot with a nice metal clip on the uniform to look nice and take notes when away from the car.

[DR-80]

I've been trying to find a pen with a gold clip (No Luck at all). Doesn't really need to be fancy or anything. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated! ;)

[bajakirch]

I've been trying to find a pen with a gold clip (No Luck at all). Doesn't really need to be fancy or anything. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated! ;)

This reminded me of a guy I used to work with. One of his first days on the job he was walking through the station when a LT suddenly veered from his course and made a bee-line for him. He pointed to my friend's chest and harshly said, "What's that!?" My friend had no idea what he was talking about. The LT then pointed directly to the gold clip of his pen, which was visible outside his uniform pocket. "What's with the gold, rook? You think you're the chief? Maybe you think you're a lieutenant, like me? Maybe you want my job? Is that it, rook, are you gunning for my job? You want to put me out of work, so I can't feed my kids? Is that it, rook, is that why you're wearing gold when you haven't earned it?!" Etc.

Needless to say, my friend found a new pen.

[1313]

Zebra F301 here. It's metal and slim...slides in and out of my shirt pocket with ease and writes pretty well. I carry two on me but if I ever run out of ink on duty, I can swing by the nearest Wally World and pick up some refills. :cool:

I can't stand gel pens. Maybe the ink "technology" has improved but I hate after you write and accidentally touch it. Yuck.

[woettinger]

This reminded me of a guy I used to work with. One of his first days on the job he was walking through the station when a LT suddenly veered from his course and made a bee-line for him. He pointed to my friend's chest and harshly said, "What's that!?" My friend had no idea what he was talking about. The LT then pointed directly to the gold clip of his pen, which was visible outside his uniform pocket. "What's with the gold, rook? You think you're the chief? Maybe you think you're a lieutenant, like me? Maybe you want my job? Is that it, rook, are you gunning for my job? You want to put me out of work, so I can't feed my kids? Is that it, rook, is that why you're wearing gold when you haven't earned it?!" Etc.

Needless to say, my friend found a new pen.

My department has just mandated gold pens if they are visible in uniform.

Some guy have wrapped gold stickers around their pens.

[glock194me]

Fischer Space Pens are expensive, but they kick butt. The dam things write no matter what!

http://www.spacepen.com/policepro.aspx

[Groove]

Wow the pen thread is going to hit three pages!

[GreenTab]

Im a fan of the Zebra F301. I dont want to get attached to a really nice pen b/c most of the people i have to briefly loan it to look like walking hepatitus.

[LA DEP]

Geeez.....

The FREE ONES from the credit union!!!!

Why in Gods' name would you pay $$$$$$$ for a PEN!!!!!

AUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Runs off into the street......

[krinkbusta]

Hahahaa... I just re-upped on some pens earlier today and what do you know, a pen thread is flourishing.

I have to go with the F-402 http://www.zebrapen.com/products/pen/f-402-0?c=30

I'm really liking the rubber grip better than the plastic/metal on other Zebra's. If you write a lot and write hard like I do the rubber grip is the way to go.

I already have one F-402 but its only a matter of time before the pen makes its way into some foreign shirt pocket... So my purchase today was for a 2-pack of the pens and a 2-pack of refills.

[tpd45]

I have four Fisher Space Pens. I carry two in my pocket and two in my Patrol bag. I wouldn't have bought them at normal price but I found them for 5 dollars each during a sale. Hopefully I don't lose them.
http://www.spacepen.com/non-reflectivemilitarymatteblackcap-o-maticpen.aspx

[JGus]

I puchased a lockwrite pen from www.lockwrite.com, I will keep you guys updated on the field testing I guess you could call it.

for those who have not seen it, there is a hand cuff key at the ink end.

Other than that Zebra f-301 is the best way to go

[Corbs]

Generally in the UK, clicky disposable pens are preferred, especially the pilot g2. For two reasons:
1) Pens always go missing.
2) Clicky nibs can be used to double lock cuffs.

[DMS 525]

(I don't clip my pen on my shirt I slide it all the way in the pocket, i think the pen clipped on looks sloppy).


Good idea; not only does that keep you looking more sharp, it also prevents someone from plucking that pen out of your pocket, and using it as a weapon on YOU! More and more departments are going to the policy of keeping your pens under the pocket flaps of your uniform shirt.

I always loved Paper Mate Profile pens, but the birty dastards don't make those anymore.:( Also hard for someone to take from your pocket, unless they had real nimble fingers.

[DMS 525]

This is too funny... A two page discussion on pens; oops, INK PENS. As opposed to syrup pens, beer pens, or battery acid pens.

I use just about any retractable thats available. Skillcraft made by the severly handicapped work just as well as the expensive gell pens.

You're my man(high five):D

So many times, I hear "can I use your INK pen?" I tell them no, because my pen has blood, or waste oil, or some other silly ingredient in it besides ink. To say "ink pen" is redundant, because what else is ever in a pen that we write with?

[TEX_DEPUTY]

Does anyone know if the Dr. Grip refills will fit into any other pen casing? I love the Dr. Grip but they're impossible to get into shirt pocket.

[cobes]

THREE PAGES ON THE SUBJECT OF PENS!!!!!! I love you guys.

I'm kinda tempted to get one of those lockwrite pens now.

[Groove]

I'm kinda tempted to get one of those lockwrite pens now.

I know me too. Working in a jail, those are the two things i use the most. If you don't count OC :)

[HEDP]

I know me too. Working in a jail, those are the two things i use the most. If you don't count OC :)



Maybe in a jail you won't lose it, but on the street it just happens.


And then your sad.


:rolleyes:



That's why I stick to cheap pens. I like the Zebra's.

.

[Groove]

I always try to have an "inmate pen" handy if not I just tell them I don't let anyone borrow my pen and they need to find one some where else. I guess i kind of treat my pen like a cop on the street would treat his duty weapon... you want it you will have to kill me to get it.

[DogCatcher2H]

I like to use the Uni Jetstream pen, it writes smoothly. I also keep a Bic clicker pen as a back up. The Jetstream is worth the $5 you buy it for.

[Highwaylaw]

I buy large packages of the Zebra F301 at Sam's Club. It's a pretty solid pen, it writes on damn near everything, and it's inexpensive enough that I don't feel bad if it disappears.

I just need to find the stripper that took one from me a couple weeks ago...

....a stripper w/ her own credit card machine? :)

[bajakirch]

Here's a new contender:
Wilson Combat Tac-Pen (http://www.thetacticalwire.com/release.html?releaseID=145203)

[hxd]

....a stripper w/ her own credit card machine? :)

Sorry. Man law prohibits me from discussing the details. ;)

[Groove]

Here's a new contender:
Wilson Combat Tac-Pen (http://www.thetacticalwire.com/release.html?releaseID=145203)

haha I love it. I'm sure with the armor-tuff finish its nearly $200. Screw cap? that isn't tactical. A silent motor driven clicky is TACTICAL.