Yes, You Need This "Space Pen"

I write a lot, which is an unfortunate byproduct of being a professional writer. I’d much rather be really good at trapeze, or willing to put in the effort to become, like, a fireman or whatever, but instead I write. A lot of what I write is typed, but plenty goes into my notebook, too: Phone numbers; ideas for pieces that will never see the light of day; to-do lists that will never be fully crossed out.

For years, I’ve relied on one type of pen to do my work: this one. I am ride or die for this pen. I order a new box of 12 whenever I’m in danger of running out (read: have lost 10 of them). I have two backup boxes in case they are cruelly discontinued, which is what happened to my previous favorite pen. It takes a lot for me to even look at another pen for my rigorous note-taking, is all I’m saying.

And so, when our favorite lifestyle brand Huckberry sent us a box full of stuff, and a Fisher Space Pen fell out, I was the obvious choice. This is the same pen that’s been used on NASA missions since 1968, after all. Could I get over my anti-every-other-pen bias and enjoy writing with it? Is there truly any point to owning a pen that can write upside down and underwater? To these questions I say: Yes, buy this pen.

The first thing you notice about the Fisher 7 Space Pen is how well-built it feels in your hand. It’s shiny and weighty, and feels more like a fountain pen to hold than a clicky one. For another, it is smooooooth as silk to use — a feature I had previously only thought my favored rollerball-style pens could deliver. I used it on the subway (my handwriting is illegible at the best of times and it was a rickety ride, but otherwise it was fine). I used it at work. I even tried it upside down, during which I was able to draw a passable cartoon bear face.

I paired the Space Pen with the Expedition Field Notes journal ($13). I prefer a hardcover notepad for my serious handwriting, but these ultra-portable guys come in insanely handy for the kind of things you need to remember right away, and which would usually just disappear into the ether the moment you but them into the iOS Notes app. Filling my sink with water, I submerged the packaging of the pen and wrote “this pen rules” on the back of it with no problem at all. Underwater and upside-down writing will not be things any normal person will experience, but the point is that this great pen is usable in just about any and all conditions. No matter how glossy or rough or unlikely the surface, I was able to write on it.Apparently you can even write on butter with a space pen if it’s cold enough. I refuse to try this one (butter is expensive) but maybe you want to. Have at it.

The Space Pen has found its home as my go-to note-taking pen now, with my rollerball ride-or-die friends always handy as backups. Be like me: Get a Space Pen.