pen 101: parker jotter

i am not entirely sure where/when/how today's pen, the parker jotter, came to be in my possession. in fact, i barely convinced that this model is the jotter, its seems like i've had this pen a long, long time and when i went to research it online, that was the closest i could come to out of the many pens listed on their website. the more i looked at it the more convinced i am that the model i have is no longer being produced.

the parker jotter, and for the intents of this post i am just going to call it that, is a retractable tip ballpoint pen. parker, a pen company that has a reputation for making quality and expensive writing tools start around twenty dollars to over five hundred dollars. these are pens that were designed to write hostile takeovers, divorce papers and large checks, in the latter i am talking about the amount of the check, not the physical size. this pen has a nice smooth flow that warms up quickly, dries fast, has a nice velvety tone that gives you a wide range of value. it has a good amount of bite, and while it doesn't drag it does have good interaction with the paper. the jotter is a solidly made metal body and refills are available starting around five dollars or so making the upkeep for the initially expensive pen functioning for years. really the only downsides are that these pens are metal, and thus not the most comfortable pens to use for extended periods of time, and more importantly, the price. these pens are expensive and that is a huge factor when it comes to deciding between a pack of bic cristals and dinner or the lowest end parker pen. while i like this pen for many reasons, i'd have to say that they don't really seem to perform all that much better than the mass produced ball point pen at least when it comes to drawing. again, this pen really comes down to personal preference and probably the message you want to send when you pull it out of your pocket. as a gift, or office accessory the jotter is a good choice, but as a drawing tool, there are better pens out there for a fraction of the cost.

website:
www.parkerpen.com

what they say:

The Finish

Shiny polished stainless steel with black satin resin enhanced with Parker's iconic chiselled pattern.
The Trim
High-shine stainless steel.
The Nib
Quinkflow® technology for a smoother, cleaner & more consistent writing performance, in a word the greatest Parker ballpoint ever.