Any other fans of compact pens?

[AimlessWanderer]

My fountain pens tend to stay home, and do the bulk of the general domestic scribbling, followed by traditional wooden pencils. Ballpoints tend to get called upon for forms, addressing postal items, glossy greetings cards, and the very rare occasion when a cheque needs writing.

When leaving the house, I'm usually going to be carrying some form of compact pen. Most of mine are ballpoints, which is perfectly fine for scratching items off the grocery list, or making the occasional reminder in the notebook.

Apologies for my usual trademark out of focus and badly exposed pictures

For compact pens, I prefer pens which carry small, but get bigger when I need to use them. A regular Parker Jotter is included in both pics for size comparison.

From the left:

• Parker Jotter
• Inka Pen
• Zebra Expandz
• Fisher Stowaway
• Zebra Telescopic
• Ohto Tasche
• True Utility Telepen

Any other fans of these excellent pocket pens?

 

[Fred D]

Parker Jotter for me.

 

[jar_]

Lately I've been using one of my Sheaffer Tuckaways; the second from the left. It was most likely made in 1945.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Mostly Kaweco Sport pens & ballpoints

 

[nemo]

What exactly is a compact pen? Maybe under 5 inches or 125mm when capped?

My smallest sized pens in regular use are Pelikan 140, Parker Duofold Junior, smaller Sheaffers.

I've got others, like Kaweco Sport but I don't carry in my pants pocket. One that really is pretty short but extends a lots posted for writing is the Pelikan 100 and 100N

 

[Shutterbug57]

When I think of compact pens, I think of the necklace pens my wife collects.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Parker Jotter for me.

I confess, that despite having all these excellent expanding pens, I ordered a stainless Jotter the other day, specifically so I have something reasonably compact to put a pressurised "space" cartridge in.

The Fisher Stowaway obviously has such a cartridge, and is great for hiding in a wallet for emergency use. Example: A few years ago, I was a passenger in a traffic accident, and neither driver had a working pen for exchanging details - Fisher Stowaway to the rescue. However, I wanted something a bit more... pen shaped, for if I wanted to carry an all-weather pressurised pen.

I did own a bullet pen many years ago, but wasn't a fan (clip and cap kept coming adrift), and I can't fit a Fisher cartridge or Schmidt G2 in any of the other compact pens. I have tried the Tombow Airpress, but rather like the Stowaway, it's a bit too much of a compromise ergonomically, if used for anything more than brief notes.

An all metal Jotter seemed a perfect solution.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

What exactly is a compact pen? Maybe under 5 inches or 125mm when capped?

Capped or closed, the longest of the six I showed (not counting the Jotter, which was there for size comparison) is the Fisher Stowaway, just over 4" at 105mm. That one becomes 133mm.

For reference, the others expand as follows:

Zebra Expandz - 104mm becomes 132mm
Zebra Telescopic - 96mm becomes 131mm
Ohto Tasche - 98mm becomes 146mm
Inka - 80mm becomes 127mm
True Utility Telepen - 60mm becomes 118mm

The Stowaway was wallet carried for a long time, but is currently drawer-ridden, as it doesn't ride well in my current wallet. The Inka and Telepen live on little tool clusters that I often reach for in summer, to wear around the neck, when pocket space is limited. The two Zebras and the Ohto, tend to get carried with a small Clairfontaine or Rhodia notepad.

If I was going for under 5" as the qualification, I could add the Tombow Airpress and Parker Slimfold, however I would be unlikely to stick either of those in my trouser pocket, like I might do with the rest. Of course, I'm not setting boundaries as to what everyone else should consider a compact pen though.

 

[Fred D]

I confess, that despite having all these excellent expanding pens, I ordered a stainless Jotter the other day, specifically so I have something reasonably compact to put a pressurised "space" cartridge in.

The Fisher Stowaway obviously has such a cartridge, and is great for hiding in a wallet for emergency use. Example: A few years ago, I was a passenger in a traffic accident, and neither driver had a working pen for exchanging details - Fisher Stowaway to the rescue. However, I wanted something a bit more... pen shaped, for if I wanted to carry an all-weather pressurised pen.

I did own a bullet pen many years ago, but wasn't a fan (clip and cap kept coming adrift), and I can't fit a Fisher cartridge or Schmidt G2 in any of the other compact pens. I have tried the Tombow Airpress, but rather like the Stowaway, it's a bit too much of a compromise ergonomically, if used for anything more than brief notes.

An all metal Jotter seemed a perfect solution.

I had one of the all stainless Jotter pens, but I found the grip to be a bit slippery to me. So when I was talking to a friend about the pen, he told me he had the same pen for many years until he lost it, and how much he loved that pen. So I gave him mine. Win win for both of us.

I now use the much less expensive plastic barrel Jotter pens, and the grip is much better for me.

The best thing I love about the Jotters is that you can annoy your friends and family by incessantly clicking the pen until they scream "QUIT IT!!"

 

[nemo]

The best thing I love about the Jotters is that you can annoy your friends and family by incessantly clicking the pen until they scream "QUIT IT!!"

For that very problem I just use a can of Stoppit.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I had one of the all stainless Jotter pens, but I found the grip to be a bit slippery to me. So when I was talking to a friend about the pen, he told me he had the same pen for many years until he lost it, and how much he loved that pen. So I gave him mine. Win win for both of us.

I now use the much less expensive plastic barrel Jotter pens, and the grip is much better for me.

The best thing I love about the Jotters is that you can annoy your friends and family by incessantly clicking the pen until they scream "QUIT IT!!"

I think the choice of cartridge is the make or break on those sleek barrelled pens. I have one too, albeit an advertising pen, and I had to play around swapping inserts about, to find one that wrote well with minimum down force. It's still no good for trying to write with sweaty or greasy hands, but is much more usable than it was with the original insert.

 

[Vespasian]

I want a fountain pen I can use all the time, at my desk or on the go. I settled in with a black plastic Kaweco Sport Classic. The fine nib is the best I have ever used (just luck), and the small size when posted fits my small paw perfectly. I have a big sterling Montegrappa Reminiscence, my grail pen, which I love to write with, but I am never quite as comfortable with its heft as I am with my Kaweco.

 

[nemo]

I want a fountain pen I can use all the time, at my desk or on the go. I settled in with a black plastic Kaweco Sport Classic.

I have fountain pens I love to use all the time on the go ... but it's increasingly tough to find paper that supports wet ink. Man, it gets to be so frustrating. I carry a nice comfortable pen, I have my own notebook, but sometimes I want to use my pen for something else and I'm provided with really crummy paper that feathers and shows bleeding even with fine points.

Sorry, I'll save my rant for another thread.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have fountain pens I love to use all the time on the go ... but it's increasingly tough to find paper that supports wet ink. Man, it gets to be so frustrating. I carry a nice comfortable pen, I have my own notebook, but sometimes I want to use my pen for something else and I'm provided with really crummy paper that feathers and shows bleeding even with fine points.

Sorry, I'll save my rant for another thread.

I understand completely, which is why I think I'll always have ballpoints around. Even when I do carry a fountain pen, I often have a ballpoint too. Partially in case of crappy paper, and partially because if someone asks to borrow a pen, that's what I'd rather lend them. Probably what they'd rather borrow too.

Trying to enjoy just fountain pens, and use them for all of life's pen needs, is as futile as trying to use the internet, without having your data harvested. There's certain things we can do to manage our analogue and digital environments, but sometimes you just have to put your ideals aside a while, and accept crappy scenarios and mediums that we wish didn't exist, or important stuff simply doesn't get done.

Personally, I find it MUCH easier accommodating the need for a ballpoint pen, that the need for Google and Facebook et al. A lot of stuff doesn't get done here for that reason. Another rant that belongs elsewhere...

 

[KW Driver]

I pocket and travel with a TWSBI 530 Mini. I also have a Kaweco Classic Sport eyedroppered, but it’s not as reliable, and it tends to stay home. The feed’s been inconsistent on its flow.

I keep a Fisher in the truck for incidental uses as required, but seldom used.

my facorite house pens are Esterbrook SJs

 

[Lefonque]

Love my Sailor pen, compact but big pen attitude.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I had one of the all stainless Jotter pens, but I found the grip to be a bit slippery to me. So when I was talking to a friend about the pen, he told me he had the same pen for many years until he lost it, and how much he loved that pen. So I gave him mine. Win win for both of us.

My stainless Jotter arrived today, and thankfully the grip feels just fine. Unfortunately it's got probably the scratchiest G2 insert I think I've ever used. The Parker IM Premium that arrived in the same padded envelope, has a very smooth Quinkflow insert, but the 0.55 gel thing that arrived in the Jotter was very disappointing. Not to worry though, as I was planning on swapping it anyway

 

[InkStainedWretch]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned any of the Japanese pocket pens. Capped, these pens are very short. But posted, they're was long as a regular pen. Unless you have small hands, they're almost unusable unposted. I have a couple of vintage Pilots, one a so-called Newton, the other straight black. There are some interesting nib options, including a posting nib for use on thin, cheap paper. Prepandemic, these pens were readily available from Japan at reasonable prices. The modern Elite 95s is at a rather higher price point.

 

[steveclarkus]

Lately I've been using one of my Sheaffer Tuckaways; the second from the left. It was most likely made in 1945.

View attachment 1328142

My mom had a Tuckaway which she referred to as a nurse’s pen as it fit a small pocket on her uniform. Wish I still had it. I was never allowed to write with my parents fountain pens.

 

[steveclarkus]

I have a small “space pen” I carry in my pants pocket on occasion. I don’t care for ballpoints but it comes in handy.