Fisher Space Pen Stowaway Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

This little midcentury wonder is the source of one of my earliest stationery fascinations. That's probably true for a lot of us. A pen that can write underwater or in space, in extreme temperatures or on any surface! In a world where all I had were standard #2 pencils and temperamental ballpoints, the concept of a pen that could not fail and lasted longer than any other was the holy grail, especially for a kid who wrote for fun. Sadly, I wouldn't acquire said grail until I reached adulthood. I bought my first Fisher Space Pen in 2007 and it only recently stopped writing. While it wasn't my everyday pen, it did live in my craft bag for making notes on patterns. Nineteen years of service is a good run for any pen! That pen was one of their bullet-shaped pens. In the past few months, I was looking for a pen that would fit in the slim sleeve of my pocket-sized Plotter notebook, and I saw that the Stowaway model of the Fisher Space Pen is this perfect, slim pocket size. So I decided to give it a try as my pocket notebook pen.

This model of the Fisher Space Pen is basically just a capped cartridge. A magical cartridge, to be sure. The sealed, pressurized ink chamber is what allows it to write even if you're visiting Hoth or Mount Doom. But it doesn't have much build to it. The body and cap are thin aluminum that friction-fit together. There's a brass-colored clip with the word Fisher stamped into it, though this model is also available without the clip. It comes with a medium point and black ink. The cap does post, bringing its wee 3.9" up to a 5.13" which is close to a standard pen length. It's only .25" in diameter, so may be too slim to comfortably write with for long, but it's perfect as a wallet pen, where you're just using it to sign a receipt here and there. Bonus: It will actually write on the receipt paper!

It writes just like a standard ballpoint, but without the fussiness. I have not experienced any skipping or faint lines. The ink does smear a little if rubbed, but that's true of most oil-based ballpoint inks. That pressurized cartridge keeps the ink flowing upside-down, in zero gravity, and in temps ranging from -30 to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. Space? No problem. Wisconsin in February? Might need a different pen for that. But it does fit perfectly in the pen sleeve of my pocket Plotter, so mission accomplished, there. However, getting it out of the pen sleeve can be tricky, as the friction-fit cap slides off too easily, leaving the body of the pen in the sleeve, so I have to wiggle it free. It's still the best non-fountain pen I've found for this use case, though. The Kaweco Liliput is the best fountain pen for this specific pen sleeve, but I've found myself using the pocket plotter when traveling and camping--situations where a water resistant, more versatile ink was needed. I suspect this Stowaway will live in this Plotter for the next nineteen years.

The Fisher Space Pen Stowaway sells for around $17 MSRP, but you can get it in black, blue, or red from Goldspot Pens for around $14.45. That feels like a lot for something so lightweight and tiny, but it is refillable, and if it lasts as long as my previous Fisher pen, it's well worth it. I fully intend on getting another in a decade or two.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Fisher Space Pen Cerakote Ballpoint Pen Review

The Fisher Space Pen is one of the few writing instruments that crosses over into the mainstream from deep inside the stationery world. It’s a special pen, for reasons which I will cover below, and maybe an even more important tool for what it offers, and how it operates.

The core of the Space Pen experience is the pressurized ballpoint refill it uses. It writes like a traditional ballpoint, with the pressurization allowing it to write at any angle. Write normally at your desk, write on the clipboard on the wall, write on the ceiling for reasons I’m still unsure of. Write anywhere, at any angle, and the line will keep up. That is not something more traditional pens or fountain pens can handle.

Do you need that ability on a daily basis? Of course not. But that is how the Fisher Space Pen has become the great crossover pen that it is. Given the way the pressurized refill pushes the ink, it writes on wet and dirty surfaces as well. Chefs can use it in the kitchen, hikers can use it on the trail, writers can use it on notebooks in their laps. The opportunities are endless because you know when you uncap this pen, it is going to write.

Is it the purest writing experience ever. No. That’s the main criticism of this pen. It’s a ballpoint that writes like a ballpoint, although I do find it very usable due to the solid lines on the page, and the lack of mess from the tip. It meets my expectations for quality, but a Uni-ball Jetstream it is not.

The other feature of the Fisher Space Pen is the classic bullet barrel design. It is small and pocketable, and can take a beating. I’ve seen some amazingly worn barrels that only look better with age, and never compromise its functionality. The cap stays on via an o-ring in the middle of the barrel, and posts securely on the back for a full-sized writing instrument.

I’ve owned a couple of different classic bullet models over the years, but I recently picked up this Cerakote Elite Navy Blue model because I’m a fan of this barrel finish, and wanted to see how it compared to the traditional Brass barrel. Cerakote is designed to take a beating, and it held up on my recent trip to California, from the beaches, to the mountains, attached to a Field Notes notebook. It worked perfectly every time I needed it, and stayed securely clipped to my pocket notebook when I didn’t.

While the refill shape is considered Parker-style, it’s shorter than a true compatible refill. That means you can’t swap a different refill into the Space Pen body, but the Space Pen refill ships with an extender to use with other pen barrels. I like writing with the refill, but I do swap into the Fine Blue refill from the Medium Black refill that it ships with. Admittedly, they are expensive to replace, but much better for me.

The standard bullet Fisher Space Pen starts around $29, with the Cerakote model I’m using here priced at $39. There are dozens of designs, colors, and finishes to choose from, and various prices in between. It’s makes for a perfect gift for someone else, or a special treat for yourself.

Does everybody need a Fisher Space Pen? No. I wouldn’t use it for long form writing, for example. But it does what it is designed for perfectly, and if you have a fitting use case, you won’t find a better option.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Fisher Backpacker Space Pen - The Perfect Holiday Gift Pen (Sponsor)

Just in time for the holidays, Fisher Space Pen Co., releases new colors of their Backpacker Space Pen, the perfect gift for travelers. The new Backpackers come in Forest Green, Purple and Gun Metal Gray. Like all Fisher Space Pens, the new Backpackers write upside down, under water, in extreme temperatures from -30 to +250 degrees F (-35 to +121 Celsius), over almost any surface, and three times longer than the average pen. And, they won’t explode or spill ink in the pressurized cabin of an airliner. The Backpacker is a two-piece space pen with a key ring on its cap that easily attaches to your keys, backpack, hiking gear, belt loop or suitcase. It can hang upside down for months and will function immediately when needed. All Fisher Space Pen products are guaranteed for life. Whether you’re on a warm beach or on a frigid mountain, Fisher Space Pens will keep writing under all weather conditions. View and Shop Fisher Backpacker Space Pens

Made for Space, Improves Life on Earth. In 2021, Fisher Space Pen and Paul C. Fisher were inducted into Space Foundation’s Space Technology Hall of Fame, recognizing the groundbreaking pressurized refill technology invented by Fisher, which not only helps astronauts write in space but also makes life better for millions on Earth. Fisher Space Pen is used on every crewed space mission, including Russian and Chinese space programs, and enjoyed by millions around the world. Today, the company has grown to over 65 full-time employees, proudly manufacturing Made in America high-quality writing instruments, shipping over 1 million pens per year to distributors in over 60 countries. The Fisher Space Pen remains among the most preferred ballpoint pens around the world.

My thanks to the Fisher Space Pen Co. for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.