Fisher Space Pen Bullet

This pen is pure nostalgia for me, and I need to tell you up front: I own two of them, and I can only tell them apart because one has a dent and a scratch. That one, the dented one, is a family heirloom at this point. I will never get rid of it.

The Deployment Pen

I've had that first one since 2008, 2009. It's 2026 now, so do the math. It's been in my pocket on every deployment, every time I went overseas, every field op. Through everything, and I mean everything: writing upside down, writing in the rain, basically underwater. The thing is rated for space, so my worst days never impressed it. I was a signals intelligence support team leader back then, and a pen that always writes isn't a novelty in that job; it's equipment. That pen saw as much action as I did, and it never once quit.

Someday it goes to my kids. They probably won't care about it a fraction as much as I do, and that's fine. It's that kind of pen for me.

The Design That Makes It

Closed, it squeezes down to pocket size. You genuinely forget it's there. Cap it on the back and it opens up to feel like a full, standard-length pen, comfortable to actually write with. That trick is the whole genius of the Bullet, and nobody's beaten it in the near-century they've been making it.

The Forever Tier

I said it about my headset and I'll say it here: I will never find a better pen than this pen. It doesn't dry out. The ink refill is replaceable. And like the Ridge wallet, unless you flat-out lose it, you will have it forever, which is exactly why my second one exists. I bought it to retire the heirloom from active duty. The newer one lives in my desk full-time and handles the modern workload: checks, mail, whatever needs a signature. I don't write like I did when I was deployed, but when I do, it's with this.

Battle Scars

The dent and the scratch. They're not complaints. They're the résumé. Eighteen years of service and that's the full damage report. I've got nothing to dock.

Who Should Skip This

If you write for hours at a stretch, a fatter desk pen will treat your hand better. The Bullet is a carry pen, not a journaling pen. Everyone else: if you don't have this pen, it's a must-have. Five out of five. The easiest five stars I've ever given.

Every Dad Carry is reader-supported. Both of these are my personal pens, bought with my own money; the link goes through our Amazon affiliate account at no extra cost to you.