Fisher Space Pen Military Cap-O-Matic Space Pen, Ballpoint, Black Ink, Non-Reflective, Brass, Matte Black

I have been using these pens for over 20+ years now. I have constantly and consistently relied upon these pens, and they have not failed me yet. I highly recommend these pens and here is why:Short Review:High quality, low cost makes these pens: worthy! I have brought these pens along with me through battlefield conditions. Rain, sleet, snow, mud... (These pens were designed for the rigours of space - so they scoff at Earth conditions). I have been able to write with them throughout my service and after. They are reliable pens. I buy these pens without hesitation when prices drop below $10 bucks (you should too). They pretty much keep forever, and are awesome gifts. They are brass metal underneath with a thick paint coat over it. The most I've had to do (and I don't abuse my things on purpose) is touch up the tip where the pen comes out. I've dropped it, stepped on it, left if lying around in harsh weather, boxed it up for years and forgotten about it, bought more of these exact same pens, lost them, found them... You name it. Each time, these pens have come out WRITING. They are so reliable, that I would actually be SURPRISED if they did not work due to anything OTHER than running out of ink. I wanted a pen without a detachable cap (just seemed like another thing to lose), and this model fits the bill perfectly. So, if you want a good reliable pen that won't break the bank or your heart if you ever were to lose it, get this one.Long Review:The first time I ever actively handled these pens was during basic training for the military. I knew of them before that. Just never felt that I needed anything more than a .10 cent Bic or Papermate pen, and I bought those in boxfuls. At the time, I did not have time to worry about "quality" or "consistency" - they had a lot of print on their packaging saying how they were "space pens," "high quality." All that jazz. The only thing that mattered was whether or not it would work in the field. Internet was not readily available to share information or do research (yeah, I'm old). During those days, people just had to trust what was written on the packaging 99% of the time and if it didn't work... too bad, so sad. You just avoid that brand in the future while telling all your buddies to avoid it too. Sure, it lent to having something to talk about with your friends during down time, but there were many lost pennies, and inefficient purchasing habits too.So, for anyone who was in the military (and I'm not sure if they changed these rules or not) we were not allowed to have the average Bic pens because they had these white plastic pen tubes at the time (Papermate pens were blue - also a no-no). Almost all items going into the field could not be reflective or shiny, and certainly not rainbow colored. There were certain exceptions (no idea why I was allowed to carry these) and they were: the Leatherman multitool (Tim Leatherman had just released his original tool without the locking blades, and it was still shiny stainless steel - nothing was tactically painted or blacked out), and the bright red swiss army knives (there were not many color variations in the swiss army knife scales back then either). I only know because I brought both into the field - go figure. Its the military. What can I say? Anyway, to be certain that your other items met field-worthiness, their colors had to be muffled. We had a couple of soldiers just wrap a piece of "100 mph" field tape around a bic. For some reason, I didn't - though I'm kind of glad today that I didn't. Countless soldiers have lost their gear crawling around in the field - especially pens and whatnot... So... of course, I bought this pen in black.It was like a $5 dollar pen back then (expensive by those standards) and I didn't want to lose it. Whenever the pen got scuffed up to the brass, we had to get a black sharpie marker and just "paint" over it again. Miraculously, this pen never got lost and stayed with me (through basic training and everything!). I still have it to this day - and it continues to write flawlessly.Strangely, I have never changed out its original ink fill. I credit that to not writing exclusively with this pen, but still... after 20+ years... it still writes!I discovered a couple of things because of this. This ink... it doesn't dry up like other "normal" inks. It just keeps on lasting. I have found new boxes of Bic pens with less time in the stockrooms which no longer wrote ("guaranteed to write every time!" - nope.). Those pitiful dried up husks of former greatness... money in the garbage. That meaningless scribble printed on their boxes... It would cost you more money to get them to execute on their guarantees and warranties than to just buy another box. I've had pens from China that dry up in less time and even fade after they touch paper for a year. Not this ink. I've only had ONE other brand of pen that still wrote after 15+ years of being forgotten somewhere in a bag and that pen cost around $250! But that pen cannot write underwater, upside down... etc. etc. etc.This pen is a beast. It still functions. It writes in water, upside down and in a huge range of temperatures. For the adventurers out there (jumping out of airplanes every moment you get, or climbing mountains all the time... you know who you are), you don't have to worry about it popping under different air pressures or temperatures. You don't have to worry about landing in a pond or a lake. Go ahead and place your notepad on the wall to write if no tables are nearby. This pen will function. Want to give your phone number to that girl you met at that greasy chinese take-out place, and all you had in your pocket was this pen (yeah, no phone... but you're giving her your phone number... and... it's MY review! Go write your own review!) and that greasy napkin you just used to wipe your mouth with? No problem! This pen writes on greasy napkins like a champ! As for my pen? Sure, the spring is a little dated. It is not as "clicky" as the first day. But it's also over 20 years old!Can't question that kind of quality.If pens are disposable for you, keep buying those Bics and Papermates. Those are great pens! If you tend to regularly use one pen, or need a pen to handle certain conditions without fail because you're always on the go, get this one! I've unintentionally tested one, and it PASSED!Remember to get the fisher space pen refills, because that is what really gives these pens "super powers." Also, if you are going to operate in adverse weather conditions, you'll want one of those weather resistant notebooks to match.I buy these items with my own pennies. If my review helped you at all, or you just got a tiny chuckle, share the love! Click on that thumbs up icon!Thanks for reading!

I carry two of these on duty and have decided this is the ideal pen for a police officer who's working patrol. I wanted a low-profile, durable, functional pen for work but didn't want to spend too much on a pricey one I was worried about losing or breaking. I decided to try the Fisher Space Pen and found everything I needed.Most importantly the pen writes well in all kinds of situations. Working patrol I've had other pens freeze up in the frigid cold, bleed and run with a little rain, stop writing when trying to write on the clipboard in a vertical or otherwise odd position, or just have globs of ink that get smeared while doing normal paperwork. This pen doesn't have any of those issues and works flawlessly no matter what. I carry a Rite in the Rain notepad to use only in heavier rain and between this pen and that notepad I can write whenever I need (the Fisher will still write on a regular notepad in the rain but the issue is the regular paper getting too soaked in heavy rain and tearing apart).The matte black non-reflective finish keeps it low key and is very durable. Even after heavy use and being dropped numerous times the finish only has some very minor and hardly noticeable wear around the edge where the point comes out. The finish also has just enough texture to allow a good grip without being too grippy so there's no problem with easily sliding it out of the slot in my pocket. The pen is all metal and, other than something extreme like running over it, I don't foresee the pen itself needing replacement. That basic metal exterior is also nice for when I need to decontaminate my pen from letting a less-than-sanitary person use it to sign a ticket or write a statement; I can just slather sanitizer on it and don't have to worry about a rubber grip or a bunch of crevices hiding any nasty germs.After using the standard medium-point cartridge that these pens come with I decided to switch to the fine-point cartridge (SPR4F) and I prefer them. The fine-point may not be as fine as some other brands but makes it easier to clearly fill in the smaller more crowded blanks on some of our paperwork. Which leads to another benefit, the refill cartridges are cheap but long lasting. I buy them 3 at a time here on Amazon for less than $15 and the two cartridges I currently have in my pens are 15 months old (so about 7.5 months of use on each) without any signs of needing replacement yet.Overall I love these pens. The ONLY downside is that since I'm no longer using cheap throwaway pens I have to keep a closer eye on my Fishers to make sure they don't walk off in the hands of someone who's using one. But at least if they do it's only another $12-15 for a new one.**This is basically a repeat of my review for the M4B version. The only difference is this version, the SM4B, comes in basic packaging like you'd buy for a cheap pen off the shelf, not the fancy box and case like Fisher pens usually come in. But this version is a little more than $2 cheaper and since I buy these for the pen and not the packaging, which gets thrown away, it's worth the savings. Attached are a couple photos of the packaging.

Update: 3/2/2025: Returned pen for replacement which performs flawlessly and is excellent. As others have noted the click mechanism can be a little soft, however, adding a 1/2 spring from a cheap click pen firms up the clicker considerably.Nice pen. Good form factor. Clicker a little soft as noted by others.Cartridge writes very smoothly. Unfortunately pen barrel and cap exterior finish was defective with some sort of gunk that could not be removed without seemingly permanently damaging the finish. Had to return it.

Pressurized Space Pen writes anywhere every time. Only pen I know of which can be left in the car all year round and still work when you need it. Heat/cold no effect on a pen used in space!

I bought this pen when I started the fire academy because I wanted a solid pen that could hold up to the abuse and perform well. It definitely held up well. I actually used it for two years with no issues in performance or durability. Unfortunately it has one major flaw that has made it unusable for me. I store my pens clipped to my pants pocket and from day one I had issues with the pen unscrewing itself in my pocket. Just yesterday I reached in to my pocket to find only the lower portion of the pen. It had completely unscrewed it's self and the top portion had fallen out of my pocket and was lost. For two years I managed to catch it before parts were lost but unfortunately this time I was too late. For most people this will not be an issue but for those who store their pens in their pocket and move a lot through out the work day look else where. I ordered the fisher zero gravity pen as a replacement. Hopefully it will not have the same issue.