1.0mm

Review: Parker 1M, Ballpoint, 1.0mm

by Andrew

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The Parker Pen Company has been making click-style ballpoint pens for more than 60 years, and this 1M model proves they know what they’re doing. It looks and feels good to hold, it’s balanced well, and the thickness makes for a comfortable writing experience. However, there’s one major problem with the 1M ballpoint; the refill is atrocious.

While using the Parker 1M, I have to keep a scratch pad nearby because it takes a few pen strokes to get going. Even then it occasionally skips out in the middle of a sentence, and it always feels a bit sluggish against the paper. I didn’t notice many issues with ink blobs and smearing, but this wasn’t enough to make up for its deficits.

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I really do like everything else about the Parker 1M ballpoint. It even has the same hardy retracting mechanism as the Parker Jotter, which I love to “click” incessantly whenever I use it. If you’re willing to spend a little extra money, Parker has a lot of other refill options available. Hopefully I’ll find one that works better than the one included here.

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Review: Parker Jotter, Ballpoint Pen, 1.0mm (blue ink)

by Andrew

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The Parker Jotter has been around since the 1950s, and it is probably the nearest thing to being the classic click-style pen. It has a durable stainless steel and hard-plastic construction, a light and compact build, and a retracting mechanism that makes one of the most satisfying “clicks” I’ve ever felt. It’s no wonder why Q used the Parker Jotter to build his grenade-pen for James Bond in 1995’s GoldenEye.

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The standard refill that currently ships with the Jotter is a 1.0mm, blue-ink ballpoint. Though I personally prefer finer-tipped pens, the Jotter produces a consistent and reliable line, despite having some drag across the paper. Parker also offers a variety of alternative refill options, but you’ll have to find and purchase those separately.

Overall, the Parker Jotter is competent at walking the line between the professional and the pragmatic. It’s small and sturdy enough to throw in a backpack without much thought, but it also has a fairly polished look. It’s in the same category as a pen like the Zebra F-301, but for my money, the Jotter is a much better choice.

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