First, there is a mostly-negative review of this pen from someone that did not like the Fisher ball-point ink. You either like the Fisher refills, they allow you to write on more surfaces, higher temperature range, etc., then other refills, or you do not -- they do skip more, particularly on first use, and they generally don't have the flow of say Lamy, which is generally the top refill in this category. I should note that Lamy refills do fit fine in the Fisher, so if you prefer those, and easy remedy.
In general, in terms of the Fisher Quad pen, it is a very well made pen, and an exceptional value at it's current price point. Advantages include:
* Rubber Barrel (easy to grip)
* Chrome finish below that, in high wear area
* Very good upper Barrel in a sort of grey/titanium type finish
* Better side release mechanism (many have plastic clip release)
I found the pen somewhat lighter than the metal Lamy 4-in-1 variants, but to have better heft than a lot of the cheaper pens. Make no mistake, the Fisher is very well made. The Stylus is quite functinal. The inks, once you get used to them, quite serviceable (and easily replaced with Lamy if you don't). The mechanical pencil is of the 0.5mm class. One of the top 4-in-1 pens at any price point, and an exceptional value at its current one. Fisher Space Pen, Multi-Action Space Pen (Q4)
There are already several long and good reviews for this pen so I'll try to keep mine short.
Overall:
A very nice pen, the multifunction capabilities are great and it looks good.
Pros:
Three separate writing instruments in one. 0.7 mm thick leads which doesn't break easily.
Mediums:
The stylus is a great idea but, many people won't need it. It doesn't work on the new type of touch screens found on modern cell phones (just the old ones like a palm pilot). You can probably switch the stylus out with another pen (perhaps a blue or green one) but, then the label on the end won't be correct (no big deal).
Its a space pen (which could be a pro or a con so I put it here). Some people don't like the "feel" of these types of pens. I like the fact that it can write upside down (done it many times), underwater (don't really have a need for this), in cold weather (done it) etc. I'm not used to writing with micron smooth special pen tips using ink that is ultra great or whatever. It gets the job done, if you want a pen that works you'll like it, if you want a pen that is friction free and uses ink found in one particular species of squid that only lives off the coast of Micronesia then don't get it.
Cons:
Not many and not that severe but, the ink cartridges are small so they'll run out a bit faster. You can find the regular space pen refills at places like Target or Walmart. These take smaller refills that you may have to buy online (I did anyway). You kind of have to expect this from a multifunction pen though.
Also the eraser is kinda small (like most mechanical pencils), I essentially don't use it because I don't want to buy refills. I instead use a separate eraser which is what I do with all the previous mechanical pencils I used so I don't see it as a big deal.
There you have it, my concise review. Hope it helps.
The downfall for many multi pens in the mechanical pencil. The Fisher multi has a good 0.7mm pencil and the ink pens are nice as well.
Most multi pens including the expensive ones only have 0.5mm pencils and the lead always breaks in the smaller pencil mechanicals, thus the lead runs out quick because it also does not hold much lead. The bigger 0.7mm lead means it holds less lead but it does not break nearly as much so it actually last longer. The eraser like every multi pen is basically emergency only, so keep a easer handy at the desk. I use a Staedtler Plastic Eraser.
The stylus is useless, it does not work on I-phones so it will only be good for your 1990s era Palm Pilot, I replaced it Lamy blue pen for blue, black, and red ink pens. The Fisher ink is nice not as nice as the Lamy ink but still good. Other multi's I have switched ink out as soon as I use them with Lamy ink because they are very light writing, but the Fisher ink will stay. The other things I don't like with the Fisher ink and like on the Lamy is the tip is colored coded so you can see you are using the blue ink, the Fisher red and black ink have the same tip so I scribble a bit to verify the color.
The selection action of the pen is nice it's the typical face up what you want and press the button, a small button on the side releases the selection. It works good and has little miss-selection. The look of the pen is great with the dark chrome barrel and chrome tip and buttons. The rubber grip feels great and is sized / shaped right to be comfortable not a annoying like many other grips.
The Fisher Multi does not have the heft of my Parker or my high end Rotring and Lamy multi pens. Those cost much more and have the annoying 0.5mm pencil issues so the Fisher is my favorite to use for day to day work and is a great buy.
Been using pens forever (who hasn't?) & always wanted to have a "favorite pen" but never found one.. until now. The Space pens are nothing new -- the pressurized ink writes smoothly and doesn't leak which is a huge plus. But what I really cared about is how this particular pen has not just regular black, but also pencil (.7mm too which is good since it's thick and not easy to break) & red colored ink. In my job, I must have a pencil on hand as well as red ink in addition to regular black. That meant 3 instruments. Now I am saved from that hassle. The padded grip is great and the pen is weighted perfectly. Plus, it doesn't cost a fortune for this pen either.
I had no need for the stylus function and frankly I would like to see an updated version do away with the stylus and instead put another ink color. This is as resistive screens have been on a huge decline in the past few years with much better capacitive screens taking over, and continuing to surge in 2011. Even resistive screens that exist today are so well adapted to finger pressure that you don't need a stylus for those type of screens either. Therefore, please get rid of the stylus, as it's a feature from yesteryear. - Stylus - Great Pen - Fine Writing Instruments - Astronauts'
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