One of the many projects I seem to collect like Pokemon is a website based on live concert reviews and artist interviews. It’s called Lost In Concert and you should go read some of the stuff – if for no reason other than to inflate my ego and make me feel special. But I digress. I spend a lot of time at concerts, in crowded venues, where cell coverage is a crapshoot at best. You also don’t want to be that douche who thinks his cell phone is a lighter so all digital options are out. Using a recorder would work, but it defeats the purpose in my opinion. It’s a crutch and will inevitably serve as a substitute for paying attention. You can’t digitize the visceral, emotional reaction you have to music, so that’s out too. The only option left is to go old school. Pen and paper. We’ll deal with the paper of choice later (I’m still undecided), but I’m going to address my pen of choice right now.
The County Comm Embassy Pen originally popped up on the radar when I wrote about it for Cool Material. If I’m going to be writing things, I might as well do it in style, right? More importantly, I needed a pen that would stand up to constantly being dropped, crushed, submerged and subjected to constant temperature change. The fact that it’s from a government contract, limited edition and can serve as a weapon were all just bonus points in my book.
It’s got a 301 stainless clip so your investment will remain safely cradled in your denim (no one stores pens in their pockets) or your bag. The body is is T6061 Type 3 Anodized Aluminum which, while completely meaningless to me scientifically, makes it awesome. It’s been dropped from distances as high as 20 feet (accidentally) and gotten moshed on. It’s no worse for wear. The knurling means it’s never going to accidentally slip out of your hand while you’re busy jotting down names, numbers or notes. You will lose it – or break your hand – before the pen fails.
Seeing as how it’s a pen, it better be able to write. It’s fueled by a black medium SPR4 Fisher Space Pen refill. Other than an awesome name, this means it writes in any position and with a temperature range of -30F to +250F. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s refillable. Spend $5 for a new SPR4 cartridge (you can buy them direct from County Comm if you want) and in 5 seconds flat you’re back in business. The ink density is good and it writes just as smooth as any non-marker, medium weight pen you’ve used before.
Niceties aside, it’s not without two flaws – one more significant than the other. Two months into ownership, I had to tighten the screws on the clip. I’m chalking this one up to average wear and tear because I use it every day. The other is the lack of cap storage. You screw the cap off and then what? Put it back in your pocket or pants? Simply threading the ass end to accept the cap doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.
It’s definitely not the cheapest pen in the world, but it’s well worth the investment. That Bic you stole from work is a piece of crap and it’s just going to explode in your pocket. James Bond would use the County Comm Embassy Pen… if he ever had to write anything down.
“You also don’t want to be that douche who thinks his cell phone is a lighter”
Truth.