U.S. Government Pen - Medium Point - Black Ink, 12 Count (Pack of 1)

Others have spoken about their experiences with these pens while in the service or working for the federal government, so you can read about the history there and how these pens have become iconic. I particularly love the fact that they are crafted in the USA by blind workers. To put it concisely, these are great pens. They are made for work and get the job done smoothly. They aren't exactly made for gifting to someone because they aren't shiny with the latest barrel design. They write so well, they are comfortable in the hand, and they don't fail for no good reason. I have big hands, too, and there's no fatigue even after a long time of writing. My hands don't slide down the barrel while using these, either, which is a godsend. To some folks, these may seem like dinosaurs compared to modern writing instruments, but these are made so well and they are so well-engineered that newer pens have nothing on them. I'm in my 50s now, but I first started using these when my dad (who was a civilian working for the Army) brought them home from work and I "borrowed" them from his briefcase. They lasted so long, wrote smoothly, and were incredibly comfortable to use, so anytime I found one, it was mine! When I went off to college, I didn't have ready access to them, so I stopped using them. Just recently, I was thinking about my dad and remembering those pens, so I looked around and found them on Amazon. I wasn't even sure that they were still manufactured. They are just as good today as they were then, so I have a package of them at work with me. I am the head of the company, so I may have my assistant get more for a few of the departments, if they want to try them. Anyway, I rambled, but trust me when I say that these are worth every penny. Make sure to get the medium point black ink version. Also, make sure to get the ones that say "Skilcraft U.S. Government" on them. I'm sure the other Skilcraft offerings are great, but the ones I'm recommending are truly the best!

The iconic Skilcraft US Government has been in continuous production for 50+ years now virtually unchanged. It's the last pen standing of its kind - the 50-60-70 "modern" industrial design school plastic body with chromed metal construction. It's even the last to use the formerly ubiquitous all brass tubular thin refill. The only detail that has changed is the metal band has picked up body color stripes along the way. You probably first came in contact with them in the military like me where they were everywhere. Design: The overall design of the US Gov't obviously took inspiration from the early 60's era Papermate Piggy Back/Malibu (production ended in early 90's). The designers slimmed the profile a tad, changed the ring to a band, streamlined the clip and added a taller, slimmer, more cylindrical button. Excellent. It's not retro, it's the genuine article. It's a small pen by modern standards and has no grip or fatigue relieving surfaces. Some might find writing at length with it unpleasant. On the other hand, the slim design fits nicely into any pen hole or loop in a uniform, shirt etc. which is exactly what it was designed for. Construction: Common for the era, the design of the US Gov't is executed in glossy black ABS plastic body and head with chromed steel button, clip, band and tip. The barrel unscrews revealing a standard for the era type straight, thin, brass tube refill. I did notice a couple of flaws. There are slight irregularities in the head molding that can be felt or seen at the right angles and the gloss on a couple the barrels have marred spots - which might be shelf-wear and not a defect. Neither are noticeable at conversation distance nor affect the functionality of the pens in any way. Writing: Writing is responsive with light pressure. A little heavier pressure makes a bolder line. It has a bit of tactile feedback but I wouldn't call it scratchy. No hard starting (once the ball is primed), skipping, broken lines, blobs or blotches whatsoever. I've never known one to leak. It's not the smoothest ballpoint I've ever used and nothing close to a rollerball or gel. It's a medium level performer. Ink: The ink color is a pretty standard ballpoint purple-black with a red sheen. It's an indelible ink - impervious to water and bleach washinging. Alcohol does make it explode but the writing is recoverable and any altered document altered would be obvious. It passed a freezer test. I haven't tested the upper limit of its temperature range or writing length. Bottom line: These are a bit pricey for what they are at near the $1/pen mark which approaches the bulk cost of the absolutely fantastic Uni-ball 207. The government pays maybe a little over half of that from what I can tell ($.50-.55/pen) and there aren't better bulk ballpoints out there in that price range. I highly recommend these because they're US made by the blind, have a timeless iconic design and solid performance.

These write smoothly, last a long time, and are well made. For the price these are among the best pens I have ever used. By modern standards they are a bit thinner than a common pen, but that does make them easier to carry in a notebook or a pocket. I even sent one through the washer and dryer (on low), and while I may have been merely fortunate here, it did not explode ink. In fact, it continues to write. They're cheap enough that you don't have to feel bad about losing one, but durable enough to warrant buying their inexpensive refills. I would liken them in many ways to a Fisher Space Pen, though more affordable and more disposable.

Great pen. Good Quality. Reminds me of my military days. These things always write.

Best pen ever. Just ask a retired vet.

An interesting pen that is really boring. This pen is comfortable since I like the parker jotter. Very similar but a little smaller. It is cheap but not only in a "Save a penny" way. It's designed to be as simple as possible and be reliable with no frills. It doesn't have an overly nice or impressive fit and finish, but it's perfectly adequate. That's interesting to me since I like making pens, I like using pens and like collecting pens. The metal nib on the tip shows, that they thought about durability and didn't want the tip to crack. The refill is brass, so it won't rust, the refill is also crimped so that the spring catches on it. The most efficient way to make that part work. The clip is actually surprisingly durable. On pens that look similar, I've seen far worse. The ink is black, smooth and consistent for a cheap pen. This pen is as strong as it needs to be and nothing more. It's nice enough looking on the outside for professional use and just left as is on the inside. The people that say this is the best pen they've ever used, I don't have ever used a nice(ish) pen. This certainly is not the nicest or best pen there is any almost any way. It's also far from the worst. It's a good, but cheap and efficiently executed pen with no frills yet is much better than things like the bic stick pens and many other more expensive bulk pens.

05/26/18 So far so good. I work as a mail carrier and go through pens a lot. Dropping, leaving them in the heat/sun and writing on different surfaces. I have only used one pen since I've received them and the one pen has gone through a lot already and so far it hasn't let up. No bleeding and no malfunctions. I'll update this in a bout a month. Update: 06/19/18 I've been using the same pen since I wrote the original review and I'm glad to say it's still holding up. It did bleed a little bit after leaving it sitting on the dashboard of my vehicle but it still holding ink and hasn't bled since. I've dropped this pen so many times and have written with it everyday on multiple surfaces. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the clicker...to extract the pen it works fine but when i want to retract it the pen gets stuck and I have to click it multiple times or really hard to get it to retract. The other problem I'm having is that it dries up fast when writing in a vertical position but when it does that I just tip the pen downward a little bit and then it will write again for a few seconds...enough time for me to fill in my notice form. All in all these are good, cheap and reliable...so long as I don't lose them the pens seem to last a good amount and even then from what I've read you can buy replacement cartridges for these.

I had kept one of these types of pens on my desk at work for the past eighteen years and still writes fine. I think it's a fine point. I like to use this guy to make corrections -- ball point pens don't get clogged up. They make medium point pens too. The company stocks us with Paper Mate stick pens that have a light ink and a flexible plastic barrel. It is heavier and doesn't have a smooth writing nib. That's why I buy my own pens.