Parker Jotter Ballpoint Pen

Parker Jotter

How I came to be in possession of this pen is a very disturbing and upsetting story. You may wish to remain seated while I tell this terrible tale.

It began on an ordinary visit to my parents house one Sunday afternoon. I'm sitting in the garden and my Mum says she has something for me. She disappears into the house and returns with this Parker Jotter. It was missing a refill but along with the pen she handed me an unopened Parker Fine point refill which I immediately opened so I could bring the pen to life and test it's capabilities. It was then that my Dad drops the bombshell. It was my brothers pen and he was going to throw it in the bin. Now why on earth would he do that? He has a sister who he knows has a mild,small, slight, OK who am I kidding, huge pen obsession, so why deny me the pleasure of another pen to put through its paces? What was it about this pen that offended him so much that he thought the only place for it was the bin? Thankfully my parents were there to save the life of this Parker Jotter so my mission is to review it and see if I can get to the bottom of why it was so cruelly cast aside.

This Parker Jotter is made from stainless steel. It's one of the more neutral Jotter designs which means it's ideal for just about any setting and is unlikely to cause offence with it's colour  (unless you're my brother). Maybe my brother just wanted a pen with more personality, in which case he could have gone for one of the coloured options or even the Premium Parker Jotter which looks just that little bit more special.

Slim body

The pen is a small size at 13cm long. It's slightly shorter than most of the pens in my pen pot but not as much as I first imagined it would be. I think it feels smaller than it actually is.

It is lightweight so I feel I can move freely across the paper and if it wasn't for the barrel being so thin I would barely even notice I'm holding a pen at all. The body of the pen thins towards the tip and the lack of a grip can make it feel slippery after a while. My fingers overlap when I try to grip the pen on the thinner end which makes it quite uncomfortable and awkward and the whole thing becomes an ordeal. Holding the pen on the thicker section helps to keep slipping at a minimum and makes it much more comfortable to use.

Parker Jotter ink sample

The pen responds well to paper. It's smooth but offers just enough resistance without feeling scratchy to give me a sense of control. I'm all for exceptionally smooth pens but there is such a thing as too smooth and Parker have ensured that this pen doesn't fall into that category.
The ink flow is typical of that of a ballpoint, occasional false starts, the odd skip here and there but nothing so bad that I feel spoils my writing. They are flaws that if I'm honest I've come to expect in a ballpoint and with this Parker I must say the occasional blips are far and few between so it is one of the better ballpoints in my collection.

Parker's signature clip

The Arrow clip which makes a Parker instantly recognisable is definitely my friend. I can clip this pen to anything I want, be it a single sheet of paper, the thick cover of my notebook or onto my pocket and trust that the clip will keep my Parker safe. One drawback of the super secure clip is that it clings to a sheet of paper so tightly that it sometimes leaves a mark so if you need something to stay in pristine condition don't clip the Parker to it. Otherwise go ahead, your pen is safe. The Parker's small frame has it's benefits, this pen slots perfectly into any of my pockets without the slightest hint of discomfort.

This is a Parker don't you know!

The Parker Jotter has a clicky button with P for Parker just in case anyone missed signature clip.
One small annoyance, the pen rattles ever so slightly if you shake it. I know what you're thinking, then don't shake it, but I can't help it. It's the refill inside rattling about. I did have a look inside to see if maybe I'd missed something and the refill wasn't secured properly but as far as I can see it just drops into the slot in the barrel. There's no way to secure it.

Make this pen your own with the many refills available

The Parker Jotter is refillable and there is a selection of different refills available so you can really make this pen your own. I've used a fine point ballpoint refill in black as it's what I was given with the pen but at some point I might try it with a Parker Gel ballpoint refill just for fun.

Overall I'd say it's an alright pen. It's reasonably comfortable to hold once I got used to it's petite frame. It's portable, it feels smooth to write with, the ink flow is perfectly acceptable and it doesn't  follow in the footsteps of some ballpoints which seem to go out of their way to infuriate me. It does what I ask of it most of the time. As the name suggests this pen is great for jotting. Jotting down notes, numbers, job lists for the other half, whatever you want to jot, the Parker Jotter is ready and waiting and it certainly doesn't belong in the bin.