Anyone like the old Parker T -Ball jotter ballpoint pens?

I have fancier pens, but have ten of those basic Jotters, scattered around among my desk, coats, the nightstand, briefcase, etc. Mine are all stainless, save for one with a dark green barrel that really appeals to me. I got my GD one with what I think is a fuchsia or magenta barrel. Some female color that she likes. She wants to teach art and knows more about subtle colors than I do. I just know that that color isn't very masculine...

The Jotter is one of the classic ballpoint pens and good value.

It scares me how hard it is to find refills now, though. Used to be, even the grocery store had them. Now, I have to shop office supply stores. And many are not real Parker refills, but a Swiss substitute. They work, though.

Any other Jotter fans here, and can you still find refills okay?

I love old fountain pens (1920's - 1949) but use Parker jotters when a ball point is necessary for ncr forms.

My uncle gave me a matched Stainless steel version, matched pen and pencil set for graduation in 1972. I still have them!

Always liked them but finding refills is a pain. Thank goodness for my trusty Cross pens.

I have always fancied Parker Jotters pens. Early ones were US made, then made in England. I never cared for the stainless models as they felt slick to me. The plastic bottoms were made in various colors over the years. While I detest plastic and have no plastic guns or holsters, old writing instrument with plastic are fine. I particularly like mechanical pencils and ball points from the 4o's and 50's. I have a beautiful Alexander mechanical pen beside my chair. It is green and yellow with an advertisement. What a neat writer. The company "Space Pens" had a replacement filler for their pens and the have an adaptor to fit the Parkers. Daily carry for me is an all brass Space Pen, as I am kind of hard on them. But my dress up days have a Parker Jotter with the Space Pen refill. It is far lighter.

It wouldn't matter what pen I had, My writing looks like chicken scratch. I tried hard when I was a school boy but just couldn't get it.

Dad had beautiful penmanship and my brother does too. I guess I got it from my Mom and even managed to be worse.

I had a Speedball set when I was a kid and turned out some nice drawings but couldn't get the lettering thing down. My Grandpa was talented with lettering.

My talent is architectural drawing. I can make a plan in no time and get better results than most professionals. The few times I've had to pull permits the guys at town hall freak out when they see my drawings and think I spent all night working on them. They really freak when I tell them it only took a few minutes per-page. I haven't done one in pen and ink since high school.

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Dum vivo cano

I just received refills for mine from amazon. Work great.

I had a Parker T-ball Jotter the first few years I was in college, I think I got it as a HS graduation present. Back in those days all engineering students used the plastic pocket protectors for pens and pencils. I wonder if those are still made? As so often has been the case with my stuff, it vanished, never to be seen again, at least by me. For a long time I haven't used any pens that I didn't buy at the Dollar Tree store.

Jim, I still have the T-ball jotter, I purchased at your suggestion. It's been a great kick around pen.

....but I hardly use one anymore. I keep a couple of labels in my pen drawer to remind me not to buy certain ones because they are ****. I like black and sometimes green ink. Nothing else. Fine to medium point.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Pocket protectors!
My sweetie teases me about using them Back in the day.
But how else were you supposed to hold your mechanical pencil, black pen, red pen, scale, triangle and Timely template???
I spent 25 years outside running a survey crew and we al used the. Up in il 1990 or so when they just quit being cool.
Now I'm off to the Google to see if they still exist!


We are safe! There is a boatload of them on Amazon!

Tons of refills available on Amazon.com
Hope this helps.


Pete

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Don't tread on me

I just hate to order basic consumer goods by mail. Ballpoint refills should still be in drug stores.

My bank has great ball points they give me free every time I visit. Since I don't get any interest any longer I collect bank ball point pens.

Carbons are why I used to keep a T-ball Jotter in my desk. My daily pen is an Esterbrook J equipped with a # 9461 manifold nib. Esterbrook made its name by offering easily changed screw in nibs for nearly every purpose or style of writing. The manifold nib is rugged enough to use to fill out multipart forms, which made it popular with salesmen, banks and the post office. Works well on shop work orders still and makes good looking log book entries too.

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"...the jotter made by Parker with the t-ball tip."

I have one around someplace, it is maroon and has a crack in the barrel.

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Don

I buy Parker refills by the half dozen on amazon. I get six for about what Office Depot wants for one.

I never really liked the Jotters. The clip is too flimsy, and they tend to fall out of my pocket when I bend down. What I like is the Parker classic pens. They are now only made and sold in India, but they can also be purchased on amazon in stainless, gold plate, and black. I keep several on hand in case of loss, and use one every day.

Yes and yes.

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"I also cook."

When I was ten, my father gave me a Parker for no particular reason, which was out of character for him. I treasured that pen and have carried one in my purse every day of my life. Brings a sweet memory with every use.

Paul Ryan lives in the Parker Pen founder's house.

I have two Parker fountain pen/T Ball Jotter/pencil sets: One is a stainless steel "Flighter" set from ca. 1953, and the other is a set in black from about the same time that my father owned. The fountain pens are 51's.

The 51's are a bit stiff for daily writers, but I did find a broad Italic nib for the Flighter, and it's nice and smooth.

I'm not a formal pen collector. I'm not up to speed on current production. Are Parkers still made, apart from those mentioned as being made in India?

I have both older U S Jotters, with a small recess in the cap, where they could put a logo or a company name, and later ones from the UK that lack that feature, probably as a cost-cutting measure.

That'd be in Janesville, WI?

Thanks. Interesting to know.

Had a Parker in my shirt pocket every day while I was working. It's around here somewhere. Since retirement, the ubiquitous BIC has been the pen of choice.

There are one or two around here somewhere?

Left row are plastic and stainless. The right hand row are all sterling silver. Three fountain pens, one 0.5mm pencil, and the rest ball points. The best sterling fountain pen came new in the box from DAV thrift store!"

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Yes, I have a stainless one, along with my set of Cross (Gold Plated), and Mont Blanc Roller Ball, as well as several other nondescript pens in my drawer. Since I retired all I carry is a Pilot G-2 (all plastic) pen that I can buy by the dozen at Sam's club.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Yes, they are still made.

Welcome to ParkerPen US

Pens were once a required item right after you outgrew the #2 pencil.

Some where in middle school we had to turn in all homework in ink. No ball points allowed.

Dad had a nice Parker 51 he bought perhaps in college, Silver cap with a jewel in the top. He used it for many years at work for signing and approving engineering plans. I tried the el cheapo's that had the plastic tubes that would eventually leak and destroy a shirt. Whether it was at Mom's insistence or him noticing he bought me a Parker 51, it was a cheaper model. I still have both plus a handful of others I have picked up over the years. I have my Grandmothers Schaeffer, I sent it back and they replaced the pen with a nice fountain pen and sent the family pen back with a nice note.

I used to carry them at work for signatures only. People would stare at them and ask is that real ink pen?

I have a bottle of Quink in storage. Mom found an old Parker ink bottle at a yard sale and gave it to me, it has the little well inside at the top.

I guess it was for a Quill pen or to fill your tube type so you did not dip it deep in the bottle.

In the late 80's I ran across a bunch of Parker 51's still new, 4 or 5.

I related on the forum once about finding a Parker Pen set in an animal shelter thrift shop in the box unused for $5.00. I traded it to a couple of old brothers who owned a pawn shop for a pair of Win M-12 Skeet marked guns, choked SK 1 and SK 2. I asked if they would be interested in the pen set on the guns, after they looked the pen over I owned the guns so quickly I feel I probably lost lots more money. But heck 1 matched M-12's for 5 bucks I did not weep long.

So who else remembers penmanship?

Good Lord: whose pen set did you find, Eisenhower's?

No, a retired jeweler from KC donated a ton of 50's stuff to the shelter. The pawn shop guys evidently knew pens, they said it was gold and explained the difference between gold plated and gold filled. They said probably had a buyer for it. I thought it was gold plated, they said no. Gold and it probably was a display type item.

To be fair I was asked for $100 to boot and paid it. I kept the matched M-12 Skeet guns for a short while and a collector went ga ga over them. I came out ok.

I've probably lost a dozen Parkers. I switched to Cross. I don't like them as well, but they don't seem to sneak off in the night the way the Jotters did. When in uniform, I wanted the cheapest most reliable and disposable pens I could find. As long as they had a black cap.

I thought the bad guys wore the black hats.

I wore Cross and Parker pens on duty. But I seldom loaned one. Didn't loan my pocketknife, either. I feel the same way about toothbrushes. The US Govt. black ballpoints worked okay. I think I fed them Paper Mate refills. But they're sorta cheap looking.

The Parker Jotter is the only pen I'll use for law enforcement. I love mine, and have carried two on me while at work, since 2005. I wish they were easier to find