The pen

This is the story of a love lost, then found.

As a kid, I would wake up on Christmas morning and find a stocking full of presents waiting for us, apparently delivered by a jolly fella dressed in red. More often than not there would be a set of pens within the trove — a swiss army knife like set of stationary providing a writing implement for every occasion.

Within this array of pens and pencils, there was a hidden gem. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s outer skin giving it an everyday sort of look, belying the experience it gives to the user when printing words on paper.

Fast forward 20 years, and I had forgotten the joy this pen gave me in days gone by. It bounced around my head over the years, like a distant fading memory. I would sometimes catch sight of it in a shop, or being used by another — most likely enriching their life as it did mine.

I don’t know why I didn’t track down this tool earlier. But recently I found myself on Amazon where my fingers typed, filling the search bar. A few clicks later and I was the proud owner of a distant, but ever nearing pack of pens.

The pen

It’s body is constructed of black plastic, with an end cap the colour of a mushroom from the plate of an english fried breakfast. You can find an indent on one side of the body, giving away the make and model of this superstar, as well as that hint that you have a good pen on your hands.

MADE IN JAPAN

The cap, far from contrasting the body, is the exact same plastic with a simple pocket hook.

Removing the cap from this wonder, you find something, that to some, maybe surprising. A felt tip. Held tight in a metal collar, precisely shaped to give the writing the smoothest of strokes.

The Pentel Sign Pen

If this pen were a person, they would be well into middle age by now. The first time this rolled off the production line was back in 1965, which as I’m sure you know is 4 years prior to humans setting foot on the moon. Far from feeling aged and out of fashion, this pen still holds its own against any new comers from the following 45 years.

But what does it do?

It’s a pen. It’s used to write by a creative human. Is there any simpler tool? You almost do not need anything else to use it. Paper can help, but the reality is it’s function is mostly undefined by the medium it’s writing on.

Why do I like it so much?

Good question. I think the fact that the line produced by this pen is so defined and solid gives it a permanence and a solidarity with the idea that it’s describing, either by drawing an image, or writing a passage of text.

It’s nice to hold. It’s simple. It’s effective.

What more do you need in a tool?

So next time you are looking for something to write with, give it a little more thought than just “how much ink is left in this biro?” or “what colour shall I use today?”

Actively decide on the tool you are going to use and make that decision count.