Palimpsest's reader, Claire, writes about her favourite pen:
A Most Reliable Pen
I do love ogling all of the fancy pens when I pop into
Ryman, but to be honest, the pen I couldn't live without is my Parker Jotter
Stainless Steel Ball Point Pen. There are no frills attached with this Parker,
it’s a very simple retractable pen. I think it’s this simplicity that makes it
such a reliable pen. That’s the most important thing for me when it comes to
pens, reliability. I’ve had three of the cheaper Parker Jotter Ballpoint pens,
all of which have met leaky, inky and sticky ends, ruining my notebooks. That
was probably partly my fault for leaving them loose in my school bag but when
you are in a hurry you do sometimes stuff them in your bag quickly. I've had no
such problem with my Parker Jotter Stainless Steel Ball Point Pen which has
served me well for about 5 years and counting.

I've found the ink to be water resistant, a property that
was very desirable when I confronted by a deluge of rain whilst trying to
navigate using a map I had scrawled with my pen. In short the Parker Jotter
Stainless Steel Pen is a great everyday pen that is affordable so you won’t
have to be too worried about losing it if you carry it around with you.