The fine-point, retractable Zebra F-701 is one of those take-anywhere, get-it-done ballpoint pens. The barrel is made from stainless steel, so it can put up with a good deal of abuse (including laser engraving and beyond), plus the knurled grip makes it a pleasure to write with. Not much else to say. This pen’s been around for years and it’s a solid everyday carry choice.

One cool thing you can do though is pair it with a Fisher Space Pen fine-point refill, which lets the pen write in virtually any condition (including zero gravity and extreme temperatures) and at any angle, making it a sort-of “poor man’s space pen”.

The top answer to this Amazon question offers a fairly simple method:

Its a little more complicated. But you DO NOT have to drill out the tip if you use a fine tip. (I am not sure of the other Fisher med. or bold refills. You do have to take out the tiny plastic insert located in the tip. You can just poke it out with a paper clip or nail. I just used a piece of 5/32 shrink tubing cut to the length of the tip that was taken out. DO not heat the tubing. Just poke it into the tip (make sure its secure). Find another spring from a junk pen that has less tension in it. Add just a tiny drop of lubricant on the new ink refill and assemble.

The Zebra F-701 pen is available for ~$5 as an Amazon add-on item. You can also toggle over to the two-pack option, which is $16.