The perfect companion to your DOD issue green notebook? Behold the Made in USA Embassy Pen from Calif. military (paramilitary?) outfitter Country Comm. These pens have been around for a little while, but when County Comm – who manufactures these bad boys in their machine shop for government contracts – occasionally has some extras (overages?) it drops them into its online shop so faux-woodsman-wannabe-tough-guys like me can buy them and look cool. But seriously, the Embassy Pen seems overkill to me, which is why I like it. I suspect it will last forever. Not to mention the fact that the pen-gut-parts are made by the Fisher Space Pen guys, which enables the Embassy Pen to work in temperatures ranging from -30°F to +250°F. That kind of shit always comes up during my life as a Manhattan-dwelling faux-millitary-creative-type. For example, what if I dropped my regular pen in my fancy latte? Ruined. But not with the Embassy Pen.
But again, seriously, these things are cool. I own two, and you can too, regardless of your day-job. More info than you ever needed to know about the Embassy pen can be learned in this video. Purchase one here.
After a 16 year career in international affairs, I am very underwhelmed with anything associated with U.S. embassies. But it is a lovely pen.
Already have seen these being sold elsewhere for $70.
Yay! Another 25 posts of you whiny fucking ACL commenters taking something pretty cool and picking it apart to find every fault, cliche, what you would’ve done, who did these better, what country sucks, why black is sooooo hipster, the technical aspects of why a red pen would be better “in the field etc…etc…etc…
Girlfriends are a positive thing guys.
Peace out,
RS
This is the pen Chuck Norris uses.
I guess this pen wouldn’t easily slip out of hand (and into fancy coffee) though, right? Those grips are for real.
Having made the same mistake as recently as last week, I can say definitively that Santa Clara is not in southern California. It is easily confused with Santa Clarita, which is in the San Fernando Valley. Cool pen though.
Santa Clarita is not in the San Fernando Valley. It’s 30 minutes north in the Santa Clarita Valley.
A local.
Michael thanks for the clarification (sort of). I updated the post and don’t claim to own a map or possess a great knowledge of California geography, even though I am in the state at the moment.
Blackhawk! makes a SERPA paddle holster for that pen you know…
This pen would never work for someone actually in the military (unless you’re SpecOps maybe) simply because someone would steal it. Marines and Sailors are shady, a Pilot G2 disappears in a day. Best to stick with Skilcraft.
$8 shipping for a pen?
They probably ship UPS ground and you can’t really send anything (to residential) for less than $7/$8. Trust me we deal with that shit in our own shop. USPS is cheaper but it is a nightmare. And god forbid you want to track anything or redirect with USPS.
Thats a nice hasselblad… have been wanting to pick one up for a while
as a ups driver i thank you for understanding our costs.we are expensive but we do give you your moneys worth. plus they have to charge that to afford our teamster’s wages. union yes!
Just read some reviews on the pen and apparently you can’t put the cap on the end of the pen while writing. So, you’re either stuck holding the cap or just laying it down somewhere until you’re done. That may not bother some, but might be a show-stopper for others.
Swell looking pen otherwise.
Merry Christmas.
Every pen grip should be knurled. Awesome.
Once again, Michael Williams come through. well curated site and appreciate the occasional product endorsement. I bought this pen about six months ago and use it everyday. Actually sketching with it while I surf ACL… Worth every bit and hope it’s never stolen.
The pen is actually designed for self defense and used as a kubaton.
….. gearpatrol much?
http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2010/12/03/essential-gear-10-badass-tactical-pens/2/
I own this pen, and it is lovely. The only issue, and it does bug me, is that there’s nothing to do with cap when you take it off. It photographs well and feels great in the hand, but on first use the critical flaw becomes evident. Where do you put the cap? I suppose it’s something that affects any real fountain pen, but I’m half-convinced that this might be some sort of commentary. If so, deftly done, sirs. Deftly done. If, on the other hand, it’s not a pen but a fuck-you-up tool that also writes, then no problems.
Sold
Nice. Just ordered mine. Thanks.
This pen rocks!
I bought one this spring w/ a Maratac G10 watch band (highly recommend), this pen has some “heft” to it and it could take sometime to get used to it. It does fit in your hand much better then the “original” Fisher Space Pen
My buddy is a Navy Pilot, so I gave it him because it was more appropriate for him, going to be ordering another one soon, they also sell a “stainless steel” one that is very heft, also CountyComm sells a lot of neat stuff and you can buy some completely random things.
A friend of ours is headed to Antarctica next month for a six-week-long research trip. Now I know what to get him!
The cap has the clip, so just clip it to your shirt, jacket, pants, cap, pad, etc. when using the pen. Seems like a non-issue. . .
I hate it when its 250 degrees out and my pen won’t work:(
I will through away my Montblanc and get this one instead!
Ordered… $8 for shipping and all! I will say, after my experience at the PUF this year, I don’t have many kind words for UPS.
Thanks for the tip Michael I have been using a Retro 51 Tornado I picked up at Martin Patrick 3 (great store, shitty pen… $20 bucks I guess you get what you pay for) in Minneapolis and it ruined one of my shirts! This will be a great step up!
Pen looks solidly awesome.
Great writing too. I think when you live in an apartment in NYC and write a blog about work boots and generally rugged, outdoors-y shit, it helps to be a little self depricating.
Keep up the good work dude!
Did anyone notice the guy draws an “All Seeing Eye” in the video demo?
pretty damn chill, even though the stainless steel “elite” kind of looks slightly sicker.
Note that the writing performance from these (and most non-fountain pens) comes from a $4 refill. You can get the same write-upside-down-in-ridiculous-temperature performance by putting the refill in a Parker Jotter. Such a plastic pen might be better for Antarctica – the large diameter exec pen might be easier to handle with gloves, but has lots of metal to get cold and soak heat out of your hand.
County Comm shipping is relatively expensive, but they offer a large number of interesting things so it pays to look around and order a bunch of stuff at once. Maratac watch bands are probably the most immediately appealing to readers of this blog. There are a ton of other well-made, useful gadgets and gizmos. I’m sure some are destined to become the “functional, old-time workwear” in ACL’s great-great-grandchild. The aviation key ring, peanut ligher, and led flashlights are all candidates.
Ordered one. Love the look. Hope it isn’t too heavy. Don’t like a pen that is too heavy.
To help ease the pain of the shipping, pick up their Stainless Steel Maratac AAA Flashlight with your pen. You will find a use for it everyday. It has survived several trips through the washer and dryer also. Great little light.
http://www.countycomm.com/aaapolish.html
Mine was run over by a cab on 6th Ave and still works perfectly.
This pen is definitely overrated! I ordered two on the recommendation. Mistake. I am in the process of trying to return them. Turns out that is a difficult process. Buyer Beware!
How so, Robert? I think one may be waiting under the tree for me. Just wondering if you can state exactly why you’re returning them.
I like mine. I do wish I could screw the cap on the back. I probably won’t give up my other pens. But realize what you are purchasing: a black metal pen.
If you want a pen that writes well, get a nice uniball deluxe or micro. I like them for notes at school.
If you’re looking for something that looks cool, won’t break, and can break glass in a pinch, this’ll do.