The Parker Jotter pen is the most famous retracting refillable ballpoint pen from the Parker Company.

A Jotter is made of four basic components:

1. A button and a cap usually of stainless steel
2. An arrow shaped-clip
3. a styrene or metal barrel
4. A metal nozzle

If the barrel is made of styrene, it can come in different and extravagant colors.

According to Parker's website it feels very comfortable when writing and the ink adheres very well on paper. The refills come in four sizes and four colors.

A few years ago, Parker Jotters started being outsourced. And as such, they began to show a British accent so to speak. The pens changed a little bit, but not to much as to cause confusion and discomfort. At least that is what many customers believe.

The Good

Parker Jotter ballpoint pens are pens that are not expensive and yet look very professional. If you lose it, you can easily get another one without worrying about paying large sums of money for a new one, which is pretty much the case with Cross pens.

It writes smoothly and, like Parker's website clearly indicates, it feels very comfortable when writing.

Refills. If you get bored with ball pen refills you might as well change it to a gel refill. Gel refills also come in different sizes.

On the other hand, if you don't get tired of ball pen refills but would like to try other brands just for the fun of it, you could use a Staedtler refill, or even better, a Fisher Space pen refill, famous for their unique characteristics: they can write in zero gravity, under water, in extreme temperatures, and oily surfaces.

The clip. The classic arrow-shaped clip not only gives that sophisticated appearance that Jotters are famous for, it is very resistant and it will slide smoothly behind your shirt pocket or tie.

Click mechanism. The click button doesn't get depressed easily which is great. Imagine having a retracting pen inside your pocket that accidentally activates and starts staining your shirt or pants.

Built. Plain and simple, Parker Jotter pens are tight and don't fall apart.

The Bad

If you have big hands, Jotters might not be your cup of tea. Some people have complained that it is a little thin near the tip which may cause discomfort, especially if you have big hands.

Jotters don't have a rubber grip, which actually would ruin their awesome look. However, they could get slippery after writing for a very long time.

And of course, if you are very rooted to the old models, the ones that included all metal parts, you might not enjoy this ones as much.

Conclusion

Parker Jotter ballpoint pens might have changed a little, but the writing experience continues to be great.

Give it a shot. Try different refills available, most likely they will improve your pen quite a lot.