Retractable Ball Point Will Not Stay Extended

[wvbeetlebug]

I have a a retractable ball point pen that a dear friend gifted me for Christmas a couple of years ago. He recently passed away so this pen is quite special. It is a Vera Bradly pen and I replaced the original refill with a Schneider Slider 755 XB.

 

This issue is that once the pen is extended, pressing too hard or laying the pen down more than gently causes the pen refill to retract. It does not retract fully. If I drop the pen on my desk at a height of merely 1" the refill will retract. The point of the pen is still barely visible out of the tip of the pen thus I have to click the top twice to get it to extend again.

 

I am not in the habit of throwing my pens around especially this one but it happens enough to make it a bit annoying.

 

Please note that is was doing this with the original generic refill that came loaded in the pen.

 

Any idea what I can try? I was thinking that maybe the part of the pen that causes the refill to retract is not seating properly. Perhaps it needs adjusted or modified somehow.

 

Thanks for listening!

[redpillow]

Hi Wvbeetlebug,

 

Are you sure it's the correct refill? Perhaps it doesn't take a "Parker style" refill which is the case with the Schneider slider.

 

Redpillow

[Newton Pens]

Yeah refill size being wrong will do this. You could also try a slightly shorter spring if you can find one from a different clicky pen.

[wvbeetlebug]

Thank you for the suggestions. Looks like the quest will continue. I tried a shorter spring and a different refill. Same results. I suppose I shall just have to be gentle for now until I find a solution.

[Stephen2020]

If you have the original refill make sure the new one is exactly the same length. It might only take a few seconds with some emery paper if it is slightly too long.

[wvbeetlebug]

I suppose my old friend was watching over me because I went to Staples the other night thinking maybe the Parker refill I had and also the Parker style refill that came with the pen were not working. I also saw on the internet that perhaps the Cross refill was the more appropriate refill for this pen. I knew better but I figured what did I have to lose so I tried it in the store. There's always that one package that is already opened right? Sure enough the Cross refill suggested on the net is way too long.

 

I always make it a point to check the clearance aisle at Staples, just in case. This time did not disappoint. Sure enough in the clearance aisle were two of the exact same color and make of my pen! I gave one a try to see if it behaved as mine did. I even removed the cartridge, installed it in mine, just to test. Lo and behold my pen was just plain ol' defective. I explained the situation to a nearby associate and she was gracious enough to allow me to swap the pens.

 

Now I know that the pen I have is not the one my friend actually gave me but it's still technically the same. I walked out of the store happy, saying, "Brian would be pleased."