[Pen/Pencil Review] BIC Cristal ReNew Re-Fillable Pen and 2 Refills, Black
Today is National Ball Point Pen Day, which seemed like a good time to another pen blog – and to start making it more of a habit. And there’s nothing more classic on National Ball Point Pen Day than a BIC stick pen.
Today we’re talking about the BIC Cristal ReNew Re-Fillable Pen. I know it’s a mouthful, but I’ll get into the particulars. This is something I think Jimmy found mentioned somewhere, and I bought on Amazon. I bought this in August of 2022, but it’s still available on Amazon.
What makes this one different from basic BIC Cristals? It’s metal and it’s refillable. In fact, it’s the only BIC that come with refills. It’s very much like a typical BIC. It’s the same hexagonal barrel with no ergonomic grip. It’s everything a classic Cristal or Biro is but metal.
They run 5.75″ capped and 6.5″ with the cap posted. The barrel is a silver matte metal with a shiny silver plastic cap with the open top like a classic Bic stick. This comes with a barrel and two 1.0mm refills. There’s a slider at the base end of the barrel that pops the ink out easily – sometimes TOO easily – and the ink just pushes in and seats.
The refills are typical tungsten ballpoint does allow ink to flow easily. Being me and being partial to fine points, I’ve set aside the 1.0 mm and replaced those with the 0.7mm inks that I’ve harvested from the fine point BICs I’ve collected along the way. Since BIC Cristal/Biro are fairly universal, they fit just fine.
A wish is that BIC will start selling refills in the two point sizes to make this barrel a true long term investment. Because if I want more fine points? I have to buy the plastic pens (many times imported) and then pitch the plastic pen barrels – which is not sustainable and kind of defeats the purpose.
It’s not an inexpensive pen. So that makes the case for the refills becoming more readily available.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 It’s decent. No frills. No padding. Ink can be a bit clumpy and the refill mechanism can pop the ink out if you’re not careful.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a classic no frills pen. The grip and feel is hard due to metal. But you’re not buying this pen for the grip, let’s be honest.
3. Material – 1 It’s solidly built. The cap and barrel are secure. The metal is durable. The cap seems to be a stronger plastic than the normal BIC.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s a classic BIC pen that hasn’t changed in decades. Except for the materials and the ability to refill it. It’s a good feel
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s more expensive by far than your typical BIC. It runs about $10 on Amazon. There are no separate refills – so you have to harvest them from other pens, but the idea is spot on.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
