[Pen/Pencil Review] The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen – Flerken Edition
I found out recently that fellow Yard Dog Press authors, Phillip Drayer Duncan and Tracy Morris talked about pens and this blog on Phillip’s Future Best Seller Podcast. Which means, I should keep up the work…right?
While in East Texas a couple last weekend, I picked up a BIC 4-Color pen with Flerken on it from their The Marvels line (I also got the Captain Marvel).
The BIC 4 color pens have been around for DECADES. I remember getting them mumblety mumblety years ago in school. I had some great nostalgia seeing them in Firefly Lane (which please watch on Netflix if you want to laugh, cry, cuss, and work through emotional baggage). Little has changed in the BIC 4 color pens. The basic ones all come with red, black, blue, and green ink – the “fashion” ones in some combo of pastels. The barrels might have some different colors, but you knew what you were getting all those years.
This is no different. The barrel, if anything, maybe a bit less wieldy? It’s completely plastic. Not ergonomics. Everything about the pen is functional. It’s not so wide that it’s uncomfortable. The length is good at about 6” long (a touch longer with the point extended). The clip is molded plastic but solid and the stylus works on both my phone and iPad. The ink is typical ballpoint – there’s a bit of smearing with the darker colors if it doesn’t sit for a second. The green ink is still the weakest link, but it’s hard to find a green ballpoint ink that is dark and rich like the other primary colors.
These pen come with the default 1.0mm points. Which okay, fine. That’s what happens. But… if you know where to look on Amazon? You can get 0.8mm refills. Which I did. The inks are an easy (ish) tug out and push in to fit into the casing. The retractions are the same over the decades, you push down on a color to extend the ink and click another color to retract the ink.
The Numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It works. It wrote right out of the package in all four colors and the stylus is functional
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s a, plastic, no frills pen. It’s hard plastic. No grips.
3. Material – 1 For an inexpensive plastic pen, it’s solidly built. The cap and barrel are secure. The licensing is not coming off..
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s a classic BIC4-color pen that hasn’t changed in decades. Except for the stylus. Something needs to give in green ink.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I’ve only seen this at Office Max (yes, Max – but probably also at Depot) – and down with the specialty pens. It’s running $7 there – which isn’t BAD for four colors and licensing, but it’s also not the world’s most economical pen. The inks on Amazon were also $7. But it’s still worth checking out – especially for economy of space.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
