[Pen/Pencil Review] The BIC Triumph 530RT
This week’s pen is the BIC Triumph 730 RT. I picked this up at Office Depot in the clearance bins. The package came in a 3 pack, either all black or black/red/blue. I chose the multi-color pack. BIC apparently believes in this pen, it’s been given its own webpage.
The BIC Triumph 730 RT packaging makes some claims that I intend to address. Some I agree with. Others…not so much. The one thing I agree with the most – this is a 0.7mm pen which is marked on the packaging as a “medium” point. Yes, thank you. With the defaults in pen points going to 1.00mm as the medium default, this is a TRUE medium point pen to my mind. I like gel ink.
As for calling it on the packaging “The Ultimate Writing Experience”…yeah, NO. It’s not. By a long shot. The ink takes a while to dry. When I did the writing sample on plain, white computer paper even after a second or two, the ink smeared when brushed by a finger–all three colors. If you’re buying this for the acid-free, fade resistant claims for like scrapbooking, that’s probably true. And it’s probably true that it’s “Secure Gel Ink” that helps prevent check fraud, but it still has to dry first. If you’re left handed or in a hurry, it will smear. That can be a problem. The packaging claims smooth writing. I will give it that. The colors are nice and rich. The roller ball is, indeed smooth. I’ve not encountered skips or misses. It lays down a clean (when dry) and solid line.
It claims to be “streamlined and sophisticated”. Okay, I’ll give it streamlined. It’s got nice curves and a comfortable, ergonomic grip. The retracting mechanism is solid, but not stiff. I just have to remember it’s a retractable pen and not use them in interviews or other times where fidgeting might get me into trouble. Though the clicking/retracting mechanism is solid and gets the job done. But “sophisticated”? NO. It’s a decent looking pen. It would look nice on most desks, but this thing is plastic with some metal accents. Sophisticated to me is resin or metals. Not plastic.
So for all that it’s a functional, refillable, available most places pen, it’s adequate. The ink seems to last a good while. It’s fairly comfortable for long-term use. But it’s not the “ultimate writing experience”. I’ll use these, but I’m not sure I’m going out to buy a bunch of refills or get more. They’re all right, but they don’t WOW me.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 It’s okay. The ink is rich and smooth, but smears easily if you’re not careful.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – The grip is ergonomic and comfortable. It fits well in the hand and is pretty well balanced.
3. Material – 0.5 For a pen that’s touted as “the ultimate writing experience”, it’s a relatively inexpensive plastic retractable pen.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s long enough to be comfortable. It fits in my hand and doesn’t cause fatigue when used for long periods of time .
5. Price Point – 1 – These seem to run between $5-$7 for a three pack, so they’re ~$2 a piece, which is a decent price for a pen like this.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
