[Pen/Pencil Review] The BIC Disposable Fountain Pen
This week’s pen review comes on the heels of having a random fountain pen discussion with an artist at local art festival. He was also a “pen guy” and dug fountain pens. He’s never heard of the BIC disposable fountain pen – and since I have (had) about five – I gave him the one in my purse. Because I do really like this particular pen, and need to put another one in my purse.
I picked up the BIC disposable fountain pens at my local Staples. They come in red, blue, and black ink. I prefer the black and the blue ink – the red comes out a bit on the light side (like a dark pink) for my taste. The pen body does have a viewing window so you can see how much ink is still in the pen. These pens are about 5.5″ long capped and nearly 6″ long with the cap posted. For a body of lightweight plastic, they do fit comfortably in my hand.
The nib is steel and comes only in a Medium point – but the BIC medium point for the FOUNTAIN pen is close to many other’s fine point (which is a direct dichotomy to all their other sizing). That was a very happy discovery on my part. The grip is simply molded plastic, but of a good diameter that hits that sweet spot between possibly too narrow to fit the nib and too wide to be comfortable for long-term use.
For a really inexpensive pen – they run about $3 in a single pack and about $7 in the 3-pen variety pack – they’re good for first time users or for those of us who don’t want to carry a “nice” fountain pen in a purse or backpack. I haven’t witnessed any leaking. The ink doesn’t feather on coarse paper or computer paper. It’s a solid little pen.
Now to the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – it works like it should. The nib is sturdy. The ink stays where it’s supposed to (in the pen or on the page – not in the cap or on my hands).
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – I will knock this down a little because it’s simply molded plastic which means there’s no cushion for people with a tight grip on their pens. There’s a ridge where the cap meets body that can irritate after long periods of time. There’s also an edge between pen and nib that if held “right” could dig into the finger.
3. Material – 1 it’s plastic, which for what the pen is, it’s good material. The nib is sturdy, doesn’t bend or warp. It is what it is.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 It is what it is. A cheap fountain pen for losing, lending, and learning. There are things that could be better – like the ink density in the reds. I like the blue and black a lot, may never use the red. The ridges could be molded differently, I suppose. But these are nitpicks.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s right in line for what I want to pay for this kind of pen. It’s comparable to others of its type. BIC isn’t over or underselling this product. I would buy more of them at this price point.
Overall? A 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
