BiC Cristal Ball Pen

Being a university student I get through a lot of Pens and being an Engineering student they have to get through being smashed about in pockets during labs but also keep up with fast lectures. To have a solid sturdy pen that is comfortable to write with but also is available on a student budget is tough but these pens fit the bill!

In all honestly I have been amazed by the BIC range for a few years now since Sixth form and I have many of their products. I have found that the brand is one that you can trust to perform reliably which I feel is worth paying just a little bit more for.

So onto these pens and this model in particular. The BIC Cristal pens are fairly inexpensive and I personally buy them in packs of 50 from amazon for £7.68 as I get through so many. I use medium 1mm black pens but they are available in a few different sized points and come in red, blue, black and green (possibly more).

There is nothing fancy about the design but it works so why fix what isn't broke I say. The clear design of the barrel lets you easily monitor the ink level in the pen and this is extremely useful in my experience and actually very accurate. Unlike other models the ink does not stick to the ink barrel therefore you can get a very accurate ink level reading.

The shape of the barrel is hexagonal which stops the pen rolling off of surfaces which can be annoying but allows for a comfortable and solid grip by the users hand. Some dislike the hard plastic feel of these pens in your hand but I find that I can use this pen for a whole day of writing lectures and not have any aching in my hand so I cannot complain.

The lid of these pens are coloured the same shape as their inks which is handy for quickly grabbing pens, like the end of the pen has a coloured insert in case the pen is in a pot upside down. I can only describe the shape as 'bullet pointed' but you can see the shape from the picture clearly. As usual it has a hole in the tip in case it is swallowed so that it doesn't block the airway - a well thought out safety feature if there are children around.

Overall I would say that these pens are a great buy and I have had countless numbers of them and keep buying more. They are much cheaper to use than refillable ink pens but they are just as cheap and much less messy. Due to their sturdy build i rarely break a pen but when i inevitably do i am not upset that i have wrecked an expensive pen which is great for such a well performing pen. Just try one but I'm sure you'll be buying them in packs of fifty like me before long. Good design, decent price, faultless performance!