There has been some chatter lately about the Bic Cristal, from Brad at The Pen Addict to the Erasable Podcast (I can't remember which episode, so if you know it, let me know!) to a Facebook group entirely devoted to this modest ballpoint pen. And, at $1.59 for a pack of ten, I didn't have a good excuse to not see what all the fuss was about.
I hate to say it, but I just don't love the Cristal. Don't get me wrong, I want to soooo bad. The Cristal has been described as "the pencil of pens" and I 100% agree. It's simple, it's cheap, it works without being fiddly.
But for me, the Cristal has no joy. The colors are a bit washed out and sad and the body feels cheap (hey, it is cheap!). While I am pretty sure that the Cristal is water resistant, my prior ink testing experience showed that a Bic Roundstic did not hold up well to sunlight, so I hesitate to use something like this for anything where permanence is key.
If you are looking for a way to spend less than $2, have a handful of pens that will be really reliable and not require further thought, go get you some Cristals. But for me, I need a bit more joy in my writing than this pen can provide.