Thoughts on the Bic Cristal

April 24, 2016

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.

Felt tip face-off: Sharpie Pen vs. Sakura Pigma Micron

April 14, 2016

I have recently discovered a strong fondness for felt tipped pens. They seem to give me a lot of the things I like about pencils in terms of how they feel on paper, but with the convenience of a pen (no sharpening or smearing, consistent tip size, and an array of color options). I have the luxury of an art supply store on campus that sells singles of a wide variety of pens, so I thought that I would do some comparisons and start off with two of my favorites - the Sharpie Pen and the Sakura Pigma Micron. These are two great pens that really set the bar for what a felt tipped pen should be.

Sharpie Pen
Things I like:

Pretty inexpensive
Very water and light resistant (see tests here for light resistance)
Of the two, this pen is the more comfortable to hold
Tip seems finer/able to resist mushing better
Dries quickly
Fairly mainstream

Things I don't like:

Ink seems like a "light black"

Pigma Micron
Things I like:

Truly black ink
Color variety is better
Wide range of tip sizes
Metal clip can be adjusted, to a point
Water resistant and would assume light resistant as well

Things I don't like:

Slightly harder to find in normal stores and slightly more expensive
Lots of sharp edges and short section
Body color scheme is drab

I have a really hard time picking a clear winner between these two. I wish I could mix the body of the Sharpie with the ink of the Micron - that would probably be my perfect felt pen. Until then, I reach for them both equally and the difference in cost is so slight that it will not affect my purchasing habits. If all you have available is big-box retailers, I would highly recommend the Sharpie and I doubt you will find yourself unhappy with it. But, if you have an art supplier nearby, give a Micron a try - maybe for you there will be a clear winner but for me, there's room at the top for two.

Story Supply Co Kickstarter Unboxing

November 13, 2015

Join me as I check out my reward from the SSC Kickstarter! Excuse the fast talking and shaky hands - I had a cup of coffee right before recording and I'm not used to being caffeinated in the middle of the day. But this couldn't wait!

Story Supply Co website here.

Pen Review: Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Maxi

October 18, 2015

Here's a bit of info/propaganda about the material that the pen is made out of, from the Visconti marketing materials:

"The material in this pen is as antique as the world: lava from the Etna volcano. Nevertheless, it has several characteristics that render it unique in the manufacturing of writing instruments. Visconti has successfully produced a material containing over 50% of pure basaltic lava, catalysed together with resin in a formula – patented thus obviously kept secret -whose extraordinary characteristics practically transforms it into a material perfectly fit to writing instruments."

This info comes from here.

If you would like more precise weights and measurements, you can find them here. (No affiliation with Goulet Pens, just gotta support the local retailer!)

Also, if you don't have time/the inclination to watch the video, here are my notes that summarize the key points of the review:

This pen was loaned to me for the purpose of review and I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions above are my own and you are free to disagree with me if you like.

Will it write?

October 1, 2015

*Update - I've been informed by a pretty reliable source that the CH 92 was most likely also inked with Pilot Blue Black*

Now that Pencil Month is over, I thought I would have a little fun and see which of my fountain pens would put ink to paper right away after a month of very little use.

Here's the post that inspired me, from Pentulant.