Freak369's Full Review: BIC America Rollerball Pen Micro Point 0.5 Mm Blac...
Bic has consistently manufactured high quality writing products for years. They were the ones that made that cool four color clicker pen that everyone wanted when they were in primary school and the ‘buy them by the box’ pens your parents used. Just when you think that there’s nothing else that they could possibly come up with to improve writing, they release this gem. Annabelle gets the credit for this one, she found one of the fine point black ones in the snow and I really liked the way that it wrote. Since she refused to share [sadly, a trait of pen junkies] I picked up a few packs of these at Target. I wasn’t paying attention to the packages when I picked them up and assumed that I grabbed both the fine and micro fine in black. I knew that the fine point [.7mm] was awesome so I wanted to check out the micro fine [.5mm], when I ripped open the package and saw I grabbed the red ink instead of the black I was a little disappointed. Black is my first choice when it comes to pen ink but the more I wrote with the red one, the more it grew on me.
Bic Grip Roller Ball Pen Red Ink 0.5mm Micro Fine Point
As I mentioned in the review of the black fine roller ball, this is a pen that will last a long time providing that you don’t lose it. One of the many things that impressed me was the construction of the barrel, it’s a thick plastic body with a metal pocket clip. Most pens that have metal clips are poorly made and they end up snapping off after a few weeks. Since I carry a backpack or messenger bag most of the time I like to clip pens and automatic pencils inside the loops so I don’t have to fish around for them. The cap snaps back on to the pen securely so if you do clip it on to something, you don’t have to worry about it coming apart and causing a mess. There’s less of a chance of these causing the same mess as a porous point or felt tip pen but rest assured, if any pen floats around inside a purse or knapsack, it will get all over everything. That’s one of the reasons why I like having roller ball pens with me instead of others. Even though I grabbed the red ones in the micro fine point, I fell in love with the fine line ability and quick drying ink.
Another plus to this is that it has a rubber comfort grip on the writing area that can really help if you do a lot of writing. It isn’t soft and mushy but it does feel great when you are taking notes or doing a lot of drawing. I didn’t think that I would have much use for the red pen but I started using it on some artwork that I wanted to add some color to. Since this is a roller ball it will cause some indentation on the surface of the paper so if you are concerned with that, don’t press all that hard or use this as the last step. The ink doesn’t bleed or feather and it dries quick so there’s no chance of it smearing unless you are using it on a slick or glossy type of paper. It isn’t waterproof but it will hold up to a lot of wear before it starts to fade. If you are concerned with something lasting outside or in the sun stick with a permanent marker like a Sharpie. The Bic Grip Roller Ball pens are better suited for writing, drawing and general day to day things.
The micro fine point allows you to have extremely fine lines when using them for drawing and for people who like to write small, these are one of the best picks. Instead of having an elongated metal tip, the design of this sticks with the classic roller ball design. This might not mean a lot to most people but if you are a heavy writer or press hard when writing, you know first hand that some tips can break, bend or warp under a lot of pressure. The red ink is bright and bold and will not drag or bleed into other inks that you are working with providing that the other inks are dry before you start using this. Teachers might like this for writing notes on papers and if you need to leave a note for someone, using this pen lets you write something that will get noticed but at the same time has a fine line so you can write away without it being illegible.
You can pick these up at most larger retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target but if you want the best selection, go to an office supply store. You can get these in red, blue and black and I didn’t think that I’d find a lot of uses for the red but I have. You can get these in a single pack, two pack, multi pack or large assortments. These aren’t all that expensive, the two packs can be found at Target for less than two dollars. I am not sure if you get more life out of the micro fine pens than the fine ones - you would assume that would be the case since you are using a little less ink. The red one doesn’t get used as much as the fine black but I am finding more uses for it all the time. One of the biggest perks to this is that you can use it over other inks without it picking up the other inks and ruining the flow - something that happens all the time with porous point or felt tip pens and markers.
The Bottom Line
Even though I grabbed the red micro fine by mistake I can’t say that it was a bad purchase. I use it more for art than anything else and the color of it is rich and vivid. I doubt that I will ever find ‘the perfect pen’ but this one is a cut above others. It doesn’t skip or leave broken lines and if you have to fill in a small area, it doesn’t over saturate the paper and warp it. For under two bucks you can get a two pack of these for note taking, writing letters or day to day stuff and if the micro fine line seems too small for you, there are other sizes available. You can check out the Bic World website to get the scoop on all the pens, pencils and products that they make and be sure to look for the 2006 Bic Calendar for money saving coupons. I’m really impressed with the Bic Grip Roller Ball Pen and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way if you decide to give them a try.
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