Green Ink – Non-threatening and I like it!
Written: Jun 04 '04 (Updated Jun 04 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: dark green ink, smooth writing, rubberized comfort grip on barrel, lightweight
Cons: barrel is thin -- pen not refillable
The Bottom Line: I am doodling circles around the Bottom Line in smooth, flowing green ink.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: BIC America Round Stic Grip Ball Pen Medium Point ... |
As a writer, I have used a lot of pens. The Bic Round Stic Grip Pen with Green Ink is currently on my desk ... so why not write a review about it.
Description
This pen is 5 7/8" long with a 1/4" diameter (with the cap on). The barrel and cap are constructed of a clear-frosted plastic. Along the barrel is the Bic logo with black wording that announces: “Bic round stic Grip med. USA”. The very tip of this pen is gold and an 1/8" long. This gold tip is inserted into a piece of green plastic. Above this, where the fingers rest while writing, is a rubberized tube just shy of an 1" long. The green and white striped rubber tube encircles the entire pen ... and is not only decorative but functional. It helps the fingers not slide along the pen barrel.
The frost pen cap is 1 5/8" long with an additional 7/8" long straight piece that acts as a pocket or notebook clip when the cap is on the pen. When the cap is removed, it easily slides on the back of the pen so it doesn’t become lost.
Other pens I’ve used have a see-through ink cartridge so that the ink level is visible. Not this pen. The ink cartridge is encased in a solid white holder, which preserves the frosted appearance of the pen. However, with the ink being “invisible to the eye”, there is no way to detect when the pen is running low on ink. Also, this pen is not refillable.
Using the Pen
My two favorite features are the rubberized finger grip and the bold green ink.
I tend to hold pens and pencils too tight. When a child, my parents tried to correct this habit ... but to this day, after releasing a writing utensil, I can see the pressure ridges in my fingers from holding it too tight. The rubberized grip around the barrel of the pen doesn’t completely erase these pressure marks, but it has made holding a pen more comfortable. Most people (who hold pens the normal way) will find this rubberized section of the pen a great convenience. Fingers will not slip on the rubberized surface, which makes for easier writing. Not only is the surface rubberized, but it twists slightly around the pen creating better finger traction.
The ink in this pen is a nice dark green. It presents a tranquil, non-threatening appearance. Why would I need ink that looks non-threatening? Not only am I writer, but I am also editor of a literary journal. Editors have traditionally used either blue or red pencils or pens for marking edits in manuscripts. Red is an angry color ... as I’m sure many of you will remember with me those bright red correction marks from teachers grading our school papers. Blue is a good color, but it doesn’t stand out enough for me. Green ink leaps off the page, making it easy to read and find corrections on a sheet of paper. Since I belong to several critique groups, we circulate manuscripts and mark our suggestions and corrections on them. People have responded very well to my green inked entries.
The smooth-flowing green ink in these pens makes it easy to write or doodle. I’ve never had the ink blot, smear or skip. As a test, I wrote something with this green pen and spilled water on it to see what would happen. The ink looks just like when I first wrote the message ... the water only made the paper wet. The ink remained unchanged.
Too Thin?
While I enjoy the bold green ink and easy grip of this pen ... I find the barrel a bit too thin for my complete comfort. These pens are inexpensive, which is a big bonus and why I always have a few on my desk. However, the narrow barrel does not make this the most comfortable pen to hold. I would not like to spend all day with this pen in my hand. However, for meetings where manuscripts are handed around and suggestions/corrections fly ... this pen is a good pen. Not the best, but good.
Purchasing
Staples.com and OfficeMax sell a boxed 12-pack of these pens for 1.39 a box. That equals 11-cents per pen.
To compare costs ... the regular Bic Round Stic Pen (without the comfort grip) sells for 89-cents a 12 pack. That’s 7-cents a pen. So for 4-cents more, you gain the comfort of the rubberized grip. With the strangle-hold I place on pens, it’s worth the additional 4-cents for the added comfort.
Summary
The unconventional side of me loves the fact that I use green ink. It’s not a color choice everyone favors, and I like being different. The Bic Round Stic Grip Pen with Green Ink is a good, affordable pen. If a narrow barrel doesn’t bother you, then try this pen. Create something fun using green ink!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
BIC USA Inc.
Milford, CT 06460
BIC Performance Policy
“If you are not satisfied with the performance of this product, please return it to BIC and we will gladly replace it at no cost to you.”
Please read my other reviews:
Sharpie Twin-Tip Permanent Marker
Avery Marks-A-Lot Permanent Marker
Sanford Major Accent Highlighter
Scotch Double-Coated Tape
Post-it Tape Flags
Tombow White Correction Tape
Elmer’s Rubber Cement
Avery Permanent Glue Stick
Avery File Folder Labels for both inkjet and laser printers
Fellowes Magnetic Copyholder
Stanley Contemporary Electric Pencil Sharpener
Panasonic Portable Battery-Operated Pencil Sharpener
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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