Bic is one of the larger companies in the office supply business but they aren't limited to just pens, markers and glue. Most of the time when you say the name "Bic" people associate it with their line of lighters and the slogan, "Flick Your Bic". When the Velocity pens first hit the market I didn't really care for them. The design was nice but it was something that every other pen manufacturer was doing; a slightly oversized barrel with a rubber comfort grip at the base to help with hand cramps. What made me change my mind about these? Having to sit on a train for six hours and only having three pens to write with after my laptop battery died. If you ever want to give a pen a true test drive and see its limitations, spend a couple hours writing with it. Sure, the Velocity isn't one of the best roller ball pens on the market but it is far from the worst.

Bic Corporation Velocity Ball Pen Five Pack

So what makes this different from any other roller ball pen with a retractable tip? Well, the ink has a lot to do with it. It's not thin or wimpy so when you are writing with you, you have the same intensity and hue the whole way through. These days it is a lot easier for me to deal with retractable tip pens than ones with caps; I lose pretty much anything and everything throughout the day and having to look for a cap for a pen is pretty much at the bottom of the list of things that I want to waste time on. The clicker is quiet but well made, some of the cheaper pens have clickers that give out after a couple weeks so when you are writing with them the tip mysteriously disappears and retracts in the middle of writing something.

There are some really nice things abut this pen; it's refillable if you want to try and save the planet while multi-tasking at home or in the office. Chances are the barrel is going to take a beating before the ink supply runs out so think a little before you grab a whole armful of refills. Sometimes it's easier to just buy a new pen or in this case, a five pack. The writing is smooth, no skipping or pooling of ink but that's pretty much the norm when it comes to Bic pens. Gel and roller balls are the ones that you really have to watch out for if you are someone that stops and starts a lot when you are writing. The colors in this pack are nice but they aren't exactly what I would call 'manly' so if you have a lot of guys in the office you won't have to worry about most of these colors disappearing any time soon.

Most office supply stores carry this set for about $4.50; if you were to buy them individually you could be paying as much as $1.95 a pen so if you have tried these and like the way that they write, sinking some money into the five pack is the way to go. If you really like these Bic does offer them in dozen count boxes however they are one-color boxes so if you want variety, you will have to stick to smaller sized packs. Bic does back up their products with a guarantee that you will be satisfied or they will replace them or refund your money. It's nice to know that they stand behind their products.

This five pack contains some really nice colors; a far step above the usual 'red green, blue, black and random color' pack that you usually get. There are two shades of blue; the light blue looks great on colored paper but on straight white, it gets a little washed out. If you like writing with blue ink then the other one is for you; not so dark that it looks like black but not so light that it gets lost on the page. The purple, well, to me, that could have been a little darker. In my opinion it's not a true shade of purple but more of a dark pink. The green and red are straight shooters; basic colors but tried, true and dependable. For the most part I like the colors in this pack but wish they would offer some of the other Velocity colors and varieties in combo packs as well.

The comfort level on this is about a seven; the grip area doesn't get worn down or broken in quickly so you can get a lot of use out of this before you have to start thinking about replacing it. That is something to consider when you are thinking about buying the refill ink cartridges; if the barrel of the pen has taken a beating then getting the refills is a true waste of money because chances are you'll never end up using them.

The Bottom Line

If you want a well made and easy to write with roller ball pen then this is a nice one to check out. It doesn’t cost a lot and the five pack will definitely save you money in the long run. The average life of one of these is about three months of heavy use; that's more than most other roller ball pens have to offer. Even though I didn't initially like the Velocity I did come around to them when I gave it an honest chance. It's a dependable pen and the colors in this five pack are nice to have around when you get sick of writing with one basic color of ink.

As always, thanks for the visit…

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2007 Freak369


Bic Grip Roller Ball Pen Black Ink 0.7mm Fine Point
Bic Grip Roller Ball Pen Red Ink 0.5mm Micro Fine Point

Bic Atlantis Retractable - Blue and Black
Bic WideBody Black, Red and Blue

Bic 4 Color Clicker Pen
Bic Cristal Grip Stic Pen
Bic Z4 Roller Ball Pen Fine Point 4-Color Pack
Bic Intensity Gel Pens



Recommended: Yes