Discover The Future of Writing With BIC's Z4 Fine Point Roller Ball
Written: Aug 15 '03 (Updated Aug 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Four color pack, inexpensive, exceptional ink quality, comfort grip.
Cons: Ink pools quickly on the writing surface.
The Bottom Line: Need a fine tip pen that will deliver the ink you need? Check out the BIC Z4 Fine Point Roller Ball Pen
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| Freak369's Full Review: Bic Z4 Roller Classic Roller Ball Pen Fine Point .... |
Having a pen addiction isn’t an easy thing. You are constantly exposed to new products, sale items and don’t even get me started on the “back to school” blitz. For me a pen has to write smoothly, with no skipping and it has to have an ink that will dry quickly and not fade. While I am perfectly happy with my Cross Ion, it’s not something that I like carrying around with me – truth be told – I lose things very easily and at twenty bucks a pop – replacing the Ion isn’t something that I want to do on a regular basis. When I came across the Z4’s I was more than a little curious to see who they compared to the other pens and roller balls that were being released for the ‘back to school’ sales. The deal was sealed when I saw the four pack - $2.50 seemed like a great price so into the cart they went!
BIC Z4 Roller Ball Pen – Fine Point
First off I really have to argue the whole “fine tip” label that this carries. It’s a 7mm tip and is suitable for writing or drawing but most people will pick this up and try it out and not like the flow of ink. Instead of getting a thin line as the “fine line” title suggests, you get something equivalent to three “fine lines”. If this pen catches your eye and you are tempted to make a purchase, I highly suggest that you try it out first to see if it’s too much pen for you. I’ve started using this on my various pieces of art and designs and it’s made inking in large spots a lot easier and without warping the paper.
The comfort grip is a definite plus and allows you to write for extended period of time without cramps or hand pains. Since the ink flows so easily from the tip, there’s no need for a lot of pressure and once you get used to it – it is a complete breeze to write with. The all plastic cap snaps on snuggly and stays put, but the real cincher here is the ink ball inside the cap. This seals off the tip and prevents leaks. This is becoming a regular feature on roller balls pens, especially the ones with wider tips. While this won’t prevent your pen from leaking under all circumstance, it will prevent most accidents. The clip is a little smaller than others but pretty sturdy
One thing that still perplexes me is the “visible ink supply”. You can’t gauge how much ink is left in the pen until it starts to run out – so what’s the point? Once you start moving the pen around the ink splashes against the inside of the indicator window so knowing exactly when you are going to run out is still a mystery. You need to store these with the roller ball end down in order to have the window clear itself so you can see how much ink remains. BIC really pushed this as a perk – they should have made it a little easier to use before they used it as a ‘feature’ on the packaging.
Ink Quality
All of the colors in this four pack are exceptional and will deliver a smooth flow of ink. If used for drawing I highly suggest that you get the feel of this before you start using it on a project. The flow of ink does taper off a bit when using this for curves or ovals and if you try to go over the area to even it out, you’ll only make things worse and end up fattening up the line. The ink dries quickly but you will get some smudges if you are using this on velum or a non-porous paper. Ink blots will form quickly so its best to keep the pen moving to avoid having a huge glob of ink well up on the surface. The black and red stand out the most but the green is a very nice shade. I am going to stock up on these for the holidays – no more boring Christmas cards for me!
Color Assortment
This four pack offers you the best of both worlds – the traditional black and blue roller ball pens as well as green and red. The colors are all sharp and vivid and can be used for any type of writing, drawing or artwork. It remains to be seen if BIC will be adding more colors to the line up but so far, these are the only ones available at my local office supply store. There are multi packs [ten per box] on the market but those are just larger sets of the four color assortment. If I had to make one complaint it would be that the blue ink isn’t as light as the color cap would lead to your believe. For me it wasn’t a big deal since I don’t write in blue very often but if someone were looking for a thick tipped light blue pen and came across this, they could easily be misled since the pen cap would have you thinking that this is a baby blue, not a royal blue.
Cost
You can pick up this four pack at most office supply stores or retail locations that have a well stocked school supply section. These come carded [packaged on cardboard] and are usually located near other roller ball pens. I picked these up for $2.50 per pack when they were on sale, the normal price ranges from $3.00 to $4.50 depending on where you are located and where you happen to be shopping. Now that I’ve had the chance to try these out and use them for a variety of purposes I can say that they are most definitely worth the price – sale or not. But please, test this pen out before you make a purchase, not everyone will like the width of the ink flow.
The Bottom Line
Even though I fell in love with these, the boys were less than impressed. They didn’t like the fat line that the tip produced or the globs of ink that formed on the paper when they took a few seconds to complete a word or sentence. This isn’t the type of pen that you’ll want to doodle with because the ink will seep through pages quickly. For me, I really liked the thick line that this “fine point” roller ball produced and its made inking large drawing and images a lot easier. If you are a pen junkie and like trying out the newest products, this is definitely one that you’ll want to add to your shopping list!
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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