Bic's WideBody Blue Ink Retractable Pen Made A 'Blues Believer' Out of Me
Written: Jul 11 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable to write with, perfect for students, retractable point, inexpensive.
Cons: Wide body might take some time to get used to.
The Bottom Line: I'm normally not a fan of blue ink but Bic's WideBody Blue Ball Point is one of my favorites to write with!
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| Freak369's Full Review: BIC America Scwb11be Wide Body Retractable Ballpoi... |
When I first tried out the WideBody with blue ink I didn't like it; normally I use black ink when doing any type of writing. I really liked the black and red versions of this pen so I decided to give this an honest try to see if I could get over my hatred of blue ink. I won't say that I have completely converted to blue inks but after using this one for a while, it did grow on me more than I expected. If you consider yourself a pen or office supply junkie and you haven't tried out this pen, you owe it to yourself to get one or all of the colors; not only are they nice to write with but thanks to the rubber comfort grip, they are super comfortable. If you have kids that are just starting to write with pens, these are really nice to have for them to write with, the wider than normal body of the barrel makes it easier for them to grip.
Bic WideBody Retractable Ball Point Pens
If you've read any of the reviews that I've written about pens you know that I am a junkie; when ever there is a new one out on the market I have to get one to try it out. The WideBody from Bic isn't a new concept but it is one of the best on the market. What makes this better than others? There are a lot of good points about it, the thing that I like the most is the rubber comfort grip area. It isn't made from a rubber that is tacky or attracts dirt and dust. It's not all that soft but it does cushion your fingers when you are writing. That's what makes this a great pick for students, they can take notes without feeling like their hands are going to fall off. The tip completely retracts into the barrel so there's no chance of the ink getting smeared all over things if you toss it in a backpack or briefcase; this also means that there's no cap to lose. Of course there is a plastic keep tab that can be used to secure it to a pen loop but that's something that I never do. It's built into the pen so it's a lot stronger than ones that are added to the pen body. Sure that might sound like a trivial thing to mention but if you are someone that has to have their pens clipped to something, you'll love the way Bic designed this part of the pen.
The ink is nice and smooth; the color could be a little darker but after I gave it an honest chance I really started liking it. Since I'd used the other colors in the past it didn't take me long to get used to the oversized barrel but if you are used to using stick pens, this might feel a little awkward at first. When I was writing out the inventory tags for the shop I used this one for the 'one time use' items [blue is the color we picked for those items, makes it easier when you color code things like that]; after writing out the tags for about an hour my hand didn't hurt and the tags looked a hell of a lot better than when we used other pens. I hate pens that skip or leave globs of ink behind; this was a huge concern for me because if the ink on the tags got smeared, someone could make a mistake when pulling needles or colors. Thankfully the ink in this version of the WideBody worked just as well as the red and black pens so the tags looked great.
As far as price is concerned, you can find these at most of the large office supply stores for about $1.75 for a two pack but not all of the stores opt to order the two packs so you might have to settle for a single pen pack for about $1.25. If you have dollar stores in your area, check their school supply sections. I got lucky and found a bunch of them on clearance but you are going to want to make sure that these are really Bic products and not generic versions. True Bic pens will have the name on the package as well as the lettering [wide body grip med] on the barrel. Trust me, the generic versions are no where near as good as the real thing. Bic does stand behind their products, if you aren't happy with them, they will send you a replacement or refund. To check out all the pens that Bic makes, as well as other products in their family line, be sure to hit the official website at www.bicworld.com
The Bottom Line
Even though I don't really care for blue ink, the WideBody is one of the nicer ones that I've used. I highly suggest this for anyone that does a lot of writing or takes notes; nurses, teachers, students and secretaries definitely need to try these out. The rubber comfort grip is also nice for those who have hand ailments or can't grip regular pens. Because this has an oversized body you don't have to hold it as tightly as you would a regular pen. So far I haven't seen any refill ink cartridges for these and the last time I checked the website there wasn't any mention of them being refillable or being made in a refillable format. You can take the pen apart so if you take the empty stick with you, chances are you will be able to find a suitable refill. Personally I don't mess around with refills unless the pen itself was expensive, I'd rather have a brand new pen with a quiet clicker and clean comfort grip than to save .25 cents buying a refill.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
Other Bic pen and product reviews ...
Grip Roller Ball Black Fine Point
Grip Roller Ball Red Micro Fine Point
Four Color Clicker Pen
Cristal Grip Stic Pen
Z4 Roller Ball 4 Color Pack
Atlantis Retractable - Blue
Atlantis Retractable - Black
WideBody Black Retractable Pen
WideBody Red Retractable Pen
Brite Liner Grip Highlighters
4 x 4 Grip Permanent Markers 4 Color Set
Brite Liner Highlighters
Shake 'N Squeeze Correction Pen
Recommended:
Yes
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