pen 119: bic disposable fountain pen

today's pen, the bic disposable fountain pen is bic's answer to the pilot varsity fountain pen, a pen that i reviewed waaaaay back on post 50. i should probably start this out by saying that, due to some pretty traumatic - pen-explody type valdez-esque spills in my pockets and/or backpack, i am pretty leery when it comes to the fountain pen.

in some ways i wonder why we still use these, i mean yeah the quill and ink was the cutting edge of pen technology for centuries, having been an upgrade from the previous method of drawing with burnt sticks or smearing berries on a cave wall, but wasn't the whole ballpoint pen created by some dude who was sick and effing tired of getting ink everywhere and did not have the benefit of clorox pens or mr. clean magic erasers?

well whatever, yeah the fountain pen is cool, not many people use them, but they seem to be suited to things like sitting on a desk. they just don't travel well.

right, i'm going to assume that the potential mess factor isn't a concern and just go ahead and get on with this review.

this pen has a good flow, it doesn't seem to skip or stutter, unless you're pressing super light, the line is consistent and this pen can put a lot of ink down on the paper. while this pen has minor bleed, it seems to handle most types of paper without soaking through, even when you're filling in areas of black. the ink dries pretty fast for a fountain pen, making it cleaner than most of the india ink filled pens i have used, the medium sized tip can get some measure of fine detail, but it tends to eat at the paper if you're pressing in one spot too long.  the ink is dark, like really dark and it has no range of value, it either is or it isn't, which means that you have to be a little careful when inking (i covers pencil lines great) as the pen is not that forgiving. the body is a solid tube of plastic and the tip can take a bit of punishment.

again, i seem to be using "for a" quite a bit when it comes to this pen. for the price and performance i would probably buy a pen like the bic z4+ roller instead of the unpredictability of the ink issues i seem to have when it comes to fountain pens.

basically i'm saying that this pen doesn't seem to have much advantage over other types of pens - especially pens with the porous plastic tip - instead of buying two okay pens that may or may not be useful - invest in a sharpie or micron.


pricing:
staples (retail): $5.50 (2 pens)
staples.com: $5.99+s/h (2 pens) 
amazon.com: $5-$10 +s/h (2 pens)

website(s):
www.bicworld.com (no information)
www.staples.com
www.amazon.com

staples.com:

Ready-to-use, disposable fountain pen – no messy refills.

• Medium Point
• Black ink
• Elegant, smooth writing
• Unique molded cap
• Visible ink supply
• 2/Pack

amazon.com

• Colored Cap
• Uniquely Molded Plastic Clip
• Ink Reservoir Window
• Medium Point