Bic Cristal Pen Review - Made in France

Рет қаралды 20,993

4 жыл бұрын

The Bic Cristal pen has become an iconic instrument of both form and function since it was introduced in 1950. Bic - a French company - has sold over 100 billion of these pens, and they continue to provide users with dependable, inexpensive function. They, perhaps, more than any other writing technology, moved everyday pen use away from the fountain pen and into the technology of the ballpoint.
In the US, most of the Bic pens available in stores are made in Mexico. During a recent trip to Paris, I stopped in a few stores and found French-made Bic Cristal pens, in both the standard medium (1.0mm)point and the Bic Orange fine (0.8mm) point. Here we take a closer look at why these instruments have remained so successful.
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Пікірлер: 72

@DinnerForkTongue 3 жыл бұрын

Bic has a factory in Brazil, and it makes a slightly different fine-point: the Bic Cristal Fine. It has a transparent barrel like the Cristal, but the cap is also transparent, the tip's colour matches the ink, and it's the ink tube that is solid opaque orange. They always felt a little scratchy and heavy to write with, but the finer nib means you can make very small writing with it, and in my experience they leak less often. They're a teeny bit more costly as well, nothing too bad. Interestingly, this year I found a Bic with a body entirely made of safety orange plastic (barrel, cap and stopper all in the same colour) and no details whatsoever beyond the Bic brand stamped in. The ink tube and tip are the same as the Cristal Fine, but at the same time it's outrageously smooth to write with, like the new hybrid ink 1mm Cristals. It's a little mystery that I love.

@AlwaysAnalog 3 жыл бұрын

Hi - thanks for the good information about the Bic pens made in Brazil. We can't get these in the US, but I would like to try them someday. The Bic you found that is all safety orange colored sounds interesting - I have not heard of this pen and it perhaps has the new ink formula in it. Thanks so much for watching!

@LTHanlon 2 жыл бұрын

Great report that brings back memories. When I was a kid, the orange fine point Bics had a symmetrical, conic cap. The clip was a piece of metal that snapped onto the barrel. Regarding the inks, I always felt that blue was the smoothest and green the scratchiest.

@AlwaysAnalog 2 жыл бұрын

Hi L.T. - thanks for that history on the orange Bics. Funny, I never paid attention to the smoothness of each color, but for some reason I have always preferred blue ink - maybe because it's so smooth! Thanks!

@DinnerForkTongue 2 жыл бұрын

I have only one Bic Cristal with green ink, and it's far and wide the hardest pen I've ever written with. The ink is so syrupy that it resists rolling on the paper, almost like it's braking the ball's movement. Not even heating up the ink assembly (tip + ink tube) by rolling it in some hot water helped. Nowadays I only use it for highlighting and underlining my text. For writing, it's a write-off.

@AlexanderCrump 3 ай бұрын

The Accountant Fine Point version was the one with the clipless cap and separate metal clip. The body was white.

@salliemorrill2671 Жыл бұрын

Yes, I remember the pointed caps! So excited that you mentioned that. Sadly enough, I took to chewing the tops. Love BICs. Was a medium blue girl. Used many thru school yrs.

@AlwaysAnalog Жыл бұрын

Blue is still my go-to pen color, like you! Thanks!

@mnpd3 Жыл бұрын

In high school, 1960s the bookstore sold more fountain pens than ballpoint pens. It took a while for balls to catch on. The fountain pens came in a blister pack of one pen and five pre-filled ink cartridges. The price was $1 and you had your choice of Wearever or Shaeffer brands. Never saw a bladder-filled fountain pen in actual use probably because these required toting around a volatile glass bottle of ink... the sealed cartridges of the final designs were a big selling point.

@AlwaysAnalog Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing that memory. The bladder fountain pens can be a bit of a production to fill. It's a lot easier using a cartridge. Thanks!

@lincmerc1581 4 жыл бұрын

The best everyday ballpoint. I also remember the Paper Mate stick pens. They were called Write Bros.

@AlwaysAnalog 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Linc Merc. I will have to see if I can find some Write Bros. pens - I remember them from years ago.

@gentlestormtoo 3 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysAnalog I like the name Paper Mate more. However, as a pen, paper Mate is more expensive and less desirable. Paper Mate sucks in comparison.

@arceus2775 2 жыл бұрын

I have tried the crystal fine orange fine both they both are pretty good however I prefer medium point

@madhup03 Жыл бұрын

I'm watching from quite a bit of time and I have really got to say, I am just like you, a pen fan. Watching these videos makes me feel cozy and chill. I really like to try new pens whether they are cheap or expensive, no matter what. To find, you're one of the only channels who posts videos just about this stuff and I really like. Full support!

@AlwaysAnalog Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Madhup!! Glad you enjoy the videos!!

@thethriftyfawn Жыл бұрын

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds these videos very comforting to watch and listen to! 😊

@Isaac.S48 6 ай бұрын

Such a great video. It just goes to show that we wouldn't have come as far without these pens! As a preference I seemed to always reach for the blue color. I'm a big fan of your videos. Thanks!

@AlwaysAnalog 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! These Bic pens really helped to change how we use pens.

@EPL762 4 жыл бұрын

It's a simple design and an effective tool. I have some samples from the factories in Mexico, Ecuador, South Africa and France.

@AlwaysAnalog 4 жыл бұрын

Hi EPL - sounds like you have a nice international collection of Bic pens - very cool! Thanks for watching!

@parkerhowell7560 3 жыл бұрын

This is my everyday pen. I have a platinum trim Montblanc 149 in fine, but this writes just as good to the point I flushed the MB out and started to just use these little guys.

@AlwaysAnalog 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Parker! It's pretty amazing how well these write for the inexpensive price, and you don't worry about losing one! The Montblanc you have is a beautiful writing instrument! Thanks for watching!

@thethriftyfawn Жыл бұрын

This was absolutely fascinating!!! I agree, there most certainly is something nostalgic about them. I remember seeing those fine orange barrel pens when I was really little, but I don't recall ever trying one... but I would absolutely LOVE TO! I just might need to have a look for them in store, otherwise I'll order some online when I get a chance lol

@AlwaysAnalog Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Thriftyfawn! The fine point Bic pens from France are great to write with. If you get the chance to try one I think you'd like it!

@darcyasher2716 5 ай бұрын

Great review, I enjoyed the video

@AlwaysAnalog 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, Darcy!

@Tailslol 2 жыл бұрын

differences vs the old one outside the hole in the cap is. i think the point was brass before being just orange plastic as well. i think they changed to plastic after the new cap. i have good memory of my old pens being brass. in france the first 2 year of writing in school are with fountain pen but later they allow bic if you want to switch.

@AlwaysAnalog 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Tailslol - thank you for that information. It wouldn't surprise me if they changed from brass to plastic over time. I wasn't aware that learning to write in school begins with a fountain pen in France. Thank you!

@chestermarcol3831 6 ай бұрын

When I was in the Air Force, we had to "hand scan" live air traffic (we used an NSA developed shorthand) We would make a running narrative of Czech air traffic (we recorded the audio so that we could later go back and do a verbatim transcript). Anyway, we had to to be able to write quickly and minimize smudge, and Blue Bic Cristal pens were my go to. Smooth writing, no ink globs, and you could see if your pen was getting low on ink (last thing you wanted to have happen on a busy day) I couldn't find them in Germany at the time , and so my Dad would send me a pack of them every couple of months.

@AlwaysAnalog 6 ай бұрын

Hi Chester - you point out some of the best features of the standard Bic Cristal pens. Smooth, reliable, perform well and you know when you're getting low on ink. I think these are the things that have kept this pen around for so many years. Thanks!

@mariojr377 3 жыл бұрын

These Bics are made in Brazil too however I Love the 1.6 Bic Cristal. It is my everyday pen.

@AlwaysAnalog 3 жыл бұрын

Love those 1.6mm Bic pens, too!

@DinnerForkTongue 2 жыл бұрын

I love those Bic Bold pens, but I have to keep a second piece of paper to roll the tip on sometimes to remove excess ink and prevent smudges. Not that it's a Bic thing only, I've done it with my fair share of Pilot pens as well. The cool thing about these fine point pens is, no such problem. They just refuse to smudge.

@ilurvemv 3 жыл бұрын

It's interesting how you say you can find these pens - both the Cristal original and Orange Fine - in the US but I've never seen either of them anywhere except from online sellers, most of whom are overseas sellers or resellers who bought them overseas. I thought I was buying a packet of the Cristal original but it turned out to be a packet of regular Cristals, not the original (the originals says "Original" on the label and write far better). As for the Orange Fine, I tried to buy some from the UK where they still have them but most of them don't ship to the US. I ordered a box on Ebay from a Korean seller that never made it to me so I had to get a refund. I finally found a pack of 20 Orange Fine on Amazon and it's coming from a Polish bookseller in Chicago - my guess is like their books, they get their pens from Poland where these are still sold so that's how they have them. It's weird how European and other countries still have these but they were discontinued in the US ages ago and replaced with the current line of Cristals which are awful, have very light ink and don't write smoothly at all.

@AlwaysAnalog 3 жыл бұрын

Hi SV - thanks for watching and your comment. I mentioned that I purchased these French made Bic pens when I was in Paris last year. You can't get the French made pens in the US, as most of the Bic pens here are made in Bic's factory in Mexico. Yes, it seems like many European countries still carry the original Bics, so if you can find a source that will ship or can import them, that's an option.

@DinnerForkTongue 3 жыл бұрын

I'm guessing because the US doesn't have a strong handwriting culture like most countries where Bic has factories, so there's not much investment.

@nightsun152 2 ай бұрын

I don't get it why the BIC cristal is sometimes hated, I've used it for 5 months without any problems. Well sure, it leaks when you leave it with the cap side down for a long time, but still it's a very great and cheap ballpoint pen. And for just 5$, you get 10 of them. That's why I love the BIC brand.

@AlwaysAnalog 2 ай бұрын

Hi nightsun - I agree that the Bic Cristal is a good value for the money. Thanks!

@AndreasEustathopoulos 2 жыл бұрын

In France, and I have no clue over why that is, the orange ones are the pens of choice of tradesmen, handymen, construction workers, etc.

@AlwaysAnalog 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Andreas - that's very interesting about the orange Bic pens. Thanks!!

@ihavenoname6724 2 жыл бұрын

@@AlwaysAnalog You're welcome 👍 . I've thought about it, and it probably has to do with the bright orange colour, which makes it easier to find it among tools, etc.

@AlwaysAnalog 2 жыл бұрын

@@ihavenoname6724 That makes sense!

@pierreholl1361 2 жыл бұрын

Hi folks. I'm French, i live in France and i worked for years near the Bic factory. Here orange Bic are used for precision writings, not for outdoor workers. These pens are effectively fantastics, but aren't unbreakable! French cristals pens are tge best in term of quality: in Mexico the barrel is molded in two parts. In Chessy, main factory in France, barrels are molded in one piece, by a state of the art Bic machine. I buy Cristals in 20 or 50 bucket, the unity cost is about 21 cents. 😊

@DinnerForkTongue 2 жыл бұрын

Blue collar, orange pen? 😁

@Basmsla924 3 жыл бұрын

Wow

@piergiorgiotomassetti2630 2 ай бұрын

❤❤❤❤ lo uso anche per lavoro penne bic originale cristal blu e nero sempre.😊😊😊😊. Piergiorgio Tomassetti

@AlwaysAnalog 2 ай бұрын

Thanks, Piergiorgio!

@kas7076 3 жыл бұрын

Why green is one of the main colors? Im from Brazil, maybe here this color isn't too common but I don't know. Just blue and black are considered the pen colors to use in a document or test

@AlwaysAnalog 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Lucas - green is sometimes used by accountants or auditors. I think this is why they included a green pen in package. Thanks!

@DinnerForkTongue 2 жыл бұрын

@@dzevadbayraktar322 I like to use purple or even pink better for that. Bic's green ink is so viscous, it tires out my hand real quick.

@thethriftyfawn Жыл бұрын

In my primary years at school, I recall teachers marking our tests and assignments with green ink. I recall these markings looking and feeling far less intimidating than the RED markings that occurred in our later years of school lol. The green markings actually felt far more encouraging... the green check mark when you were correct, and a green circle to point out something requiring your attention to be reviewed. Definitely made me feel far more motivated to learn as well! Especially compared to the feeling of being ridiculed like a "failure" with a big fat red ❌️ next to a question LOL!!!

@youcanvaccumcleanerfansand4331 2 жыл бұрын

New sub! Where i get these in Brazil, It donest exist here, Amazon?

@AlwaysAnalog 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe on Amazon. I actually purchased these in Paris when I was visiting there. Thanks!

@lamboghinidriver 2 жыл бұрын

0:34 who was in paris

@Toxicity_Lavelo 4 ай бұрын

9:22

@StudyMaths1007 19 күн бұрын

Hello there Can you send these pens to india just asking i personally have never used bic pens as these are not available here but i would love to use them Thanks