Ode to the Bic Cristal

December, 1950.  During the throws of the Korean war (the Forgotten War) and just in time for the Christmas shopping season, Bic introduced the Bic Cristal.

With its pencil-style hex barrel made of polystyrene that evoked a futuristic look and practical functionality.  It’s tungsten carbide ball machined to within 0.1 microns and enough water resistant ink to reportedly write over 2 kilometers.

The Bic Cristal has a permanent exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2006 Bic announced they had sold they’re 100 Billionth!

Want to try one?  Check under your seat!  No, I didn’t put one there “Oprah Style”, that’s just where they usually are.  I mean there’s over 100  billion of them, they’re basically everywhere.

If you haven’t tried one in a while (their shelf life is 3 years remember) give them a go.  The Easy-Glide ink is some of the best I’ve seen in a ball point and my favorite is the original.  The 1.6 Xtra Bold is so smooth it’s almost like glass.

Sounds like we sold out, right?  Like we’re selling Bics?  We’re not.  I just like cheap pens.  Probably the most classic “cheap” pen, the Bic Cristal writes REALLY nice and is friendly to even the worst of paper qualities.  At less than 20 cents per pen a Cristal punches WAY above its weight-class.