Penstrokes: Bic Pens Review

First of all just take a look at this scrumptious package from Shoplet! It felt like Christmas when I opened the box. I was expecting a pen or two, but wow! Lots of goodies to play with. I love pens nearly as much as I love notebooks. Maybe even a fraction more. I also love the fact that these pens are BIC. That is a name you can count on for a good - inexpensive - pen. Of course, there are very good high priced pens out there. But when it gets down to reliability BIC has it. Also, let's face it when you loan a pen for someone to use to sign something every now and then that pen does not see its way back home.

The first package that caught my eye was the set of 4 pink BIC Atlantis ball pens. They have a nice grip to help your hand while writing and even better - they write pink! A really pretty pink! Sometimes when using a colored ink the flow doesn't seem as smooth so I was curious. Not the case here. It wrote very nicely and did not have any skip problems. In addition to being a really nice pen, the purchase of this pen will support BIC's donation to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.
Another pretty pink item in my package was the Stylus 2 in 1 pen. This also supports the Komen foundation. The pen itself writes very well, but feels a bit flimsy. I tested the stylus end of it with my tablet drawing program, Art Flow. I like to have control over the brushes and pens within the program. The stylus performed well and did not give me any issues. It works well on my phone also. I like the ease of having a stylus and pen in the same instrument. That is one less thing to misplace. Since I received two of these, I gave the black one to my brother. Even though the casing is a really pretty pink - it does write a nice smooth black.

Another package held a nice set of Mark-it permanent markers. The package says fine point, but they are not extremely fine. You can get them in a variety of tips - fine, ultra fine, chisel, and medium. The pen feels nice to write with. I had a blank mug that was just begging for decoration and since they said they would write on glass . . . I have not tried using the other colors on my mug since I am not sure whether I want it to have color on it. The marker went on without grabbing and hopefully will hold up in the wash, though I might use the oven heat set method just to be sure.

The velocity gel pen come in a box of twelve. Inexpensive if you need to keep a supply at your desk or in the office. They have a nice comfort grip to make it easy to hold. I have used these pens before and honestly am not as fond of the gel system. It sort of "grabs" when it writes on most surfaces.
This next box of twelve is awesome! It is call the Intensity marker pen. It has a very nice feel to it and writes very smooth. As you know I am a tangler and enjoy drawing with a pen (most specifically the 01 micron by Sakura). I gave this one a try with some tangles and was very pleased with how it felt. The bonus to this pen over a fine point Sharpie is lack of odor. 'The bonus over a micron is availability. I can find these in most department stores and local office stores, not to mention at Shoplet. The tip is not as fine as I would prefer for tangling, but it is a very nice pen. The nib is 0.05. At a little over $13.00 for a dozen, this looks like a really good deal for my art club next year at school.