BIC 4 Color Soft Grip Ballpoint

The original BIC 4 color was a staple of my school days, but I never really liked it. The barrel felt too big in my hand, and I wasn't fond of the blue and white color combination or the plastic ball on top. The revised version has a loop at the top so you can carry it on a lanyard or perhaps a key chain. At Easter the 4 Color turns pastel, which is a nice touch.

When Office Supply Geek reviewed the new version of the BIC 4 Color I did take notice of the black and grey combination, but didn't really look for it on my shopping trips. Then I saw on at Staples, and as there was a sale I thought I'd give it a try.

As the Geek mentions, the new BIC 4 Color touts a soft grip barrel that actually has a matte hard plastic grip on it. The prior versions had round, smooth barrels with no grip function at all. This actually is noticeable and makes the ballpoint feel better in my hand as I'm holding something that is easy to catch onto rather than sliding down my fingers.



Next to my Hi-Tec-C Coleto you can see that the BIC is slightly longer, and lacks the space alien profile of the former. The BIC ink refills are described as 1.0 medium tips, which for a ballpoint sounds about right. You can get fine tip refills for the BIC if you want to change the style, or try hacking a Hi-Tec-C refill.




As for writing, three of the four colors (Red, Black, Blue) wrote smoothly with a lot of flow immediately. The green was a bit on the pale side, and felt like I was pushing it through dried cement. Too much effort for that one, so I may either skip green or try a single refill and see how it works.

Like multi pens and want something with a sleek profile? Give the BIC 4 Color Grip a try.

Zebra Clip-on Multi 2000

One of my co-workers is leaving for greener pastures, and as he also happens to have been my assistant for the past four years I wanted to get him something special. A fountain pen wouldn't work too well, but then I saw this Zebra Clip-On multi at Kinokuniya, with four pens and a pencil, and decided to go for it.

I should note that D stands 6 ft 4 inches tall and has large hands, so while a Hi-Tec-C would be my first choice it would probably look like a toothpick if he used it. The rollerball pens he uses tend to be big, like the Staples Opti-Flow. So a big pen would be in order, and since he's a writer I thought a multi pen would be a great gift.

When I saw the Zebra Clip-On Multi 2000 I knew this would be ideal for D. Kinokuniya had several color choices, and I decided on the matte black (the matte red was beautiful but a little showy, and the silver didn't impress me at all). I also decided to take a few pictures and give it a test drive on some 80gsm bright white paper.


This is a big pen, and as JetPens notes it is the high-end version of the standard Clip-on multi. The black matte body is still plastic, but thicker and more substantial although it isn't very heavy in the hand.



There are four different 0.7mm ink colors (they look smaller in the writing sample, more like 0.5mm or less) and a 0.5mm pencil that emerges when you push down the clip. The eraser is underneath the cap, keeping it safe and invisible.

Trying the ballpoints on a Rhodia notepad, I thought the colors were a bit pale, but that may be due to the vibrant fountain pen inks I tend to use rather than a dilution of the oil-based color.

The pencil takes a bit of getting used to, as it descends via plunging the clip--which is also how the lead feeds into the pencil. Pushing down on the clip brings the pencil down but may also give you half an inch of lead you weren't expecting to see.

This is definitely one of the nicest multi pens I've ever seen, although my Hi-Tec C pens will always take first place. It makes a statement by it's size and looks, the black matte finish reminding me of certain "stealth pen" models but at a much lower price point.

The Zebra Clip-On 2000 is durable-looking yet its design is pretty spare except for the clip, which is substantial yet somehow lean and elegant. If you like multi pens and are interested in adding to your collection, give this a try.

Uni Style Fit Multi-Pen

The Uni Style Fit Multi-Pen takes the Uniball Signo DX ink refill and puts it into a multi-pen barrel that holds three of your favorite colors. The refills come in a wide variety of shades, and mine is filled with Brown-Black, Mandarin Orange, and a very bright Green all with a 0.38mm tip. Some of the multi-pen barrels have clips, others, like this purple one, do not.

To my eye the pen design isn't particularly stylish, but that may be a combination of the purple color (which isn't as blue as this picture makes it out to be), the "fins" at the end of the barrel, and the clear grip which allows you to see the ink refills but also makes the pen seem...cheap isn't quite the word I'm looking for but perhaps "lesser goods" might be the best way to put it. Which is interesting because the gel ink refills write smoothly and very crisply. This pic isn't the best quality, but the actual writing is very clear, even the green which is paler on the paper than in the pen. It's not a bad multi-pen at all, and I'm thinking of getting a different barrel. What really caught my eye was the Brown-Black ink refill, a different color that I wanted to try and find I like.

Something to Ponder

When I was in the hospital recently for surgery, I noticed that quite a few of the attendings, residents and medical students (long white coats, medium length white coats, short white coats, respectively) used Bic 4 Color Pens to take notes and get my signature on various forms. If there is one pen I remember from childhood it's that 4 color Bic, one of the least attractive pens I've every seen. Are medical and nursing staff attracted to Bics in particular, or are these pens just more available at the hospital? Maybe it's the ballpoint, which is better for multi-page forms than gel ink? Maybe they are freebies from the various companies? Had I brought my Hi-Tec-C Coleto I'd have made a point of letting them know that the below is a better multi-pen option.