I still remember putting a spring inside and shooting something out of them at my minis. they are soo old and bring many memories. Mostly how easily they broke. This thing always somehow ended up disassembled on my desk much faster than all the others. It was disappointingly simple though. I liked to take apart these with elaborate click mechanisms
Why fix what's cheap and barely does its job?
The kind of grace I yearn for in my performance reviews.
Am I crazy or have BIC lighters gotten worse in the last 6 months. They feel lighter, donât last as long, and seem to have flimsy construction in the metal guard and spark wheel.
not just you, I crushed a guard a week ago when I flicked it, and they have less fuel in them when they're new. It's... charming.
They feel lighter,
This is how a lighter should feel
See. This is where shit has gotten to.
People are now complaining about lighters being lighter.
honestly, kinda refreshing to see a business not changing their shit constantly just to change shit. it's not the nicest pen, but it works.
A hole was added to the cap in 1991.
Was that to try and prevent choking?
Yes. From the BIC website:
Why is there a hole in the cap of BICÂź CristalÂź Pens?
Our vented caps comply with international safety standards ISO11540. These standards attempt to minimize the risk to children from accidental inhalation of pen caps. Traditionally the pen cap served only to protect the pen point. These vented caps allow more air to circulate around the pen point when the pen is capped. This further adds to the quality and overall performance of the pen.
Why mess with perfection?
it's been 74 years that guy can retire now
In this economy?
He had to have an operation 30 years ago and now is medically bankrupt and can't retire
ah ok makes sense
At least take a potty break, ffs!
What? No app connectivity?!
You joke, but I have a cheap composition style notebook that I bought because it had a durable plastic cover instead of the old fashioned cardboard covered notebook I usually carry around. Each page has a qr code in the corner and it wants me to download an app so I can scan my writing and upload it to The Cloud.
I mean, I'm sure that someone might find that useful, but the whole reason I write with pen on paper is so I'm not distracted by technology and don't have to worry about booting an app and having connectivity while constantly worried that my work may not be saved/disappear.
The plastic cover is nice, though.
However will they drive engagement?
The guy on the line wants to stop the money printer? No, no no... you don't change the top selling pen of the century. We can introduce a lighter though. Guess we're doing fire now.
Maybe some razors.
Ah, the extremely shitty pen that scratches so bad you might as well carve your message into the paper. Lasts maybe 3 lines before it starts skipping but who cares. It exists to be as cheap as possible so your customer you don't respect can pocket it after initialing twice and signing something.
I hate bad cheap pens so much. I never would have gotten into fountain pens if there wasn't the counter example of how bad a writing experience can get.
American bics may be made in a different way because here in Spain they are so reliable they are a de facto standard for people taking an exam.
For filling in circles? Yeah, they're fine. The circular movement tends to keep the ball moving and picking up new ink.
For writing? Hot garbage. When I switched to nicer pens (fountain pens and OHTO graphic liners), I had to unlearn pressing down so hard and cramping up my hand. A good pen can glide across the surface with little effort, and you don't feel like you need to stretch your fingers and wrist afterward.
This is why I got into fountain pens too! These days I find myself using a good rollerball or mechanical pencil for day to day, since they're a little more practical, but man oh man I do love a fountain pen...
It's extra nice when you have to sign something and pull it out. Did it at the dentist and it's almost always a conversation starter.
Lighters, razors and⊠uh, other things too.
Now I need a BIC boat to put my BIC pens and razors in.
Still tastes great
(Looks at the anatomically modern human) Bruh this shits been the same for the past 300,000 years. When we updating this bitch? New colorways, maybe?
They do lighters too
The lighters also got a safety update in the '90s â the child resistant spring over the spark wheel
Which is quite easy to remove luckily, shit really starts to become annoying when trying to light a fire with slightly damp wood. (Or having to relight a shitty joint every few hits)
Why fix something that isn't broken?
2050: .... starts manufacturing military cyborg soldiers with a Bic logo across their chest
I would love to see a huge robot that was shaped like the round headed Bic mascot.
They had a phone in 2008, so they should already have the knowledge to produce some basic electronics:
They also produce razors, so I envision some kind of BIC terminator with weapons for cutting things:
That's cool although I'd hate the massive logo they slapped under the screen
Don't you dare touch it!
please don't
It's a great pen, but I haven't bought any for years since joining the refillable pen club. Fountain pens are great, but you can also get refillable ball points. I thought for sure I would lose it, but you spend a little more and you really make sure to look after it.
So that pen is a wonder of engineering. It's sublime in its form and function.
I recommend Design Theory's video on quintessence if you're in the mood for some infotainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEg5u1kyNEs
While mostly accurate, they did try some changes.
