Review: Bic 4-Color Fashion Colors Multi Pen

Since Brian reviewed this one yesterday at Office Supply Geek, I figured today is as good as any to break out my review of the Bic 4-Color Fashion Colors Multi Pen as well.  I came to the same general conclusion that Brian did - this is a good update to an old classic - but I did notice one small difference between his pen and mine: Where is my lanyard hole!

That obviously isn't too big of a deal for me, but I do find it odd that there are two different models of this pen.  From a writing perspective, it is decent by traditional ballpoint standards.  There isn't much ink buildup around the tip, and the lines are generally clean.  The pink and purple inks are far superior to the lime green and turquoise though.  The turquoise had its share of streaking, while the lime green is too light of a shade.  The pink and purple are nice and solid.

One issue I had with this pen is that the plungers were very hard to push down, and they didn't loosen up over time either.  Instead of just a quick flick of the thumb to push one down, it actually took some force to eject the cartridge.

With back to school season in full swing, I expect these will be a big hit with the kids.  After all, I am just a big kid myself, and really had fun with this pen.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Lamy Logo Ballpoint

So, how many pens did Carmen send me from her European vacation anyway?  Needless to say, it was a serious hookup, and I am down to the last couple that I need to review.  I have honestly carried this Lamy Logo ballpoint in my review case ever since she sent it to me, but just now started giving it a workout.

When I finally started using this pen, it posed a couple of problems for me.  First of all, the grip section is too high on the pen for my writing style.  There is a good bit of distance between the end of the grip and the tip of the pen, and since my writing style causes me to grip the pen low, the ridge where the tip screws on to the barrel hits me in the middle of my finger pads.  This wouldn't be a problem for people with a more free flowing writing style than mine, but it is a little bit of an issue for me.

Secondly, and this is actually a bigger deal for me, is that the tip of the pen does not have a tight fit around the opening of the barrel when the cartridge is in the writing position.  This causes some movement when writing, which of course translates into that "click-clack" sound when the pen hits the page.

I don't want to sound like I am being too harsh on this pen - it is a very nice entry level Lamy pen that you can find in the $12 range.  It just doesn't fit me or my writing style as well as many other pens I have reviewed.  And that is what it is all about, right?

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Pentel Hybrid Technica 0.5mm Fluorescent Orange

Color me very very surprised by this one - in a good way of course.  The Pentel Hybrid Technica is a pen I have used before with varying degrees of success, but this fluorescent orange model really impressed me.  The way the ink performs on the paper is great.  The gel ink is neat and clean, making for some impressive lines, and the ink color is FLUORESCENT ORANGE!

Now, there are plenty of other bright ink pens that may works as well as this pen (there is a Uni-Ball Signo DX in pink that comes to mind), but this Pentel is just downright fun to use.  I don't know that I would use it for strictly note taking, but as a highlighter alternative, it is just about perfect.  I am an underliner as opposed to a highlighter anyway, so this pen fits my needs.  In fact, this pen is part of the "Go Team" that I carry with me in my main pen case.

Fluorescent pink and yellow will be on their way from JetPens shortly.

Click here for the XL review.