Bic Cristal Ballpoint Pen Review

For a blog that reviews pens you would have thought I would have reviewed one of the most famous pens in the world by now. But I hadn’t, despite many, many calls to do so. Why has it taken so long for me to review the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen? I have no idea.

The fact is, this is a good pen, if not a great one. Released to the public in 1950, it has had a 65-plus year run and shows no signs of slowing down. The design is revered too, with its clear hex-barrel being featured in the Museum of Modern Art. A design classic that has stood the test of time? Sign me up.

From a performance perspective it has a wide variety of uses. The oil-based ink writes well on many surfaces, is smooth, and dries quickly. It is also water-resistant, making it a good choice for outdoor use as well as waterproof paper such as Rite in the Rain.

What I find the most impressive is that the Bic Cristal has been the choice of designers, engineers, architects, and artists for decades as well. Just look at the detail someone like Andrea Joseph can get with a balpoint pen. Google “ballpoint pen drawings” and your jaw will drop.

I don’t have the artistic chops to appear in those search results, but I do enjoy writing with the Cristal. It’s lightweight, smooth, surprisingly clean - no globs or mess from the ink around the tip - and you can get shading variation depending on the pressure used. There is some white space in the lines, which is the primary downside. It’s not as solid or deep in color as a Uni-ball Jetstream or Pilot Acroball for sure.

The best part about the Bic Cristal? It will cost you about .20 cents per pen. Grab a dozen or two, throw them around the house, car, office, gym - anywhere a pen might come in handy - and know that you are covered in a pinch. You may discover that it ends up in your writing rotation more than that.

The Conid Minimalistica Demonstrator Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Conid Minimalistica is a fountain pen made in Antwerp, Belgium by Conid Pen. Conid is known for their bulkfiller system (described below) and their unique, custom-designed pens.

I borrowed Brad's Minimalistica back in August. I was so impressed with it that I decided to order my own. When a demonstrator version of the Minimalistica was announced, I jumped on it.

The Conid Minimalistica comes packaged in a hinged black metal box.

Inside is a card indicating who worked on the nib and an impressive titanium plate with the certificate of authenticity inside the cover.

The foam insert holds the pen, tools and extra nibs (if you ordered them). A small cleaning cloth is also provided.

The metal box is enclosed in a cardboard sleeve with your name and pen information hand-penciled on top. This gives the pen a "made-just-for-me" feel. The code tells you exactly what pen you purchased: M BCB DB FT+ = Minimalistica Black Conid Bulkfiller Demonstrator Barrel Flat Top Plus Clip. I feel like I just solved an equation.

Brad's pen is the solid black "Pi" model. I was very disappointed that my clip didn't have the Pi symbol on it, but I learned that Brad's is one of the first production run that came out March 14, 2015 (3.1415=Pi). So no Pi symbol for me.

Our pens are essentially the same, except for the fact that mine is a demonstrator. Although mine appears to be a few millimeters longer, I think that is just due to how deeply the caps fit onto the barrel.

Brad's Minimalistica (L) and Mine (R)

When you compare the caps side by side and the pens (uncapped) side by side, they are the same length.

Brad's Minimalistica (L) and Mine (R)

The cap is made of Delrin resin with a solid titanium clip and the yin-yang Conid logo on the finial.

My clip ring has a small flaw on it, but, really, you can only see it if you use a magnifying glass or a macro lens.

The piston knob has a small hole for the hex key should you want to remove it from the pen. Above that is a titanium ring engraved with "Antwerp Belgium Conid." Otherwise the pen is unadorned.

The Minimalistica is 137 mm/5.4 inches in length capped, 126 mm/5 inches uncapped, and 160 mm/6.3 inches posted. It weighs 26 grams (without ink) and holds 2.5 ml of ink. For me this is the perfect size. However, a whole range of pens is available, including the Regular, the Giraffe, the Slimline, and the Kingsize.

One of the main claims to fame for Conid is their unique bulkfiller system. With the bulkfiller, the ink completely fills the barrel, unlike other systems which always leave space. The instructions included with the pen explain the process, but watching the video helps you understand the system more fully. The demonstrator Minimalistica allows you to see the filling system in action, and, I must say, it's very cool.

The one caveat I have about this otherwise perfect filling system is that you have to unscrew the piston a few millimeters for long writing sessions (just like the Pilot Custom 823). It's not a big deal, but sometimes I forget and the ink stops flowing.

The titanium nib is smooth and bouncy. I love the design on the nib and the titanium complements the pen perfectly.

And just look at that gorgeous fine nib ground to a perfect stub:

Writing with the Minimalistica is a wonderful experience. The fine stub nib offers some line variation and the ink flows nicely. On occasion I've had some skips, and if I push the nib too hard (it is not a flex nib) sometimes the ink stops completely. A pull and push of the piston gets everything working again.

I decided to disassemble my pen completely in order to clean out the first batch of ink. You can only do this if you order the special tools.

Conid offers instructions on their site and you can watch Stephen R. E. Brown's video which shows you step-by-step how to disassemble the pen (though Brown's pen is a different model). Disassembly is not at all difficult, and I was able to get all traces of ink out of the nooks and crannies of my pen.

I removed the nib unit and cleaned that as well. The only difficulty I had was reinserting the nib unit. I discovered that I had to insert the feed first and then push the nib in on top of it.

Conid pens are made to order, and, once you place your order, you will receive an email confirmation (this can take several days, so be patient). The company emails you again when they start work on your pen and one more time when the pen ships. It took about a month from the day I ordered my pen to the day I received it.

I love my Conid Minimalistica. It is a well-designed pen, and, depending on the model, you have dozens of configurations from which to choose. That said, it is also a very expensive pen because it is custom made. Considering the superior materials and design, I think it is well worth the cost.

Pros

• This is a beautiful, custom-designed demonstrator pen made with top-notch materials.
• Conid uses a unique filling system with a huge ink reservoir.
• You can completely disassemble the pen for cleaning (though you have to pay extra for the tools).
• The titanium nib is spectacular and the stub grind is perfect.

Cons

• The pen is very expensive, but you are paying for a custom design.
• At this price I think the tools for disassembling the pen should be included at no extra cost.
• You have to remember to unscrew the piston knob a few millimeters for long writing sessions.

Deleter Neopiko Line 3 Drawing Pen Review

Deleter is known as one of the premier Japanese manga supply brands, releasing various sets of pens, markers, and paper for those interested in manga artwork, and comic art in general. I’ve used their products in the past, and Brian Draghi reviewed the Neopiko Line 2 for The Pen Addict when it was imported by JetPens in 2012.

The Line 2 is a good pen, but not a great one when compared to its peers in the drawing pen market. I found the tip to be a little soft and the price a bit high compared to pens like the Sakura Pigma Micron but it was something different, was kind of cool, and worth having one laying around for a switch up from time to time.

Because of that, I was happy to grab the Deleter Neopiko Line 3 when it landed at JetPens and try it out. The barrel looked nice and the price was even less than the previous model, but I discovered something strange when I uncapped it the first time. This pen is a Deleter in paint job only. The pen itself is the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pen, also known as my number 1 plastic tip pen.

White label production is not a new thing. Many companies across many industries use this type of manufacturing for various reasons, primarily to increase the bottom line. There is no issue with this, and it is actually a benefit to the consumer in many cases, allowing them to buy a similar quality product for less than the original marketed and advertised product. Unfortunately for Deleter, that’s not what happened here.

(Note: I'm making an assumption that Kuretake is the one making the pen for Deleter. Could it be the other way around? Yes, but I think that is very unlikely.)

I didn’t catch it from the exterior design at first, but the second I opened the pen and before I even wrote with it I said wait a minute, this looks familiar. I grabbed the Kuretake Zig from my desk, uncapped it, and set it next to the Line 3 and I was right. It is the exact same pen. Literally.

That’s good I thought, because the Kuretake is a great pen. My next thought was to compare the price. The Deleter should be cheaper, or at least the same price, right? Nope. It’s 50% more from JetPens than the Kuretake, and comes in fewer options. Bummer.

If you are a Deleter fan and swear by their products this shouldn’t sway you from paying more for the same pen. I pay more for Copics because I like them and their style even though they are overpriced compared to the competition. But just know what you are getting with Deleter. If you want an awesome drawing pen, save over a dollar per unit, and have more choice, then buy the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist and don’t look back.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)