Confessions of an Office Supply Junky - Episode 27

[@alg2990]

Those Bic pens are perfection. For 3 dollars, you get 10 of them, and almost 30 kilometers of writing. That's beyond impressive. I have a huge respect for the Bic company.

[@LazyStory]

... and even more when used for sketching One man and his ballpoint pen: Meet the artist behind these stunning photorealistic portraits kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5C0hWCHa7iWeJY

[@aphexteknol]

I just watched a deeply philosophical and introspective video about a BIC ballpoint pen. And I loved it. :)

[@LTHanlon]

It's great when a manufactured product fulfills its mechanical destiny.

[@ansvart]

Finally! I found someone who thinks about writing tools and writing process the same way I do. Hallelujah!

[@scruffy281]

I have a deep love for the "orange fine point BIC". When I was in London about 6 years ago I came across an office supply shop on Baker's street that had 6 cases of them in stock and I bought them all. 😂😂😂 I don't know why I love these pens so much. I have so many high end ink pens ( and inks, another addiction of mine! ) that I have paid hundreds of dollars for, but it hasn't diminished my love for the little "orange" in the least!! Thanks for such a sweet video. Totally agree with you.❤

[@FrankZen]

The fine points were my favorite through high school and college. This video makes me want to pic up a box really!

[@lincmerc1581]

I have used the Bic Cristal ever since grade school. There is something intriguing about being able to see the ink go down in the reservoir. It's satisfying. It may be a fetish. But, now I know I'm not the only one.

[@markcaldwell2831]

You're definitely not the only one. I feel it's an achievement to be able to use all the ink cause I write a lot.

[@jimmybrava2810]

The pen is part of ur life. Time passes, ink runs out

[@markcaldwell2831]

Trust me you are not the only one.

[@anthonywilliams8956]

Same here. I still love and use bic Cristal.

[@TheThirdeYe1337]

I had no idea the used up pen bodies/caps were recycleable... I like just hanging onto them when I use them up and I keep a "pen graveyard" of all of my used up pens and pencils over the past 10 years or so. Sometimes it's kind of fun to look through them later. I only keep ones that I have used from start to finish, however.

[@guarionex1961]

R.I.P. BIC Ballpoint (2016-2018) "A loyal writing pal". Excellent video.

[@alexburnette2526]

@Twostones00 No they are still made just that was that one pin

[@arielbrindissketch]

Beautiful video! I am an industrial designer and I sketch with bic pens, I just love them, they are not only iconic but a proof that design can help millions of people to do their job efficiently without worries about the tool performances. Thanks for sharing

[@starflash8316]

I feel the same about Inkjoy ball pens. The radius is slightly larger than a Bic, more comfortable to use for me. I have emptied two this year-I can't explain why using up a ball point pen makes me so happy!

[@mikeoporto6365]

When I’m writing for long periods, it’s def with the Bic Cristal. Reliable, light and smoooth..

[@jimmybrava2810]

U try dr grip?

[@iansmith3593]

These pens are amazing. The design is so perfect it hasn’t been improved and won’t be.

[@LazyStory]

Have been improved. There are now with at least to kind of soft grib .... and I prefer them as BiC Round Stick ... the inkrefill are the same

[@markcaldwell2831]

I love my BIC pens of all kinds and colours and at one time I had an expensive array of flashy Parker, Lamy, Waterman and other pens, all of which I got rid of because the only pen you can truly rely on is a BIC Cristal. Great video.

[@parkerhowell646]

I too love the humble bic. I had a Montblanc 149 and the Xtra smooth cristal writes just as smooth without the worry. So I sold the 149 and only use these.

[@davidcornillie]

Wonderful and thought provoking video Joe. Good reminder that even for writers and office workers, taking care of our tools and respecting them is important. Happened to see a pack of Bic Crystals in the store and got them. Less than $2 for a pack of ten and they write wonderfully.

[@jimmybrava2810]

@Lillian Burns I got a pack of 3 for $1 smh... u guys lucky

[@randyscott3386]

Great Video ! Your's is the third video I've watched about the classic Bic Cristal ballpoint pen .

[@markcaldwell2831]

It should've been the first along with the How do they do it episode on how they're made.

[@treehugger2397]

I’m sure you and I are related. I have a deep love of my Bic pens and I cherish them especially when the ink is going down and is almost finished. I feel a sense of achievement. Then I get another from my ten pack and I start all over again. I truly love the Bic pen.p.s. Fun fact: Jerry Seinfeld said there is no other pen like the Bic, every show he’s ever written for “Seinfeld” he wrote with a Bic pen.

[@anthonywilliams8956]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Seinfeld has good taste. I know I went back to Bics after trying other brands and being left hanging by all except one single black Linc Scrit.

[@wildbill23c]

I use those Bic Cristal pens or the round stic ones all the time as well. Sure I have more expensive pens, but the Cristal and round stic pens are always my go-to...as well as the occasional Pilot G-2.

[@markcaldwell2831]

You're a hypocrite.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Cristal for me has been the best combo of reliability, ink quality, and accessibility. I don't see that changing.

[@wildbill23c]

@@markcaldwell2831 So, explain yourself there less than bright one.

[@jpolar394]

I loved this video, I absolutely LOVED IT. You want to know why ? BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT ONE SINGLE COMMERCIAL IN IT !

I read this while a Tom and Jerry Movie ad played and some other ad.

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Just found this video today. Great comments and I love pens! Melba Moore the entertainer many years ago in an interview said something very similar to what you said here: "Communication is sacred". I work at a university and I usually find around 100 pens per semester. I have a Papermate Write Bros. blue pen that I found around 23 years ago and I've just kept putting "new" cartridges into it. I find pens of the same brand, maybe broken or damaged in some other way, I take out the cartridge and use it as a re-fill.---I can remember when it was possible to buy replacement cartridges for the Bic Cristal pen. The replacements were very cheap and apparently are no longer sold. Even a simple Bic Crystal or Papermate Write Bros. pen or something similar can be used for many years.---Too I love handwriting: the act of writing and seeing good penmanship.

[@joãoAlberto-k9x]

R.I.P.. The pen. Not the Joe.

[@FrankZen]

Did they discontinue it?

[@ayushgupta4725]

Finally someone who understands my obsession of using the same minimalist cheap ball point pen

[@HaftAsia1]

That very pen is a great, reliable tool and helps of millions of people in their educations. I found it as something which is flawless in functionality. I use of this particular ballpoint pen since my childhood.

[@kerc]

Are you still using the Cristal pens? After a long journey trying all sorts of different pens, I went back to the Cristal 1.6 Bold. Smooth, thick black lines, a pen that works great even on cheap composition books. In a sense it's like writing on a typewriter; pure, direct, zero gimmicks. What a fantastic example of great industrial design.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, classic pens that work well.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Very relatable experience. I sometimes venture into click pens, fine point pens, bold pens, fancy color pens, but after a while I inevitably orbit back to the bog-standard 1mm Bic Cristal. You just can't beat the balance of convenience, quality, availability, simplicity and performance that the Cristal offers.

[@danost5853]

At the beginning of the pandemic when I began working from home, I went through the house and collected all the Bic pens I found floating around and put them in a cup on my desk. Out of about the 4 dozen pens I collected, I found 8 different colors of inks and a variety of fine, medium, and bold tips. So far, I have run 5 of these pens out of ink and have had none that quit writing while there was still visible ink in the tube. I had never really given "disposable" pens much thought, but looking back, I'm super impressed with these pens. They're an amazing value for 10 cents each (they're $1 for a 10-pack whenever school starts around here).

[@trevorhaugen167]

👏👏Bravo!

[@stingray7074]

OH MY GOD…..I NEVER HEARD SUCH AN EMOTIONAL SPEECH ABOUT A CHEAP PEN…..THESE BIC PENS ARE LIKE A KALASHNIKOV RIFLE …. CHEAP BUT THEY NEVER LET YOU DOWN …AND USED IN EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD.

[@dancrane8722]

Well yesterday my Bic Cristal Medium died which led me back to this wonderful video. Like many others I have I love of many more expensive, stylish, well renowned pens (current obsession rOtring 600). But the bic is like gravity, always there.

[@xenoshadowmorph]

Same here. Love my Rotring 600 too but something about the BIC Cristal just draws me to using it throughout the week. My mom was a teacher and the BIC cristals were all she bought for home and school - I grew up with them. This was a great video.

[@steveodonald1979]

I only buy Bic pens. They just work. They are the best. They cannot be beat. I have had one "fail", because I had it in my shirt pocket on a 30+ degree (Celsius) day, in my shirt pocket, upside down.... Heat and gravity it did give in to, and leaked on my shirt. Lesson learned, keep it in the orientation it was designed for. Never had a problem since. I'm not a writer, I just have a dozen lines or so to write up my paperwork each day at work, which are often legal records. The Bic has never let me down. Occasionally one will get lost or broken, or I lose the cap.... But I remember the one time I ran one dry, and it was actually exciting :) I had used that pen for so long.... It never failed me.... It served me with purpose to the end of its natural life. I understand your admiration for them, and thank you for your tribute.

[@murdock5537]

You're completely right, Sir! 🙂 Many thanks!

[@drandallesq]

And you can use the pen barrels as the handles of wire dowsing rods, I think with coat hanger wire bent in an L shape. We did that in physics class in the 1960s. I will save my next two BICs and test that in a couple of years. Great video Joe!

[@febed01]

Thanks for this good idea :)

[@johnathantaylor5913]

So, it's been 4 years... did you manage to use and save two BIC pen barrels?

[@markcaldwell2831]

I actually liked that and I'm a lover of BIC pens too.

[@BossMan-wp9zd]

I know right... I’m obsessed with pic pens

[@markcaldwell2831]

@@BossMan-wp9zd Just how obsessed are you?

[@DinnerForkTongue]

I can also proudly say I used up a pen as well, from brand new to its very last droplet. For me it was also a Bic, but a 0.8mm fine point (those last even longer since less ink is dispensed), and it soldiered through an entire 96-page notebook and more than two thirds of a 400-page one, in less than a year - its duty was an intense studying and text writing season. Now I have superseded it with a Linc Scrit pen, a Cristal copycat that actually surpasses the original in quality and writing smoothness. It is a great pen and one I always reach for when I'm writing in blue. And when it is done, used up... she still has two sisters in the blister. 😉

[@Joe_VanCleave]

“Two a sisters in the Blister” is a good band name! Congrats on the pen!

[@brappatta]

I don't understand muggles who treat writing utensils with cavalier disrespect (chewing on them, losing them, or the absolute worst: walking off with mine like they're communal property). I have many different brands of pens that I use, but the Bic Cristals are absolute beasts when it comes to write-out. It takes some serious jotting and idea generation to run one of those bad boys out of ink. So, when one goes down, it is indeed a moment of reverence, to reflect on all the thoughts and ideas that have flowed through that instrument onto the paper, and to commend the utensil to pen Valhalla. I landed a pair of 24-packs of Bic Cristals (bold point FTW) at a ridiculous sale price 8 years ago, and I'm just now approaching the write-out point on the last ones. Every last one has worked flawlessly until the last drop.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

The more time passes, the more I agree. A well-kept Cristal will write smoothly, will trace a dark line, and will truck on for ages until it's totally spent. I tried out some Lincs but either they're too light, the ink bleeds over to the other page, or they stop working halfway through for no discernible reason; also checked out some Pilots but they're overpriced compared to the Cristal.

[@user-or2eb7mn3u]

Do you have a video about the Bic Orange pen? I've never owned one but I saw this pen a lot at schools.

[@manish6601]

Best video 👍

[@CAMERADACTYLCameras]

I really dig this video. The beginning reminds me of the Tootsie roll pop commercials. "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop" . The world may never know. You just solved that riddle about the Bic pen.

[@hamadalhussain1286]

I use Bic Cristal most of the time I write. The Bic Cristal Medium is a mainstay in my pen case. I do have other expensive pens too but that Bic cristal is special and I use each one till the last drop. In fact I try to reserve the pen a little when the ink goes very low because I kinda "show-off" with it. I'm sure some of the stationery junkies would know what I mean.

[@Solitaire001]

I agree that the Bic Crystal is an outstanding pen. It, along with the Uniball Roller, are my two favorite pens. One of things I like about them is that they are non-retractable. It's a small issue but I dislike the way a retractable pen tip wiggles when you are writing.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

I don't like the wobble either. And in my case, that extends to retractable lead sleeves in mechanical pencils. The less moving parts in a device, the better.

[@tennbones]

The King of pens

Ok but I can't be the only one who finds that music at the beginning and end kinda scary and thinks it should be in a horror film.. right?

[@eme42jtm]

I liked the video. My girlfriend came a week ago with a bunch of pens she wanted to throw away because they wouldn't write. I saved the BIC.

[@treehugger2397]

eme42jtm thank you! There is truly nothing like a Bic pen it’s a work of art imho.

[@kates8841]

I love pens and pencils. I have too many. I agree that even the cheap ones are important. I’m weird I guess. Lol

[@markcaldwell2831]

Not at all my dear. There's nothing weird about it.

[@dimatha7]

they also have new metal ones with refills

[@DinnerForkTongue]

But they don't sell refills separately. It's just a greenwashing ploy by Bic.

[@dimatha7]

@@DinnerForkTongue for the metal ones they do, at least here in Europe

[@jeroendroideka380]

I work in the industry. When im in the control room, i use the bic crystal. Outside the m10.they have never failed me.

[@Marc-so2cd]

It only took me 54 days to drain a blue one and 53 days for a black one.

[@hueman1743]

I'm halfway through my Bic pen for the past 4weeks

[@pepebel2809]

Indeed,one of the best ballpoint pens ever.

[@bluur101]

I kept waiting for you to come up with a way to refill the ink! At work I use four-colour Bic 889969 every day :)

[@scotthill6807]

The story behind BIC Crystal pens is very interesting . There are some videos on KZbin the tells the story of BIC.

[@gentlestormtoo]

Good luck with finding a recycling facility! The pen has too many different materials; nowhere, I know recycles them. Let us know how that works out?

[@sandygrogg1203]

Wonderful video👍

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Thanks for the visit

[@user-or9cj3vk6t]

When did Bic change their ballpoints from flexible plastic to the brittle plastic that shatters into razor blades under your foot or inside the mouth when it's chewed? It was a great move..sales went through the roof

[@UrbaNSpiel]

Nice

[@txzbelle75]

This was awesome! They need to make them refillable. 🤔

[@thesonofman1909]

best pens in the world

[@sandygrogg1203]

Oh my... I am 77nyo...and I thunk thr humble Bic Crystal is an American icon. Nearly everyone has used one..,or two iof them.

[@kurtgodel28]

❤️

[@anthonywilliams8956]

You should have saved the cap because sometimes they get lost.

[@Crazytesseract]

People waste so many pens every year. I try to use all of my pens to the very end. But still, I end up losing 2% to 5% of the pens every year. The remaining ones are used to the last drop. I haven't purchased ballpoints in the last 1 and half year, bcz i decided to use up all the ballpoints, rollerballs and gels that I have first.

[@Coolwater83]

I wouldn’t recycle a fully used bic cristal. I would keep it as a souvenir since it’s not often that you see one get used all the way til the last drop

[@markcaldwell2831]

That's exactly what I do. I keep them in a pencil case as proof and a sense of achievement.

[@yn020]

Is there a way to find wether my bic cristal is fake ? Mine doesn't seem to perform well. The ink fades over time and writes unevenly. Also the packet didn't say anything (original/bold/smooth etc). Just bic at the top and 10 pens inside the packet. Could my pen be fake or is it because im left handed?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Left or right hand operation shouldn’t affect the pen’s performance. Try ordering a pack of genuine Bic pens online.

[@yn020]

@@Joe_VanCleave thanks alot, I'll consider buying an original one from BIC's site.

[@ichirofakename]

Y'oughta upgrade to the 1.6mm, much smoother.

[@markcaldwell2831]

Yeah and the ink goes down much quicker too.

[@clearobsession3409]

Well said.

[@markcaldwell2831]

Yo Joe, where do you get that note holder to the left of your notepad?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I made it! And it's evolved over time in design. Uses 2.25" wide adding machine paper.

[@LoveDanielColin]

Special video. Give a listen? Lil B - The Pen

[@alexisgodman7371]

👏🏻😊😊

[@tmunk]

I confess to also having a secret stash of Bic Cristals, black medium, in my case. I am much less concerned about the fate of each, though. :D

[@paulwoodford6229]

I hope your secret remains so. I also have a secret stash of black Crystal medium bics 😎

[@simianline_]

goodbye and welcome the new one. #humble

[@user-or2eb7mn3u]

Almost a six min video and no mention about the lid is a whistle, also it's not empty you never did the lighter thing.

[@markcaldwell2831]

If it doesn't have to be expensive to be good then why do you have expensive fountain pens? I used to be a Parker pen fan, I've used Waterman, Platignum, Shaeffer and Lamy pens of various types but I never got any joy from them and I got rid of the lot. It's not just buying a fountain pen, but the choice of ink and nib to suit your style and that just became boring. I've used BICs since childhood but got into the expensive stuff through Internet influence and I wasted a lot of money, and yet my favourite pen now is the 4 Colour fluo of which I have almost 200 of those alone with various other BIC models. I stick by the best pen ever made.

[@GrantJackson70USD]

For many years I’ve tried to find a better pen than the Bic Cristal. I have yet to do so.

[@kalijasin]

👏

[@Coolwater83]

Why blue ink and not black?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Personal preference!

[@LTHanlon]

@@Joe_VanCleave In the 1.0mm size, I find the blue ink slightly smoother than the black. I prefer using the Cristal 1.6mm bold black; its thicker line almost has the feel of a quasi-fountain pen.

[@markcaldwell2831]

Because blue is better.

[@Solitaire001]

One advantage of blue ink is that it makes it easy to tell which is the original signature and which is the copy. That's a reason I'm considering transitioning to blue ink.

[@lilwurstbrot8545]

Playback Speed: 1.25 , thank me later:)

[@adamff3559]

So funny

[@AbaseenPodcast]

Would be nice if we didn't have to waste hundreds of millions of tons of plastic to create new bodies ... they can very easily just sell the refills but they don't. I do not like that.

[@MaxPaxton]

You said you were going to recycle the spent pen, but you shot it in the trash. You are not a man of your word; I believe nothing you say.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Hah! That's my recycle container, gets dumped in the municipal recycle bin every week. +5 points for paying attention!

[@adamff3559]

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@adamff3559]

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@jayy3349]

who cares

[@markcaldwell2831]

Well you just toddle off and buy a bookie pen, no wait they're free so that would be good for you.