Bic Cristal Renew Pen Review - A Refillable Bic!

[@unsharpen]

Check out unsharpen.com/pen/bic-cristal/ for more info on the Cristal Ballpoint

[@spectaclesociety]

thanks for review. any data about exact body weight please ? plastic cristal is 5g

[@ope.dilligaf]

Oh how I wish they’d make a metal Bic Clic!

[@Nickoboss29]

There's the Soft Feel for that

[@lincmerc1581]

There used to be a Jotter type pen made by Bic. It had a nickle chromed top half. It was called "Citation".

[@farrukhsaeed1337]

I love it - but wish they included a metal cap!

[@LazyStory]

Agree! But I just have a black and a blue on mine. .. I do not use it in any other colour.

[@UtilityCurve]

Moi aussi, but I wonder how to insure the needed friction between the hexagonal barrel (it wouldn't be a Cristal without) and a cap (to keep it from falling off) with metal-on-metal. All the metal caps that come to mind are round, that is, with continuous surfaces in contact, not merely six points.

[@kamenriderblade2099]

I went to my local Staples and saw an entire rotating rack dedicated to Pen Refills for all the major pen companies. That's a step in the right direction and the cost of Pen refills were reasonable.

[@tomnelson8515]

Metal cap probably scratched the barrel. But they could have put in some sort of lining. But that would certainly cut the profit or increased the cost of the pen. Metal cap would have been cool They could have sold it separately and sold millions as everyone loses the caps to those things.

[@spectaclesociety]

As i can see inside this plastic cap is also some kind of lining, contact absorber, something like thin rubbery layer... This plastic cap is fine

[@elzm3998]

It is a 96% recycled plastic cap ;)

[@David_Downs]

Interesting idea, better if they upgraded the cap imo.

[@elzm3998]

it is a 96% recycled plastic cap

[@Mythologos]

A Refillable Bic: my life's ambition!

[@kuhliloach8842]

I am a big fan of the metal Cristal and as it turns out the Bic ink is my favorite ink on the market for drawing and shading due to its thickness.

[@GravityKnight]

I'm always on the lookout for premium bodies for the Bic Cristal. Ensso has the Aria, and Pinel et Pinel has that leather-clad collaboration with Bic. Good to know that Bic has their own line now!

[@arncj18]

at frikkin 40$ i dunno what these 'people' are thinking, exploiting the war

[@dashsunil]

This metal version can't beat the universally loved plastic BIC. 😅 It's a great find, Sal. Thanks for the video.

[@cherchil]

it sure can for me hah, i love my metal bic hah

[@GordieGii]

Love the new metal cassette rescue tool.

[@dannysvinylrainbow4852]

I cant wait to try these in the U.S. hopefully soon. Thanks for showing us this new take on an iconic pen Mr Unsharpen👍

[@humanfirst11]

Hopefully they will make this available worldwide sooner than later!! I know I would instantly buy one. I love the 1.6 mm here!

[@HezzaGamer]

Found one here today in Canada at a Staples, I really like the look and feel of it. Having never tried the Cristal Bic pens before, I can say that it is noticeably smoother than other Bic pens I've tried. A great purchase in my opinion!

[@unsharpen]

Glad you like it!

[@jayrobb9]

Never tried a Bic Cristal? That is truly incredible.

[@bengosling4606]

In the past six months I've learnt a lot about pens from $1000+ Montblanc resin fountain pens to mid range pens such as Fisher or Tactile Turn making all metal edc pens to 2buck plastic bics, there certainly is a ocean of variety all you have to do is take the plunge. Personally I like all metal pens mostly for the weight & rebusness.

[@LazyStory]

Kaweco AL-sport is very nice :)

[@harryk4488]

Thank you for the review. I have ordered for and intend to set them up with red, green, blue and black inks. Pretty much the Bic Four colour pen split up.

[@mthw]

I've seen these in the UK, but they only seem to offer the pen with 2 refills included. There's no separate refills available as a separate pack for when you've used up the two included with the pen.

[@hamadalhussain1286]

You can refill it with any Bic Cristal refill. It fits as shown in this video.

[@UtilityCurve]

​@@hamadalhussain1286Ironically, that vitiates the eco-conciousness of this refillable pen. If one assumes that the refill is the major (by far, 90%?) cost to manufacture a classic Cristal, one wonders how Bic might sell refills: Packs of ten, priced 10¢ (USD, sterling or EUR) less than a ten-pack of all-plastic Cristals? Not likely: Ten refills, nine of which will sit in a drawer or for the tiniest bit more, ten immediately usable pens? The hope must be to eventually sell multicolour refills in a multipack, as those still command a premium as "bold" Cristal components. There's no money to be made with simply black and blue refills for the Renew.

[@limegreenlotus]

If they had the extra bold color refills I would be in heaven the 1.6mm purples sky blue, green are my favorites. That way you don’t have to constantly buy new packs and waste plastic. Thanks for the post😊

[@callmeruberto]

Metal 4 Colour would be ✨

[@countduckula9977]

Thanks for posting this video. BIC being environmentally friendly - shame they didn't make the cap metal as well.

[@elzm3998]

it is a 96% recycled plastic cap

[@jayrobb9]

Theory seems to be that a metal cap likely would have scratched the barrel. Metal on metal would probably need to be a screw cap - which would compromise the design.

[@JoseMr57]

Hey i also get one for me and my mother. Instant classic for Bic here in Europe

[@fnqadv1162]

The Ensso Aria is a similar idea but to me looks nicer, also has a metal cap that screws on both ends.

[@unsharpen]

Looks nice yes but it’s about $40

[@spectaclesociety]

Arrived today, first impression is perfect weight

[@kuhliloach8842]

Also IMO this metal Cristal is an EDC diamond in the rough that only needs a professional cap system to bring it to the next level.

[@lincmerc1581]

Ive been admiring the Big Pal Hex Pen. It's basically a brass cristal. Kind of on the expensive side. My days of non essential purchases have ended in the current economy. Plus, I have enough pens to last 5 lifetimes.

[@unsharpen]

Oh interesting. Hadn’t seen that one before

[@houghwhite411]

1 2 3 and... And it's gone Someone borrowed it from me and they got an amnesia

[@Jasen-M74]

I’d love it if it were aluminum and coloured white with maybe a black cap. Thanks for the upload. 👍🖊️

[@mauriciolacruz]

Fantastic analysis. 👍🏻 Buuuuut... I personally am not convinced for the following three reasons: 1. The cap is plastic and not metal as it should. 2. I would like the body to be made of a metal that is denser than aluminum, such as some stainless steel alloy, or brass, etc. 3. The body should not have that rear window with the tab to exchange the refill. It is not aesthetically attractive, can be prone to breakage, and is also a magnet for collecting dirt.

[@unsharpen]

I agree on all three points! But I still like the pen

[@danielLittle11]

Hi! I recently settled on the Bic Xtra Comfort (medium) being my favorite bic refill. It turns out the ball sizes being a little bit larger than the medium refills of the Bic Cristal. I took the Xtra Comfort refill and put it in a Cristal body. But i was wondering if you could shed some light on this find and if you’ve noticed it before? Far and away the best i’ve used. Thanks!

[@ki_suco13]

I love this concept, it is slighty greener than the regular ones, but in my country is extremely rare to find the refills, so tbh not worth at all at the moment.

[@lisar3944]

at first I was disappointed that the cap is just plastic as with the originals...then I remembered how much I loved to chew on the cap when I was in class...I think I can appreciate it :D

[@unsharpen]

Fair enough!

[@addonisjenkins]

Good review. Wanting to say thank you for your refill video as well. I have the Bic Ultra Comfort pen and I was able to refill it. I'm a lefty too and I love the grip on it.

[@unsharpen]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Ali-in8xi]

BIC came up with the Renew a bit late in the game. I'm the proud owner of two metal-bodied pens, each from two different businesses, that accept BIC stic refills. One of these two pens was customizable; I got to choose my own barrel/grip section colors and got text of choice laser marked onto the barrel. The other pen wasn't customizable but is fabulous nonetheless. Wonder what took BIC so long.

[@chocorose6544]

Old and big companies like Bic have a lot of inertia which prevents them thinking out of the box.

[@Ali-in8xi]

I had always assumed that giving the people what they want/need and making a profit from it was a business's creed. Inertia... truly a pity.

[@hb6747]

Can I ask what those two pens are?

[@Ali-in8xi]

Sure you can! The ensso Aria and the Baux Pen Co. Baux.

[@arncj18]

does Bic sell refills? i must ask in the shops i never bought one, just thrown away 20 years ago when i was in school , but i won't throw away my metal Bic now

[@unsharpen]

Yes. Though only in Europe and online I believe

[@samiotmani9092]

please when I change the original one by 1.6 it doesn't enter very well how we do to perfectly fit it ?

[@syedafahd]

Can you upload 2 videos in a week? It is becoming very hard to wait for your videos.. i love watching your reviews.. 😁 great work. 👍🏻

[@unsharpen]

Thanks for the note. Been trying to upload more frequently

[@tonyhristea]

yes i agree metal cap would've been nice

[@AndrewDasilvaPLT]

Meth users are going to to love this.

[@stratotramp6243]

Got one one these for my knee board when flying. Hopefully won't get nicked and a Tony bit premium so I might respect it more!

[@jayrobb9]

Any update on these? They seem to be hard to find, and finding the refills for them is near impossible.

[@unsharpen]

No changes what from I’ve seen. Thigh they seem to be easy to find in Canada and Europe

[@blazinferno]

What is the brand of your dot grid notepad?

[@oldandeerie]

i bought it at staples for $ 7 60 i think with tax in, yeah it was a shocking bummer the cap was plastic and kind of looked chewed on at the factory haha, it also doesn't have a nice click when you put the cap on so im not sure how long the cap will stay snug on the pen before just becoming loose and falling off, it's ok but yeah the cap is the biggest draw back, not sure if i'd bother getting another. good review

[@unsharpen]

Thanks!

[@ushinkou8569]

Should it be called refillable when you're actually replacing the innards instead of Refilling.

[@AndroidM-op7zf]

Baux Pens sells a machined body for a Bic refill.

[@unsharpen]

Yea, I’ve seen that but never tried one. This will be a good deal cheaper

[@Ali-in8xi]

@@unsharpen True, this one is cheaper; however, the Baux is customizable. You get to choose your own barrel/grip section/end plug/plastic cap/tip collar/ink colors and get text of choice laser marked onto the barrel. It's worth the little extra, IMO.

[@trueblack6760]

Bic should sell ink refill more seriously.I don't want to through away the body every time. I'm using this body with 1.6 refill now. From the design point of view, I think we don't need the hole with the plastic slide. As you mentioned I thought about using the metal cap as well but I quit. Because I noticed that the metal cap will scratch the body and ruin the mat finish.

[@mthw]

It's very expensive, but you can actually get yourself a metal silver cap to go with the Renew. In the UK Bic sells some special edition Cristal x Pinel pens and they include a metal version of the cap. They are £60 ($84), though.

[@unsharpen]

Had no idea. Thanks!

[@kamenriderblade2099]

Most pens that I own, you can buy the refill somewhere online; so I don't see why this is that special. Just because the barrel is/isn't metal, doesn't mean that you can't find and use refills somewhere. Just don't design your pen to be a pain in the arse to replace the refill.

[@dial001]

I have an official bic Cristal in 925 silver but it is pretty heavy. So something like this would be much better for daily writing!

[@unsharpen]

That an incredible find though. It’s quite rare!

[@dial001]

@@unsharpen I love bic pens, especially for drawing. I have a few brvke pens as well. If you get a chance, you should check them out.

[@NunoxFerreira]

A classic in Europe,the plastic body is softer thant before..security 1st i think.The Yellow one is a 0,5mm i think...🤔👍🤗

[@cperez6331]

It would be interesting to try it.

[@spectaclesociety]

Plastic cap is totally fine, no need for metal cap, unnecessary. Good thing (very important) is that you can use regular crystal refills from other crystals around (fine, medium, bold..)

[@lincmerc1581]

I use a blue or black cap depending on ink color being used. I am saving the cap. I don't wanna lose it.

[@runabout76]

Easy to find in Canada!

[@unsharpen]

That’s great. I’m sure they will become easier to find in the US over time too

[@BubbafromSapperton]

Wow a metal spitball shooter! 🥳

[@KristopherCost]

Does Bic sell the refills separately in the same market as the ReNew as well? Harvesting the refills from other Cristals like you would have to over here in the States would kinda defeat their goals of being a more ecological solution.

[@unsharpen]

I can’t tell. Have been looking but it seems like most of the refills in this size (b3) are off brand bic

[@elzm3998]

Hi, the refills are foreseen. I hope you can find them soon..

[@cristianchirila8767]

Just bought IT for 3.70 euros in France

[@A4000]

You bought information technology for 3 euros?

[@Axel_cam78]

As a French the metal body will be stronger than the plastic one.

[@mantasha1119]

What mic do you use

[@user-wo4vo5nz8e]

Is the uni jetstream better than the Zebra blen?

[@user-wo4vo5nz8e]

Thank you very much!

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Is the cap also metall?

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Ah what a shame

[@unsharpen]

Sadly no

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@@unsharpen A shame :-(

[@endezeichengrimm]

I would expect it is aluminium.

[@Shmengeroonie]

How come the innovations come out of Europe?

[@unsharpen]

I think it was just released there first. Bic is a French company right? I'm sure these will be available in the US before long (at retail, not just import).

[@Shmengeroonie]

@@unsharpen -I love pens. Looking forward to it!

[@a10398zenuno]

I have both the blue and black pens and I really like them. The issue is that all this talk of sustainable pen and Renew name is really good and cool but Bic doesn´t seem to sell any refills, WTF so after you use the 3 cartridges you have to buy another pen, if Bic doesn´t start selling the refills, this is really just a marketing scam.

[@elzm3998]

The refills are foreseen, so I hope you can find them soon

[@unsharpen]

People have said they are finding refills in Canada and Europe I believe.

[@A4000]

The metal one cannot be used as a spitball launcher. FYI

[@unsharpen]

Good call. I neglected to mention this

[@ecksdog]

If the Tin Man carried a pen.

[@namipictures]

Getting dual refills for it makes no sense. 2 of them cost the same as 12 whole Cristals. You might as well buy regular cristals and use the ink from those. It makes no sense when it comes to saving money or the environment.

[@unsharpen]

I think you are largely paying a premium for the design and for the ocean plastic process.

[@MinMinzemi9200]

な

[@TheASM196]

Hum... let's see United States... Europe... what could be closer and have French on the label?.... another hint: second largest country in the world... 3rd and final hint: they have a prime minister and are not at each others' throats (unlike another country you know well)... I am not saying it came from there, just that it is a strong possibility as I just purchased one like this today (with minor packaging differences).

[@unsharpen]

It's possible it's Canadian but Bic is a French company so it seemed more likely France would get the pen first and people would start to distribute from there. You have to keep in mind the video is a few months old so the pen is more widely available then it was at the time.

[@archismanmukhopadhyay1327]

Linc pentonic is better

[@unsharpen]

It’s very good not a metal body though