Review: Bic ReAction Gel Pen

Bic pens - they bring back memories of the ubiquitous Bic Stic and the Bic Click - cheap ballpoints sold by the millions as far back as I can remember. I used Bic Stic pens in high school, with their thick, gloppy ink, scratchy point and the ill-fitting caps (which I tended to lose). They got the job done without syle or fan-fare. I do have a soft-spot for Bics, particularly the Bic Click, but I wouldn't list them as go-to writing instruments.

I was looking at pens at Target, when a pack of Bic gel pens caught my eye. A four-pack for $5. "Why not?" I thought, and bought a pack to test. I have to admit, I was intrigued by the claim on the packaging: "Shock absorbing spring system" for smoother writing. Shock absorbers? I wasn't planning on taking the pen off-road, but if it made the pen write smoother, sure!

The pen has a nice feel, tapering to a wider diameter at the grip. It felt firm and secure in my hand, but the barrel lacks any sort of padding. That wasn't an issue for me, but for anyone who suffers from writer's fatigue or arthritis, this pen might not be a good choice. Quality wise - it was okay, but not on the same level as a Uni-Ball or Pilot.

The pen is a retractable, which is the type of pen I prefer. I noticed that when I started writing, there was a definite rattle in the body of the pen. When I retracted the point, the rattle disappeared, even when I shook the pen. I tried another pen from the same pack and again experienced the rattle. Apparently the shock absorber spring is loosened when the point is extended.

As to the writing experience, I was well-pleased. The pen wrote in a fairly smooth manner, laying down a nice, dark line of black ink without skipping or scratching. I say fairly smooth, because there was a moment's hesitation with the pen when I first began, but this disappeared instantly and did not recur. Still, compared to Uni-Balls and Pilots, the Bic is just a step behind.

Overall, I can recommend the Bic ReAction Gel Pen as an economical choice for a work-a-day pen. It's a good value for a buck twenty-five per pen. The gel ink appears to be of good quality and the pen has a nice feel.

Now if Bic could only fix the rattle in the suspension.

Review: Bic ReAction Gel Pen

Seeing Red with the Pilot G-2

The Pilot G-2 is one of my main go-to pens. I love how it writes, how smoothly the ink goes down and how well it works in a Moleskine.

Oh, but I'm speaking of the black ink version.

The red ink G-2 has left me, well . . . seeing red.

One of my responsibilities at the church where I serve is to edit our weekly newsletter. The newsletter is created on a computer, but I prefer to edit a hard-copy. I'm old school - it's part of my charm.

And, being old school, I use red ink to make corrections. Why red? Simple, it stands out clearly from a sea of black print (ignoring the overabundance of color graphics, but I digress). I know that some people think of red ink in a negative light - connoting a degree of hyper-criticism, etc. To me, it is merely an efficient and time-honored editing medium.

I used to use red pencils (actually designed for editing) but these are somewhat harder to come by these days, so I switched to red pens. Red ball points have all the charm and utility of their black and blue cousins (not much), so I've searched for a good red gel-ink pen. The Pilot G-2 seemed the logical choice, as I've been so pleased with the black ink versions. (In case you are wondering, no, I have not tried the blue ink.)

My first attempt started well enough, the red gel ink flowed smoothly from the 07 medium/fine point - just like the black ink G-2's. I thought I had discovered the perfect editing pen. After a short period of usage, I began to experience some skipping, followed by a marked scratchiness. Assuming I merely had a defective pen, I pulled a fresh, red G-2 out and began again - with similar disappointing results.

"Perhaps it's the paper," I thought, so I went to a black G-2. No problems whatsoever. Puzzled, I found yet another red G-2 (one that came packaged with a set of black pens), thinking that I had stumbled upon a bad lot of the reds. To my dismay, this red G-2 also started well, only to skip and scratch after a few minutes usage.

Have any of you experienced a similar problem? I know nothing of how gel ink is formulated, but it seems odd that the black and red inks would behave differently on the same type paper from supposedly identical 07 points. This isn't really a review, nor even a rant. I'm genuinely puzzled as to why I'm having problems with Pilot's red G-2. I'd appreciate any insights you might have.

Seeing Red with the Pilot G-2