Review: Shoplet featuring BIC Products

The items to review include:

• BIC Atlantis Ballpoint Retractable Pen
• BIC for Her Retractable Ballpoint Pen
• BIC Velocity Roller Ball Retractable Gel Pen
• BIC Mark-it Grip Permanent Marker Set
• BIC Wite-Out EZ Correct Correction Tape

I was surprised at all the goodies I received to review. I thought it was going to be one item so of course I was like a child on Christmas morning when I opened everything!

I was so glad to have the BIC Atlantis to review since I’m familiar with that product. I’ve bought these before just out of curiosity and loved them. I had bought the older version where it has the plastic clip that is the same color as the body and the grip is white instead of blue. The metal clip is much more sturdy than the old plastic clip but the metal does stand out against the blue. I don’t really use clips on pens so am unsure of the durability  Other than that i don’t think anything else has changed on the pen. The grips are still the same, just different colors, not really a preference on either since I like them both. The grips are nice to prevent any slips of the grip but not very cushion-y or squishy for comfort.

They are super smooth and produce fairly clean lines. This is actually my go-to pen when I sketch and write most of the time if I need a good ballpoint. Fairly reliable and decently priced. I find it great for sketching if I need a variety of tones. Always will have one in my bag for those just-in-case moments. Oh another great feature is that if you’re a compulsive pen clicker (I’m guilty of this when I’m thinking or bored) this pen is great since it silences the clicks a little to less annoy those around you. My old plastic Atlantis is quieter than the new ones it seems, the metal Atlantis squeaks a tiny bit more but definitely less noticeable than a regular pen. Something I thought I should note.

I’m a bit baffled at the need for a woman specific pen that is the BIC for Her. The only reason I can see a need for them to be separated is the feminine colors and the flowery embossed designs on the pens. I admit I’m a bit of a tom boy so it could affect my judgement but I can still appreciate the design of the pen. While I don’t mind pink I can see it as a hard sell for men to buy. I ended up giving mine to my mom and kept the purple. The colors are nice and vibrant which I appreciate since it’s sure to stand out when you use them.

While the design and aesthetics of the pen are nice I admit it appeals to buyer to purchase a feminine pen. I actually really like the embossed features on the grip and how it continues to near the tip and the body. That is my favorite part of the pen. The clip is super strong, even more so than the Atlantis.

I do not like the gray-ish colored ink. I expected black but not gray and that disappointed me. I wonder if all future versions of this pen will have lighter versions of the regular colors (i.e. light blue). I sure hope not. Nevertheless, the pen does write smoothly that even my mom had noticed when she used hers (I always listen to my mom, she’s always right XD). It’s funny, I noticed the pen was longer than the others and it turned out to be 5 mm longer than the BIC Atlantis. The BIC for Hers are 15 cm long but for some reason I thought it would be longer. Still it’s comfortable to hold in the hand.

The BIC Mark It Grip permanent markers are nice. It seems that the pens are acid free and non-toxic so that’s great for me if I want to use them in my art or prints. It’s interesting how it says that the pen will not dry out if left without the cap on. I don’t intend to test that but it’s always good to know. The colors come in Tuxedo Black, Deep Sea Blue, Rambunctious Red, and Forrest Green. Nice variation of names, different from the standard names but recognizable. The grips are all nice ensuring you’ve got enough friction to not to let your hand slip on accident. The pen bodies are about average for disposable pens and seem durable with the plastic.

The BIC Wite Out EZ Correction tape is a nice reminder that BIC offers to donate money to the Susan G. Komen cancer prevention research center. I admit I was a little hesitant to use this type of correction tape. My only experience with this type of white out was the cheap $1 off brand. Those never stayed on very well and rubbing my finger on it would always make it crumble and fall off. Otherwise I usually prefer the liquid white out but I’m happy to say that this correction tape stayed on very well. The coverage is also very opaque and tapes on fairly smoothly. There were times where the tape would start to warp but straightening the tape or pressing a finger to smooth it out solved the problem. Very satisfied with this white out.

The BIC Velocity Gel pen is comparable to the Pilot G2 and to be honest I find the BIC Velocity Gel grip much more comfortable. It seems to contour to my hand better which makes it easier to write. It writes very smooth like the G2 and with clean lines. It does smear right after writing so watch out for that and let it dry. The ink is a nice bold and vibrant black. It is also not water-proof (I write with wet hands sometimes) so make sure your hands are dry! The pen is nicely designed like a typical gel pen but it is a little longer than the G2. Another benefit is that like the G2 this pen is refillable so keep those pen bodies eco-friends and buy the refills! It is not a let down if you’re looking for an alternative to the G2. I was extremely pleased to get a whole box to myself but as I wanted to share the wealth I gave some away to my family who seem to be pleased with them.

This is me testing and fooling around with the pens. Please ignore the black spots at the top, those are bleed through from the previous page. As you can see the lines are pretty clean and smooth. This was tested on my Rhodia pad.

The BIC for Her is nice for a variation of tones but here you can see the gray ink. Ick. I like my solid blacks please. If you like grays and not the harsh black inks then this may be good for you!

Here is the BIC Velocity Gel and you can compare the gray and black ink. Nice and smooth with clean lines. As a note the ink doesn’t feather in the sketch, it’s just a blurry picture. Love that black, love it.

Lovely color of the BIC Atlantis. In the picture it’s actually a royal blue but the lighting edits I made to the photo destroyed that color making it lighter than it really is. The other colors are fine. Not sure why that happened. In addition, while I am an advocate for the Atlantis you should know that sometimes the pen does blob as you can sort of see in the sketch such as the start of the ‘A’ in Atlantis. However, that is something I don’t mind and deal with it as it comes.

Again please forgive the black dots at the top. Nasty bleed through. Here I was testing out the BIC Wite Out Correction tape. Easy to put down and was easily impressed with the coverage.

While it didn’t cover exactly 100% I’d say it covers at least 95%. It does well, even over the permanent markers. I also wasn’t trying to hide the white out so you can notice it. Rubbing it with my finger didn’t cause the white out to crumble or fall apart which I’m extremely pleased with. It is also very flat and not lumpy like liquid white out can turn out.