Bic (often seen as BIC) was founded in 1945 by Edouard Buffard and Marcel Bich in Paris, France. In 1958 Bic acquired US-based Waterman and in 1997 it acquired the Sheaffer Pen Corporation.
The modern ballpoint, which has a long and fascinating history, is still quite relevant. While other pen types have gained popularity and fountain pens have seen a resurgence, ballpoints have gotten much better as well.
Ballpoints are no longer the default writing utensil they once were, but they are still useful and pretty great for writing.
Many people come to this website with a simple query: how long is a pen? Here is our best take on an answer to this deceptively simple question.
The Bic Cristal is a one of the most popular pens in the world. It’s a classic ballpoint pen that has been produced continuously since 1950. Over 100 billion of these pens have been produced in the nearly 70 years that it has been made.
When discussing pens on Unsharpen.com we use some terms so often that we assume everyone knows the meaning. But these meanings aren’t always clear and sometimes our definition will vary from that found on other sites.
With that in mind, what is a ballpoint pen?
When buying a pen you will encounter many of the same words each type you buy. The number one thing you should be looking out fo– so you know what to expect from the pen — is the type of ink. Two popular and often confused types are ballpoint and gel ink.
So what’s the difference between ballpoint and gel pens?
Continue reading “Ballpoint vs. Gel Ink – What’s The Difference?”
When you are buying a pen you might noticed that there are a number of different ink types that manufacturers use. Ballpoint, rollerball, gel, hybrid, and so on… but what’s the difference from one to the next?
In this article we’ll explain the difference between ballpoint and rollerball pens.
Continue reading “Ballpoint vs. Rollerball – What’s The Difference?”
The Bic Atlantic Velocity Ballpoint, more commonly known as the Bic Velocity, is a traditional ballpoint pen with an updated, sporty design.
The Bic Gel-ocity is a mainstream, office-friendly gel pen that resembles the popular Atlantis line of Bic pens.
When you start to dig into pens just a little bit you’ll see that they are separated ink a few major varieties based on the type of ink they use. These categories are blurry and ultimately not very well defined, but it’s helpful to know the basics about them so you have some idea of what you are buying. This guide will run through the major types of inks in order to help you get a better understanding of the major types of pens, how they write, why you might prefer one over the others, and the best uses for each.
Don’t miss our Pen Refills Guide so you can learn about the types of refills these inks go into.
Ever want a solid metal Bic Cristal pen? Not only does such a pen exist, but it has for 30+ years. It’s also made of gold-plated silver. The downside? It’s expensive and quite rare.