Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

openculture.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 135 posts

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#91

Post by prmoustache »

ghc wrote: post #86
williamdclt wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

cassettes were still popular 20y ago, you can probably take 15y off your estimate!

At least in my area, cassettes were still popular 30 years ago during the transition to CDs, but by 20 years ago we were in the midst of the transition from CD to iPod. I don't remember seeing new tapes for sale anywhere after about 2000, and we were definitely burning CDs full of MP3s before then instead of making mixtapes. Personally, I bought my last cassette around 1995. Your point still stands, however...I think…

In my own case CD's, MP3 and cassette use have overlapped. MP3 players were expensive, Discmans were too big to fit in a small pocket. So walkmans were still useful. I used to record tunes and mixes from the radio at the time too as it was super quick to hit record on the ghettoblaster when listening to the radio provided you had a tape ready. So yes I was still using and listening to cassettes in the early 2000's.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#92

Post by nancyminusone »

jwagenet wrote: post #57
lionkor wrote: post #26

I bought a pack of 100 of them for super cheap a few years ago, and a pack of 200 or so pencils with erasers from amazon basics. They carried me through all my exams in university, I have some in every backpack, purse, everywhere. Never had to worry about not having a pen ready, or a replacement if I lost one the morning before the exam. That is truly a buy-it-for-life level investment.

I’m not sure I can get behind buying 100 of a disposable pen as “buy it for life”.

They are only disposable if you throw them away.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#94

Post by jjice »

I used these a lot as a kid and always disliked them. Pens and pencils are strange because there's su ch a wide range of preferences for such a simple thing. Something about them always irked me and I honestly don't know what it is.

The BIC Round Stic, however, I love. I bought a box of sixth like a decade ago and still have like thirty left. Super simple, super cheap, and just great for me.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#95

Post by labseven »

jonhohle wrote: post #71
Spartan-S63 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So true. I hated using BIC ballpoint pens for this reason. I found the Pilot Rollerballs are my favorites to use. The 0.5mm size writes really smoothly. I picked up a couple bolt action pens for some more heft and put the Pilot rollerball fillers into the pen to get a really pleasant writing experience.

Did you know the inserts would fit prior to buying the pens? I love the Pilot V5 RT, but constantly have stains around my pockets from them deploying as I move. I don’t carry Precise V5s because I’ve had one too many explosions with them.

This, and the ergonomics of a lighter pen, is the reason I prefer the capped Pilot Precise BeGreen pen, which accepts the same V5 cartridges. I'm surprised how relatively rare these have stayed when the retractable V5s are everywhere.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#96

Post by jiscariot »

williamdclt wrote: post #76
dist-epoch wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BIC Orange fine. https://www.amazon.com/BIC-Orange-Original-Ballpoint-Point/d...

> made to last with enough ink to write for an average of 3,5 km measuring ink capacity in km makes total sense but I find it hilarious

The skilcraft US government pen, was spec'd to write 5k in -40F to 160F and is also manufactured by the blind. I've got a box of them spread out anywhere I need a pen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/0...

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#97

Post by mikestew »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #46

What's the proper name for that other, arguably even more well-recognized, BIC pen, that looks like Cristal except its main body is opaque orange, and is generally cheap garbage that breaks in your hand if you squeeze it it too hard, and doesn't even write half the time? (And yeah, I remember the taste of it, too. I've "eaten" through my share of these pens as a kid. It's the one pen you can't bite on, unless you lik…

…whether that's ballpoints or razors or anything else.

Oh, man, those crap razors. I’m in Whitehorse, Yukon, and the only disposable razors the drug store carries are BIC. I remember that they’re crap, but obviously people must still buy them, how bad could they be?

I would have had fewer nicks and cuts if I’d used my pocket knife.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#98

Post by tshaddox »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #87
dole wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BIC lighters are more of a first resort than a last resort.

In the same sense their vacuums, if they made them, wouldn't suck.

Are you suggesting their lighters are bad? That’s certainly not my experience. I have a Bic mini that has been packed inside my camping stove kit (a small titanium pot containing an iso-propane canister, stove, and rag) for nearly 15 years. Since I use barely any of its fuel, it hasn’t run out yet, and I suspect it could continue to work as a striker whenever the fuel does run out.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#99

Post by TeMPOraL »

QuercusMax wrote: post #75
Anarch157a wrote: post #29

It's such a versatile product. I bet everyone here who's older than 45/50 have at least once used a Bic pen to rewind a cassete tape. I also used the plastic clip as a stapler remover. There were many other uses for it, for sure.

I always just used a pencil.

I usually had neither on me when needed, so I just used my pinkie.

Re: How the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen became ubiquitous

#100

Post by ziml77 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #49
dmd wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

agreed, agreed, … wait what

You never bit on your pen? Especially back in the school days? Ballpoint pens are the OG stress relief / concentration / "fidget spinner" toys. Except the BIC ones, those would easily shatter; suddenly finding your mouth to be full of sharp, orange or translucent shards of plastic, is the opposite of calm and focus.

I've never done that because pens end up in the dirtiest places. People aren't washing their hands before using them, they gets tossed in a bag and sit in the crevices alongside all sorts of dust and dirt, they get set on dirty desks and will even hit the floor sometimes. All-in-all, super gross.
Post reply on HN