Sometimes all you need is a cheap pen
You know what I'm talking about?
Bic Cristal is the pen I'm talking about. Those cheap-ass pens that pop up seemingly everywhere: from school to the bank and from the dentist to under your couch. Those hexagonal-shaped pens with a clear body showing you its long tube of black, blue, red, green, whatever ink.
I really like those pens.
I'm a bit of a pen and pencil guy. As in I've spent far too much money on pens and pencils. I have my own little collection. I go through phases, too. Right now, I'm not really looking at either. A few months ago, I spent hours looking at different pens and pencils, thinking if I should really spend $20 on a single pen (I didn't pull the trigger).
So I've got a couple fancy (expensive) pens. I enjoy using them. They're often very lovely to write with. The ink glides across the page, they dry quickly, don't smudge, etc. Every now and again, however, I'll dip into my cheaper pens. Rather than a pen that cost $20 clams (just for one!) I'd go for a pen that cost me $5 doubloons for a twenty pack.
That pen was the Bic Cristal. And you know what? I really like them. They flow quite well, the ink is nice and dark. The only thing I don't like is the body is a bit hard to hold after extended use.
It was kind of funny realizing this. Because before I was using a more expensive pen and was having trouble with its ink. I felt the ink wasn't dark enough and it'd sometimes clump up at the tip and leave ugly blotches on the paper. The ink wasn't running out, either. It was full. Very annoying.
And so on a fluke I reached for a cheap one and have been enjoying it much more. It's also fun to use a pen that feels so ubiquitous. Everyone must've have used this pen at one point.
Anyhow, shout-out to r/pens and r/pencils. I'm always wary of visiting those subreddits because I feel I'll spend money on stuff I don't really need. But I can't help it. It's just too fun to look at pens and pencils, as crazy as that sounds.