Bic Exact-Tip Roller 0.6mm

I normally wouldn't bother reviewing a pen that has been discontinued, but the Bic Exact-Tip Roller is different. For one, it's got its own fan page on Facebook, created by users longing for Bic to make it available again (although the page hasn't been updated for two years). And also it is a really great pen. And since I recently came across a pair of these at a thrift store, I thought I'd quickly review them anyway.

The Bic Exact-Tip Roller is a chunky 0.6mm rollerball pen. Because of the size of the barrel, I think it would be great for anyone with larger hands, although I also find it very comfortable to use. It has a sturdy metal clip on the cap that you can actually clip onto things without worrying about breaking it off. The grip is soft but not squishy, and I like its textured pattern of dots. It also has a large and aesthetically pleasing window to show the ink supply, and, best of all, a needle-point tip! I love needle-point tips on pens.

At 0.6mm, the Exact-Tip Roller writes with a relatively fine line, and it is very smooth. The ink does not feather, even on cheap paper, but it does bleed through. Even on the 80gsm Rhodia paper there is a considerable amount of showthrough and some bleeding, although it writes so well otherwise that I can forgive some of that. It reminds me quite a bit of the Uni-ball Vision, but I think the Exact-Tip Roller is a much better pen (it does not feather, whereas the Vision feathers on just about everything, and it writes with a finer line). I love the black ink; it is very black and it really pops on the page. The red ink is rather dark and may not appeal to those who like bright reds, but I like it, and I think it is more suitable for everyday writing than a bright red.

According to this post at The Pen Addict, Bic stopped making these pens in 2005, which means that the pens I have must be at least eight years old. The fact that they write so well after all these years also impresses me. Overall, I think the Bic Exact-Tip Roller is a great pen. If they were still available, I wouldn't mind buying some more of them. It seems like a better pen that the other similar rollerballs that I have used, the design of the pen is good, and I love the ink colours. If you are lucky enough to come across one of these pens, it is definitely worth trying out.