The Bic 4 Color Grip Ballpoint Pen

The Bic 4 Color Grip Ballpoint Pen is a new twist on the classic version of the Original Bic 4 Color Pen.  It has been out for a while now, but there has been quite some time that has gone by between the release of the original, and the release of the new Bic 4 color grip ballpoint pen.

The Bic 4 Color Grip Ballpoint Body

Whats new with the Bic 4 color grip ballpoint pen?

The immediate and obvious difference between the Bic 4 color grip ballpoint pen and the classic version is that as you can tell from the “Grip” nomenclature, it now has a grip.  The previous version of this pen had no grip for.  The pen now also has a more modern black and silver body with a more angular design for the section of the body that houses the 4 different color plungers.  The angular design reminds me of the newer Cadillac and Acura designs if you are familiar with cars.

Bic 4 Color Grip Ballpoint Comparison to Classic 4 Color Ballpoint

In a side by side comparison, the new version has one curious functional difference though.  The order that the colors run in are different.  In the above photo you can see that the black and red have been swapped, and while not shown in a photograph, the blue and green remain in the same positions.  The new grip version has a slightly longer body and feels just a bit heavier.  The ball on top now has a hole drilled in it.  I’m assuming that the hole is there so you can put the grip version of this on a lanyard.  Also of minor note, the old classic version has a large “Made in France” running up the side of the top half of the barrel, while the new version has a very tiny “Japan” stamped on the side.

Bic 4 Color Grip Ballpoint Ink Comparison

The last thing to compare between the new and old versions of this pen is the ink.  Surprisingly enough there was zero difference there.  Same ink cartridges, same writing performance, so it wasn’t even worth putting together a writing comparison for these.  I am a little surprised that Bic didn’t try to improve these with their Easy Glide ink.  I guess the classic version has a pretty solid following, so I am sure they didn’t want to mess with that.   I can tell you though that writing with the new version is certainly more comfortable because of the much improved grip.  The Bic 4 color grip ballpoint pen also has a nicer heft that gives the pen a more solid feel, and noticeably less rattle when writing.

One thing I’ve noticed with the classic version is that they are heavily favored by baseball analysts and reporters.  I’ve been meaning to document this with screen caps of some games, but my timing is always bad and I miss all the good shots.  For now, if you have been a big fan of this pen, definitely grab yourself the new grip version and see how Bic has made some nice little improvements to this old favorite.

©2017, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.