Kickstarter Baux (Box) Pen Aluminum Barrel for BIC Stics

You know, the cheap-o BIC pens get a pretty bad rap.  Often times simply the term “BIC Pen” is used in a mocking and derogatory sense as a means of criticizing other pens down to the bottom of the totem pole of quality.  How sad would it be to have a reputation so bad as to be the laughing stock of the entire ink world… shame on us.

Why don’t we put the laughing stock into perspective, shall we?  Based on some statistics I found on the internet, BIC does over $2 Billion (with a B...for BIC's Billions) in annual sales and employs nearly 10,000 people.  They sell approximately 8.76 billion stationary items per year, which by all accounts, is a lot of stinkin’ pens.  Now, even with all of these statistics, your average BIC pen isn’t going to be a life changing experience to use, but that’s not really what they’re all about.

Well, there is a man that decided that he had had enough of it (I may be embellishing a bit) and wanted to provide a quality boost for BIC.  This man’s name is Dan Conti, an inventor or tinkerer of sorts that thought that the barrel of the BIC Stic pens could use a facelift and sought out to create one out of machined aluminum.  This offering is his first venture to launch through Kickstarter and ended up a success.

When I first saw his Kickstarter campaign I thought, “I don’t use BIC pens” (probably in a snooty way), and didn’t initially pledge.  Then, I thought more about it.  I thought, even though I don’t use BIC Stics, any time I’ve written with one it has been a pleasant experience (or not offensive) from a writing perspective.  This thought process coupled with my desire to help support small businesses brought my pen snobbery back down to Earth and I immediately went and pledged for two pens.  I think I got in on the second group after the early backers and ended up paying $23 out the door.

I am glad I did.

Dan was very informative through the entire Kickstarter process, letting us know how things were moving forward, any hang-ups or snags he was hitting, as well as providing insight about how his daughter was doing with her soccer tournaments.  Just an overall down-to-Earth guy.  

Overall, I think Dan did a fantastic job with this project of his.  The idea of it is just really awesome.  My hope is that he does some more projects like this in the future.  

I opted for the clear anodized version with the "grooves" on the grip and tail section.  Something about evenly spaced grooves on a surface sucks me right in.  The machining is nice and clean and the weight of the barrel is actually pretty substantial.  

I won't really delve into the writing experience as the refill is a BIC Stic that I'm sure everyone has used at a bank, restaurant, or doctor's office.  If you haven't tried one, pop by your local office supply store and for about $3 you can get...oh...like 1,000 pens*. 

*(may be slightly exaggerated) 

The only real detail gripe I have is kind of a subtle one.  When they hand stamped the "BAUX - USA" on the front, the force actually left a very slight flat surface on the back which creates some variation in the anodizing.  Many people may not even notice it, but just some feedback for process and quality control for next time.

Well, good work, Dan, and good luck on the next one! 

My idea for another project along the BIC line would be to create a metal barrel to swap in the Clic Stic parts for a retractable BAUX. 

Which Karas Kustoms Pen May Be Right For You?

I received an email from a reader, Justin, with some questions around my opinions of a couple of Karas Kustoms pens, and which one I thought was better.  Now, I really enjoy Karas' pens; a lot.  I've discussed before my appreciation for their products, and it wasn't until I received that email from Justin did I think through the "whys" of my appreciation of each pen.  Thanks, Justin.  

If you are looking to purchase just one pen from Karas (a really difficult feat...), there are definitely some things to consider.   For what you get, I absolutely think their products are priced well.  The quality, design, "cool factor"; they are worth the money in my opinion.  That being said, if you're going to drop $45+ on a pen like this, you want to make sure you're making the right decision, right?  I can speak from knowing the guys at Karas, they want you to enjoy your pen as much as they enjoy making them, which happens to be a lot.

Karas Kustoms is currently offering three different pen styles: The Render K, The Bolt, and The Retrakt.  All of these pens bear a very "Karas" style and are all awesome, but are all quite different from each other. 

In thinking through this, I came about some ideas and criteria based on a few factors: material/weight, finish, refills, and functionality.  

 

Materials: 

Currently, Karas pens come in three materials (except for the limited Delrin): aluminum, brass, and copper.  Whether one of them is right for you is absolutely up to preference, but I wanted to layout the features of each. 

Aluminum (Aluminium for Myke Hurley):  sleek, shiny, and lightweight.  Great for long-term writing if you do a lot of it.   The aluminum versions will not tarnish/patina over time and can be anodized clear or with a variety of great colors.  My personal go-to for day-to-day.

Available Aluminum Models: Render K, Render K G2, The Bolt, The Retrakt

Brass: Can be 2-3 times as heavy as the aluminum and is very weighty in your hand.  Feels very smooth and substantial in your hand, and the weight requires less effort to "push" the ink onto the paper.  For long term writing, may be a bit heavy or cause hand fatigue.  Will tarnish and patina over time as it is a raw finish, but is antimicrobial, so great for medical, germaphobes, etc.  Can have kind of a metallic smell.

Available Brass Models: Render K, The Bolt, The Retrakt

Copper:   Slightly heavier than the brass version, but similar features to the brass so "see above".  A really striking and unique material for a pen that is kind of a show stopper.  This is a pretty manly pen, people.  If you are thinking the copper is the way to go, the only available model is the Retrakt currently on Kickstarter.  Very cool choice.

Finish: 

If you are wanting a pen that will maintain the finish day after day like you bought it, the clear or colored anodized aluminum versions would probably be best.  The Bolt in aluminum is a raw, unanodized version, but the finish on mine has held up really well.   I actually kind of like the natural feel of the metal on The Bolt.

The brass and copper versions as outlined above will tarnish/patina over time with use.  Your pen will come shiny and new, but the finish will dull as the metal is exposed to your hands.  You could clean the tarnish off periodically, but if you are wanting a maintained, "shiny" finish always, these versions may not be the right ones.  They are very unique and fantastic materials that I enjoy, but they are not for everyone.   To enjoy either of these, you will need to appreciate the weight and unique finish you'll get with your pens.

Refills: 

This section is pretty much going to list out the major refill types that fit into the various pens.  There could be others, but these are ones I know personally to fit.   Now, some of the refills might take a little trimming off the end or creating a custom spacer with the nylon tubing they provide, but no duct-tape type work needs to be done.

Render K:  Pilot Hi Tec C, Parker Style (Moleskine Gel Roller does not very well), Fisher Space Pen

Render K G2:  Pilot G2, Pentel Energel, uni-ball Signo 207, Mont Blanc Rollerball, Pilot Hi Tec C Cavalier, Cross Felt Tip... (there are a lot of "G2" style refills that you could get in this one).  Probably one of the most versatile of the bunch. 

The Bolt: Parker Style, Fisher Space Pen

The Bolt with G2 Barrel: Pilot G2 and similar refills

Regular length and extended G2 barrel 

The Retrakt: Pilot G2, Pentel Energel, uni-ball Signo 207, uni-ball Jetstream (awesome), Parker Style, Fisher Space Pen

 

Functionality: 

The functionality of the pens is where their individual features start to come out, and depending on your tastes will definitely determine which route you may want to take.   A common piece to all the pens is their sturdy stainless steel clip.  This thing is solid and would take a considerable amount of force for you to bend it out.

Render K:   This one pretty much started the journey for Karas Kustoms into the pen world.  I absolutely love this pen.  My recent review of the Render K G2 goes into some additional detail, but these babies set a pretty high standard for machined pens.  They are a capped pen, so you have some responsibility of not losing the cap.  The cap on the Render K does not really post (although it can sit on the end, which I never do).  For some people this is a bother.  With machined metal pens I've used that are a normal pen length, I've found even if the cap posts I never do it.  They always seem too heavy.  The Render K is well balanced without the cap and feels great.  

The Bolt:   This pen is very unique.  It is not your traditional retractable pen as it has a bolt action mechanism to extend and retract the pen tip.  The design is very sleek and minimalist.  As stated above, the plain aluminum version is raw, but I also have a black anodized edition and the finish feels really nice.  I like both, but the anodizing gives it a smoother feel.  The mechanism can be worked with just one thumb and can take some practice and "breaking in", but I sometimes use a thumb and index finger action.  Out of the three pens, the mechanics of The Bolt is the most intriguing to me.  The mechanism isn't just functional, but is fun to use too.  Its like they've made a pen into a machine which is fascinating.

The Retrakt:   The newest of the trio is a traditional click-style pen that most of us are used to, but is on a much higher level than your average office clicky.  As it is a traditional clicker, it may be considered the most convenient and mainstream of the three for the sake of usability.  The click mechanism is a nickel plated brass and feels amazing.  The Retrakt has the most tapered grip and is a great writer.  You can refer back to my review of The Retrakt for a more in-depth look. 

Whichever you choose, you shouldn't be disappointed in your pen.  The guys over at Karas Kustoms make top-notch products that will literally last a lifetime. 

This is a lot of information, but hope it may have been helpful! 

Other Reviews/Posts about Karas Kustoms to Read: 

Green Render K (The Well-Appointed Desk) 

Aluminum Render K (Gourmet Pens) 

The Bolt - Aluminum (From the Pen Cup) 

Copper Retrakt (From the Pen Cup)

Render K Prototype Review (The Pen Addict) 

 

Cross Edge Gel Roller - Pen Review

This is kind of the "Part II"  of my recent Cross acquisitions.  My recent review of the Cross Click went well and I had high hopes for the Edge.  From just looking at this pen, it seems to be a cool product: sleek, edgy (hence the name), and kind of flashy.  With this particular matte black barrel and "gadgetry", it seems like a pen Batman would use.

I picked up the Cross Edge from Staples.com as they had them on closeout for $15, and since they retail for $40 I thought, what the heck.  I'd been interested in this pen for awhile, so I was excited to give it a try.

First impressions, I'm not really digging it so much.  Not that it isn't a nice pen, but its just not giving me the wow factor I thought it would.  My thoughts don't mean that the pen is a bad pen at all, but just my opinions.  It looks stunning and has some cool features, but it just isn't happening although there are some pros and cons. 

The refill for the pen is really dark and smooth, although it writes really wet.  If you prefer a finer line, this one wouldn't really be up your alley.  I don't believe Cross makes a finer refill in the gel roller, but I'll have to investigate.  The refill is nice and I've enjoyed using it.  

The unique factor around this pen is the mechanism to extend and retract the tip.  To extend the tip, you pull apart the pen barrel in a telescoping motion.  To retract the tip, you push the pen barrel back together.  While this is a neat feature, it isn't really blowing my mind.  To me, it seems almost gimmicky and isn't exceptionally smooth in its function.  With the shape and size of this pen, a really solid twist mechanism could have been nice too.  

The pen is substantial, but not overly heavy and is well balanced.  It is comfortable to write with.  The main barrel pieces are molded plastic which isn't necessarily bad, but it doesn't really add points to the classy factor.  

My opinion, I don't really think this is a $40 pen.  With the plastic barrel and some accents, it just doesn't feel like it would be a pricier pen.  In this instance, I kind of feel like Cross over did it with this one in the opposite direction of their usual style.  

I'll probably still use this pen from time to time, but it just wasn't quite what I expected it to be from my own personal tastes.