rule

A hole was added to the cap in 1991.

Wait, the hole in the cap is that recent?
- Dude... That's 34 years ago.
- According to the Wikipedia article.
Was that to try and prevent choking?

honestly, kinda refreshing to see a business not changing their shit constantly just to change shit. it's not the nicest pen, but it works.

likewise, the uniball eco pen is the perfect pen for lefties.
- Why does handedness matter?
Honestly still one of my favourite pens, and they last so long. Don't mess with perfection.

The guy on the line wants to stop the money printer? No, no no... you don't change the top selling pen of the century. We can introduce a lighter though. Guess we're doing fire now.

Maybe some razors.

They were actually updated in mid 90s when they made the cap have a hole in it.

What was the idea behind the drastic change?
- To prevent choking if it gets swallowed.

Why fix what's cheap and barely does its job?

The kind of grace I yearn for in my performance reviews.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It is broke though. Thing is shit. Dries up the nib, smudges, spurts. All round bad design
- And yet people still buy them.
- The nub drying is the no. 1 Problem with the thing. The amount of pens thrown away due to that problem is probably uncountable.

What? No app connectivity?!

However will they drive engagement?
You joke, but I have a cheap composition style notebook that I bought because it had a durable plastic cover instead of the old fashioned cardboard covered notebook I usually carry around. Each page has a qr code in the corner and it wants me to download an app so I can scan my writing and upload it to The Cloud.
I mean, I'm sure that someone might find that useful, but the whole reason I write with pen on paper is so I'm not distracted by technology and don't have to worry about booting an app and having connectivity while constantly worried that my work may not be saved/disappear.
The plastic cover is nice, though.

They do lighters too

And razors..
- Very bad razors. They Never fail to leave cuts and bruises
- They did perfum once. Big fail...
The lighters also got a safety update in the '90s – the child resistant spring over the spark wheel
- Which is quite easy to remove luckily, shit really starts to become annoying when trying to light a fire with slightly damp wood. (Or having to relight a shitty joint every few hits)

Why mess with perfection?

(Looks at the anatomically modern human) Bruh this shits been the same for the past 300,000 years. When we updating this bitch? New colorways, maybe?

there have been plenty of patches, but it takes serious selection pressures to make major changes happen quickly
- i can spare a couple hundred kPa, what’ll that get me

Ah, the extremely shitty pen that scratches so bad you might as well carve your message into the paper. Lasts maybe 3 lines before it starts skipping but who cares. It exists to be as cheap as possible so your customer you don't respect can pocket it after initialing twice and signing something.

I hate bad cheap pens so much. I never would have gotten into fountain pens if there wasn't the counter example of how bad a writing experience can get.

American bics may be made in a different way because here in Spain they are so reliable they are a de facto standard for people taking an exam.
- Same in Brazil. The closest competitor, Compactor, will either smudge everything or fail twice as much as Bics.
- For filling in circles? Yeah, they're fine. The circular movement tends to keep the ball moving and picking up new ink.
  For writing? Hot garbage. When I switched to nicer pens (fountain pens and OHTO graphic liners), I had to unlearn pressing down so hard and cramping up my hand. A good pen can glide across the surface with little effort, and you don't feel like you need to stretch your fingers and wrist afterward.
I think actual Bic-from-the-Bic-Company biros tend to be pretty good (especially the orange ones with black lids).
For a truly scratchy experience, you need a cheap, unbranded biro.
- Biro is a brand
This is why I got into fountain pens too! These days I find myself using a good rollerball or mechanical pencil for day to day, since they're a little more practical, but man oh man I do love a fountain pen...
- It's extra nice when you have to sign something and pull it out. Did it at the dentist and it's almost always a conversation starter.

Why fix something that isn't broken?

In this economy?
He had to have an operation 30 years ago and now is medically bankrupt and can't retire
At least take a potty break, ffs!

Still tastes great

Lighters, razors and… uh, other things too.

Now I need a BIC boat to put my BIC pens and razors in.

2050: .... starts manufacturing military cyborg soldiers with a Bic logo across their chest

They had a phone in 2008, so they should already have the knowledge to produce some basic electronics:
They also produce razors, so I envision some kind of BIC terminator with weapons for cutting things:
- That's cool although I'd hate the massive logo they slapped under the screen
I would love to see a huge robot that was shaped like the round headed Bic mascot.

They've made more than 10 of these per human on the planet.

Don't you dare touch it!

please don't

This pen was decades ahead of its time. Made as cheaply as possible, just functional enough, disposable, and replaceable is the new standard for US commodities.

It's a great pen, but I haven't bought any for years since joining the refillable pen club. Fountain pens are great, but you can also get refillable ball points. I thought for sure I would lose it, but you spend a little more and you really make sure to look after it.

Am I crazy or have BIC lighters gotten worse in the last 6 months. They feel lighter, don’t last as long, and seem to have flimsy construction in the metal guard and spark wheel.

See. This is where shit has gotten to.
People are now complaining about lighters being lighter.
not just you, I crushed a guard a week ago when I flicked it, and they have less fuel in them when they're new. It's... charming.
They feel lighter,
This is how a lighter should feel

I recommend Design Theory's video on quintessence if you're in the mood for some infotainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEg5u1kyNEs

So that pen is a wonder of engineering. It's sublime in its form and function.

YouTube Qxir

I still remember putting a spring inside and shooting something out of them at my minis. they are soo old and bring many memories. Mostly how easily they broke. This thing always somehow ended up disassembled on my desk much faster than all the others. It was disappointingly simple though. I liked to take apart these with elaborate click mechanisms

While mostly accurate, they did try some changes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6fciZcpHHY