I didn't have high hopes when I grabbed a two-pack of the Bic A1 Gel pens off the shelf at my local Publix grocery store, and as I expected, they let me down pretty quickly. I bought them because, well, I am a pen addict of course, and I was browsing the school supply aisle and said "Hey, I haven't tried those yet", so into the basket they went. Big mistake.
Bic has come out with a few new models recently that I have liked (the 730R for one), but the A1 is downright terrible. I could tell right when I opened the package that the construction of the pen was sub-par, and as soon as I started writing it became even clearer how poorly made this pen is. When the tip hits the page, all I could hear was the click click click of the cartridge bouncing off the opening of the pen barrel. It was a really loose fit, and a huge annoyance. The barrel as a whole is not good, with raised ridges where the plastic is formed together, and scratches and smudges on the barrel like the pen was dropped on the floor a few times before packaging. The grip was really slick as well for a rubber grip.
Even if the pen wrote well - which it didn't - there are too many issues with the construction to get past. This may be the single worst pen I have ever reviewed.
Click Here for the XL review.
