How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Successful Product in History

Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by Traubenfuchs on Monday June 16, 2025 @06:25AM (#44288157)

It's not very comfortable, its hard edges are unpleasant for the fingers and it feels too thin.

The flimsy cap gets lost easy and there is an endless amount of ballpoint pens you can click, that don't even need a cap in the first place.

Average clicking ballpoint pens have a plastic that's more comfortable to suck, lick and bite.

I always hated them.

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by SeanDav on Monday June 16, 2025 @06:49AM (#44288296)

100 Billion sales means there are some things to like ...

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by garbagewoman on Monday June 16, 2025 @08:20AM (#44288870)

Ok, and? Coke bottles have sold more than that

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by southernplaces7 on Monday June 16, 2025 @09:10AM (#44289177)

Because they're useful in so many ways too. Have you not seen "The Gods Must be Crazy"?

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by SeanDav on Tuesday June 17, 2025 @11:46AM (#44300522)

Thereby proving that Coke Bottle and BIC pens are meeting a need. They are not perfect (what is) but they are good enough to sell billions upon billions of product. Pretty hard to argue against overwhelming success.

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by dmd on Monday June 16, 2025 @06:41AM (#44288246)

agreed, agreed, … wait what

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by TeMPOraL on Monday June 16, 2025 @09:56AM (#44289531)

You never bit on your pen? Especially back in the school days?

Ballpoint pens are the OG stress relief / concentration / "fidget spinner" toys. Except the BIC ones, those would easily shatter; suddenly finding your mouth to be full of sharp, orange or translucent shards of plastic, is the opposite of calm and focus.

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Re:How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Success... by ziml77 on Monday June 16, 2025 @02:08PM (#44291899)

I've never done that because pens end up in the dirtiest places. People aren't washing their hands before using them, they gets tossed in a bag and sit in the crevices alongside all sorts of dust and dirt, they get set on dirty desks and will even hit the floor sometimes. All-in-all, super gross.

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