I had made up my mind not to bother with any more modern pens, but someone kindly sent me this current oddity, the Bic Easy Clic Standard, probably intended as a school pen.

When I see the word “Bic” I think of the ubiquitous Crystal Bic, probably the best reason for dispensing with ballpoint pens. I used them because I had to in the office. I found them to be very unpleasant and I didn’t think very highly about the Bic company. However, they have made fountain pens in recent times, though I don’t believe they have ever caught on.

This pen comes in a bubble pack with one short international cartridge, the only size it takes. The pen has a side refill system. Pulling on the indicated places opens the pen and you can remove the old cartridge and pop in a new one. I think it’s a rather good system. That’s the Easy Clic’s claim to fame!

The pen comes in bright colours: blue, purple and green. I have the green one. It is coloured pale green and paler green. Strangely the area we would normally refer to as the section has what looks like a thread but the cap does not screw on.

It’s a small pen, fine for my small hand but probably not comfortable for someone bigger. The nib is shaped somewhat like an arrow head and the feed is multi-finned. Aesthetically it does not appeal to me but it works well, giving good ink flow right from the start with no skipping or hard starting.

The pen has two indents for your thumb and forefinger, lined with soft plastic. It isn’t quite as bad as the Lamy triangular grip which I cannot use at all, but I do find it annoying and uncomfortable. Also, the pen I have is a medium. I don’t know if other nib sizes are supplied. I prefer a finer nib.

I see that they are offered between £5 and £9 on eBay. The Bic works well for a pen at that price but I would have to say that I wouldn’t really want it at any price. The grip does not suit me and the pen is quite ugly.

Pen manufacturers (or at least some of them) seem to think that school pupils, if they want fountain pens at all, want them in bright colours and strange shapes. Indeed the Easy Clic bears some resemblance to an infant’s toy. Who am I to say whether the pen companies are right or wrong in this belief? Time will tell, based on whether this pen and others like it are a commercial success.