The billion dollar space pen ...

Giovanni Abrate wrote:
It is even smoother than the plain stic.
It really is the best ballpoint on the market, bar none.


For years I've been supplying my office with the plain BIC Round Stic
med/black because it seemed the best way back when. How does the Ultra
version compare to the one's we have been using. What improvement and
changes have come with the update?



Summer before last I bought about 6 or 8 ten-packs of Bics, both
crystal and the round white, in several colors. They were back to
school sales of about 29 cents per pack, can't beat that! I planned to
keep some on my desk for the perpetual unprepared borrowers, to keeep
theuir hands off my fountain pens!

I never opened a pack until this year. Every one of the crystal (clear
plastic body) Bics have dried up and will not make a mark. The round
stics, however, do work. I suspect the difference may be because the
caps on the crystals now have a breather hole at the end, but the caps
on the round stics do not. I've never know a ballpoint to dry out
before. shrug Gee, I've lost over a dollar. I won't say the
cost of the fp in my pocket they were meant to save.

Hmm, an idea is forming. I'll put the dried up ones in the pen cup on
my desk, for those people who grab one without even asking.

Good! I suspected it may have been the Corvina!
If you fail to find one here in the US, I can bring some back the next time
I go to Italy.
JUst let me know backchannel.
Thanks,
Giovanni


"Mike S." wrote in message
...
Follow-up. I checked the Universal Writing Instruments web site
(www.carioca.it) and the pen is, indeed, the Corvina stick pen. Now, to
see if I can get these in the US. Thanks again!

In article ,
L, not -L wrote:

On 19-Jun-2006, (Mike S.) wrote:

Follow-up. I checked the Universal Writing Instruments web site
(www.carioca.it) and the pen is, indeed, the Corvina stick pen. Now, to
see if I can get these in the US. Thanks again!

If you can't, there are a couple of UK sellers on eBay that have them and
will ship to the US; with a purchase price of $4 per hundred, surely the
shipping wouldn't be too high to still be a good value.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...e=corvina++pen

Yes, thanks. I found a listing for the Corvina W-T which seems to the be
the variety I have. The photo in the listing shows an open box, which
makes you wonder how old these are and whether the ink may have dried out
some. But they do seem to be widely distributed in UK so I'm sure another
source will pop up.

In article ,
Giovanni Abrate wrote:


"Mike S." wrote in message
...
Follow-up. I checked the Universal Writing Instruments web site
(www.carioca.it) and the pen is, indeed, the Corvina stick pen. Now, to
see if I can get these in the US. Thanks again!


Good! I suspected it may have been the Corvina!
If you fail to find one here in the US, I can bring some back the next time
I go to Italy.
JUst let me know backchannel.
Thanks,
Giovanni

Well, courtesy of eBay and a UK close-out house, I am now the proud owner
of 100 black Corvina WH-T pens ... for less than $15 US including
shipping.

Unfortunately, while they are smooth enough, the black ink is nowhere
nearly as black as the free sample that sparked my interest in the first
place. I suppose there have been different specifications over the years;
perhaps this lot is older; too. In any case, they're pleasant enough to
use, and I've learned something new in the process.

You probably got an older lot.
Still, the price was right!
Thanks,
Giovanni

Well, courtesy of eBay and a UK close-out house, I am now the proud owner
of 100 black Corvina WH-T pens ... for less than $15 US including
shipping.

Unfortunately, while they are smooth enough, the black ink is nowhere
nearly as black as the free sample that sparked my interest in the first
place. I suppose there have been different specifications over the years;
perhaps this lot is older; too. In any case, they're pleasant enough to
use, and I've learned something new in the process.