The Bic Stops Here: In Priase of the Humble Stick Pen | Elizabeth Stinson, Wired

The Bic Stops Here: In Priase of the Humble Stick Pen | Elizabeht Stinson, Wired

In a world full of retractable, hybrid ink pens with ultra-cushioned finger pads, the simple stick pen is not remarkable for its technical qualities. Its ink stutters across the page. Its lightweight, plastic body is designed for the lowest common ergonomic denominator. Writing with it is like chiseling with a sharpened stone: It requires a not-insignificant amount of effort to produce marks on the page. But as is the case with many of life’s best things—NYC dirty water dogs, the smell of gas—its very badness is ultimately what makes it so great.”

Stinson goes on to list a bunch of great reasons why sometimes the simplest, cheapest pen is the best, and it all boils down to one thing: deliberateness. Definitely what we believe in.

There’re also some neat bits about the stick pen’s (complicated and opaque) history in here.