Has BIC Perfected The Bullet Tip Permanent Marker? 4 X 4 Grip 4 Color Set
Written: Jan 20 '04 (Updated May 02 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Permanent ink, strong tip, water resistant ink, four color set.
Cons: The smell does tend to get on your nerves.
The Bottom Line: A great four marker set for addressing packages, presentations or labeling moving boxes!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Bic 4 x 4 Grip Bullet Tip Permanent Marker 4-Color... |
Being a pen, marker and automatic pencil junkie isn’t something that you often hear people confess, alas, BIC once again fuels my obsession by putting out an exceptional permanent marker that rivals the competition. I am a long time Sharpie fan so when I say that the 4 X 4 Grip is an outstanding marker; it’s not without having tried a lot of other similar products over the years. What sets this apart from other markers is the fact that it’s almost twice the size, has a wider tip and an almost full barrel rubber grip and can write on almost any surface. This is the perfect tool for anyone that does any type of home repair, needs a dependable marker for addressing packages or has tried other brands and sized without much luck. I came across these when they were on sale at Target, a single marker for .99 cents so I couldn’t pass it up. You can never have too many thick black markers around right?
BIC 4 X 4 Grip Bullet Tip Permanent Marker
After I picked up the single black marker and loved the way it worked I knew that the four pack would be a good purchase. I didn’t think that I’d have much use for the red or green ones until I discovered a ton of uses for them around the holidays. I was a little leery about using them on the storage totes since I didn’t know how long it would take the ink to dry, if it would rub off because the surface isn’t textured and if I’d end up with ink all over my hands and clothing when I moved them around. Luckily my brain was working that day and I got the idea to test it out on one of the lids. I was pretty impressed with how quickly the ink dried and how it didn’t rub off when I touched it, after that I went on a tangent and started marking all the boxes.
One of the nicest things about the 4 X 4 Grip series is the large rubber comfort grip that runs from the ped pad to the back tip. There are two sizes of the 4 X 4 on the market, the standard size [these] and the ink tank. The only true difference between the two is the size of the barrel, the tips are the same size. The grip design is larger on the ink tank size and regardless of which size you purchase, the grip makes it a breeze to work with. How many times have you had dirty or wet hands but needed to grab a marker and draw a line or mark off an area? Not exactly a fun thing to try and do with a regular marker. The grip area makes it easy to grab a hold of it and use it without worrying about dropping it or losing control of it.
The cap snaps firmly back on to the barrel but if you forget to replace it, no need to worry. BIC claims on the package that this won’t dry out, even if left uncapped for up to two weeks. Anyone else consider that a direct challenge? I left the cap off for about a week and when I went to pick it up the ink didn’t immediately start to flow but after I tapped the tip on the paper, it worked just as good as when I crack it open for the first time. Some other things to know about the ink – it’s non-toxic. That doesn’t mean you should eat it or try to color someone’s tongue with it, but if a child gets creative with it or starts to snack on it, the worst that will happen is a messy face. The ink does flow out of this at a rapid pace so don’t use this on a single sheet of paper because it will bleed through.
Colors
The four marker set is probably the most cost effective way to purchase these unless you come across the individual ones when they are on sale. The sour color set includes black, blue, red and green. The colors of the ink are bold and strong but at the same time pretty easy on the eyes. If you are making posters or banners you can overlap the colors [work lightest to darkest to avoid having the ink bleed on to the tip] with no trouble due to the chisel point. I don’t suggest trying to mix the colors because this will saturate paper, weaken it and eventually rip it. So far I haven’t had any trouble with the color fading after it’s been in direct sunlight for a while and the only time any of it scratched off is when it was rubbed with sandpaper and a set of keys.
Price
I picked up the four pack for $3.99 at Office Depot so it works out to about a dollar a marker. If you’ve never used the 4 X 4 Grip style marker, pick up one of the singles and try it out before you commit to the four pack. Are they worth it? To me they are; the ink is permanent, flows smoothly and the grip surface makes it easy to work with if you have messy or dirty hands. These are sold individually, in four packs and in 5 marker lots of one color. I am sure there are larger assortments out there but so far, these are the only ones that I’ve come across.
The Bottom Line
Like all other BIC products, this comes with a complete money back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied with it, they want to know about it. So far I’ve used this on cardboard, glass, mirrors, wood, painted surfaces [it will not come completely off a painted surface], large boxes, plastic storage totes and on glossy stock paper; it worked great on all of them except the glossy paper, it needs a little extra drying time due to the slick surface. This permanent marker gets high marks from me – low cost, great ink, color assortment and the rubber comfort grip. If you are looking for a solid and dependable marker that has a chisel tip and will get the job done, I highly recommend checking out BIC’s 4 X 4 Grip Permanent marker.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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