The title of the cheapest mass-produced reliable pen in the world is widely attributed to the classic disposable ballpoint pens manufactured by brands like BIC (such as the iconic BIC Cristal) and various unbranded or generic factory producers. These ultra-affordable writing instruments are manufactured at an immense industrial scale using minimal plastic injection molding and straightforward metal tips, allowing them to be sold for mere fractions of a dollar or a few cents per unit. Despite their exceptionally low production cost and inexpensive retail price, these pens are engineered to deliver surprising longevity, capable of writing thousands of meters of continuous lines before exhausting their ink supply.