REVIEW: Staedtler Textsurfer Gel

I'm a huge fan of highlighters and especially like the Staedtler brand. They work well and aren't too smeary.

Before we get started with the review, did you see that I'm giving away a brand new Lamy Safari Fountain Pen? It's the new Neon Coral color and still have time to enter to win.

On to the review ...

When I saw the Textsurfer Gel, I picked one up with hopeful skepticism. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I saw when I removed the cap. They reminded me of the Crayola Stick Slix (do you know those?) and I was immediately concerned about smears, bits of the gel flecking off, and having a product that would be consumed very quickly.

Using HP 32 lb paper, I tested four fountain pen inks, two Bic ballpoints, one marker, and one pencil. Before swiping the Textsurfer across the writing, I made sure the inks were dry.

Overall, it went very well as far as smeariness goes.

There was definitely a somewhat sticky gel residue left on top of the paper. Surprisingly, over the course of a few days, that went away and what was left looked and felt like any other highlighter.

Imagine that gel residue if I'd been highlighting in a book and closed the page? Ew.

I then did some in-depth testing with Noodler's Black . . .

Line 1...didn't wait for the ink to dry before highlighting
Line 2...a retest of the above
Line 3...waiting for the ink to dry and then vigorously rubbed the gel
Line 4...didn't wait for the ink to dry before vigorously rubbing the gel (ignore that dog hair, please)

Here's a link to the full-size original image. (It's big.)

My final analysis . . . 

• It's ok (not great). My fear of flecking was not realized (good news!).  
• The sticky residue is troubling, but not terrible for single sheets of paper that aren't going to be stacked. 
• The cap cannot be posted - irritating, for sure.
• I wouldn't buy another one of these.

Have you tried this? What is your favorite highlighter? I have some of the Noodler's highlighting inks. Need to get them loaded and tested.

REVIEW: Sharpie Refillable

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I've had this in my desk drawer forever. Not really sure why it was never opened. I love me a Sharpie. I paid around $10 for this one.

This item should not be confused with the Sherpa. This is a refillable item - meaning that one would need to purchase a specific refill. Oh, I tried to stuff a regular Sharpie (and several other pens) into the unit . . . no dice.

Would love to know how they decide that the regular (kinda fat) Sharpie is a fine point. I guess if you're using one of the big fatty fat ones, this would be rather fine, but if you're used to using any sort of fountain pen or even a broad gel pen, these are going to seem impossibly thick.

I love that the refill part number is so prominent on the packaging - and it shows that the refill screws in. I'm thinking this is to make it abundantly clear that this is a refillable unit.

Refills are available for a couple of bucks on Amazon. Looks like they only come in black - bummer.

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My bottom line....

REVIEW: Sharpie Glitter Paint Set

Sometimes. A girl needs a needs a little glitter.

A little ... scintillant.

A Sharpie. (Who doesn't love Sharpies? Use them a lot. Mostly for work. But some because of fun.)

These were fun, too. Not sure I have a real use for them.

Each came individually wrapped inside the package. Pretty sure this is for one or two reasons...
1. leak prevention
2. protection from drying up

The big surprise? I thought they'd look WOW on black paper. Turns out, they are best on white. Probably a good thing considering I might be the only person around with a stash of black paper!

Have you tried these? The package says they're available in six colors - I only saw the three-pack and white. What else is out there?

Are you like me and you sometimes buy cheapie things like this to try out? Even if you don't have a real purpose for them?

REVIEW: Sharpie Metallic Trio

As we know, I loves me a Sharpie!  Add a bit of metallic and BOOM! We got ourselves a par-tay!

Total bummer that the caps don't have a clip. Not that I put them in my shirt pocket. It's just a bit weird without the clip.

I used these to sign some of the Christmas cards I sent out last year. A fun look.

Fun on white paper.

Wait for it....

Amazing on black paper!  Dude. Love the color.

I should do product photography, hm?

REVIEW: Sharpie Pen Stylo

Apparently, I've been on a Sharpie kick lately!

These pens (fineliners, really) are not related to the permanent markers that we all know (and love) from Sharpie.

The "comfort grip" is a bit gross. It feels tacky as if it would collect any little particle of dust or fuzz. Know what I mean?

Other than the feel of the grip, it's ok - as long as you don't mind a long dry time. 

I'm not a fan of this item. In fact, I've already "lost" these pens. Ick.

REVIEW: Sharpie White Paint Marker

Sharpie love.

Individually wrapped.

Shake well before using.

To get the ink flowing, I just pressed it gently against a scrap piece of paper.  I remember in years past having to press press press to get things like this going.

Sharpie must have strange definitions for fine points. They're all a bit on the thick side.

I loooove the look of this paint marker on black. Looks like a chalk. Glossy would also be good, but this is a nice look.

We're not really having all of that for dinner.  It's more likely that we'll have salmon and asparagus. Or cookies. What are you having?

REVIEW: Staedtler Yellow Highlighter

It's Another Wordless Wednesday!

My very most favorite. Staedtler Yellow Highlighter.  

PEN REVIEW: Uni-Ball Signo Pack

I love fountain pens, but let's face it - they are not perfect for every situation.

For vibrant gel pens, these Uniball Signo pens are among my favorites.

And (bonus points!), they help prevent check fraud! (Not really sure that's a selling point for most people who are handling their check writing electronically these days.) (And I'm not really sure banks would appreciate checks written in some of these colors.)

Here's the blurb about check washing from the back of the package:

I love the pretty colors. They really are quite vibrant.

Love the click action. The clips are nice if you're into those (I'm not).

Like most packaged pens these days, these come with the protective blob at the tip to prevent leaks.

The grippy section is - well, grippy. The texture has a good feel to it. I'm not completely sold on the material used for the grippy section - it feels a bit rubbery to me, but it's not awful.

How do they write?  Lovely, that's how!

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Nice!

too pale to be useful?

Love purple!

my favorite!

At around $10 per pack (eight pens), it's hard to go wrong.

If there's a negative, it's that I wish these came in a finer tip. The .7 mm is a bit thick for my preferences - but I'm assuming they've asked around and this is what most people want.

When you're not using a fountain pen, what are you using?


xo