Looking for some good dry erase markers that dont smell? Looking for some good dry erase markers that have a nice bold color to them? Well, the Expo Click dry erase markers do all of that, plus they come in a nice retractable form factor.
I’ve used dry erase markers for quite some time now, but for the most part I don’t think that I’ve ever bought my own (ie. paid for by my employer) or even selected (came with the dry erase board) my own. Finally having a need to pick up my own, I figured I would go with the Expo brand since I was well aware that they come from the same people who make Sharpie. When I saw the retractable version, I was intrigued because this was the first time I ever saw this option in a dry erase marker, so I grabbed the 3 pack of the thicker chisel tips, but they have a fine tip 6 color package as well. Hopefully this doesn’t mean I have a problem or anything, but one of the first things I did upon opening the package was to give it a click to expose the tip, and take a deep sniff to see exactly how “low odor” these things were because truth be told, I kinda like the smell of dry erase markers. Based on my non-scientific smell test, I would say that the strength of that recognizable smell is very much reduced as compared to the regular versions. It still has the SAME smell, it’s just much less powerful.
The picture above shows a close up of the two buttons that control the retractable tip of the Expo low odor dry erase markers. The top button that you see that kinda sticks out and has the scoop out of the top is the one that you push down on to get the tip to reveal itself. The oval shaped button that is more towards the bottom of the picture is the one that you push on to get the tip to retract back in. These two buttons (and Im guessing the spring inside of the body of the marker) are seriously heavy duty. They aren’t hard to use at all, but there really seems to be some force behind each of these buttons when you press on them. From the user perspective, I love it because there is no doubt that the tip is going to stay in whatever direction you select.
After giving these markers the sniff and click test, I figured I should take them for a spin on my new dry erase board since I wasnt too thrilled with the marker that came with it. The writing sample above was obviously done just for this review, but when I tested these out, the first one I tried was the red marker, and I was very impressed. Usually dry erase markers tend to have a faded or light look to them when you write with them. As soon as I put this red one to use I was shocked by how bright and bold the color was. Moving on to the blue and black , I saw that they had the same bright and solid color too…very impressive.
The bodies of these low odor dry erase markers are very thick, which I personally like a lot, but I know some people prefer a thinner body. If the thinner bodies are more your style, there are thin versions of the Expo retractable, available that I linked to in the first paragraph above. Although I just usually like thicker writing implements because they feel more comfortable, I like the thicker dry erase markers because many times I find myself gesturing and pointing with the dry erase marker, so in this case, bigger is better. Another benefit of the retractable feature of these markers is that the two buttons on the side that expose and retract the tip also completely stop the markers from rolling if you lay them on a flat surface like a desk or table.
Id definitely give these Expo dry erase markers a big thumbs up if you are in the market for some new ones, of if you just want some dry erase markers that dont smell. You can find these in lots of places, I picked these up at Office Depot, but I Amazon.com also has them and Im pretty sure I’ve seen them at Staples too.
“Id definitely give these Expo dry erase marker a big thumbs up if you are in the marker for some new ones”
I think you have markers on the mind. 🙂
Hmm, I am going to assume that they won’t dry up either because I have some sharpie retractables, and I’ve had them for years. I like the retractable design, much better than the long tube for the sharpies. Looks like a good writing utensil there. 🙂
Review of some awesome dry erase markers?. http://officesupplygeek.com/office-tools… @expomarkers
@OfficeSupplyGee thanks for the review!
My first thought was… but the dry erase odor is half the fun! These look pretty solid, but I wouldn’t mind an eraser on the tip.
@ExpoMarkers No problem, I really like the retractable option, and the color is great.
@Zack Seibert – Thanks for catching that! 🙂 I corrected it now. 🙂
@Monica – I have not had them long enough to know if they will dry out or not, but Im going to assume for now that they wont. I think that since they are made by the same company (Sharpie and Expo) that they probably have their method for retractable markers down. Ill keep you updated though if I do notice anything.
@Chris – Im with you…something about that smell. 🙂 I used to have a old set of Expo markers with an eraser tip, I totally forgot about those, good call though! Would probably be a nice little addition on these. I liked having it on the old ones I had, but they were fine point, and the eraser on the tip was a little too narrow to be too practical, but on these larger ones, I think it would work out well.
@OfficeSupplyGee sounds good, we have some cool stuff coming this spring i’ll be sure to send some for you to check out