I’m preparing a review of metallic markers and wanted to get some reader feedback in terms of possible tests and brands besides the ones pictured here and below. My purpose for testing these metallic markers is to see how they hold up on photograph paper for autographs, but I’m open to other testing suggestions so feel free to let me know your thoughts on anything regarding a potential test in the comments here.
So far I’m planning on doing two specific tests, one to test the water resistance and one to test how well the ink holds up to fading when exposed to direct light. In the past the Bic Mark It actually held up better to light exposure than the Sharpie did, so I’m curious to see if that holds true with the metallic markers for each brand. For now there are three metallic markers I’ve singled out for testing, all are available from Amazon via the following links: Sharpie Metallic Markers, Bic Marking Metallic Markers, and the Staedtler Gold and Silver Metallic Markers. One interesting thing I’ve noticed already is that there appears to be a change in the name for the Bic version, where some are labeled as “Mark it” and others are labeled as “Marking” so since I already have the “Marking” branded ones I’ve also just ordered the “Mark it” branded version too so I can test those. If I’m missing any proven performers, please leave a note in the comments, I want to make sure I get a good sampling of metallic markers to test before I go ahead and start the testing process. I’ll also have to give some consideration to the type of photography paper I use, but it will likely be a high gloss and a matte finish that I will test these on. So like I said, feel free to leave your thoughts on others to include in the test or suggestions on other tests to do with these.
I picked up a gold Sakura Pen-Touch Paint Marker a few years ago on a whim and I love it. The width may be too much for your autographs, though.
You might want to include the “Infinity” markers from The Write Dudes, sold in Target stores and on Amazon. They come in an 8-pack of various metallic colors. Although I am a devoted Mark-It/Marking evangelist I have purchased – and thoroughly used – three sets of the Write Dudes markers. They used to be called “SRX” a few years ago.
As for your test, I would really like to see some sort of way to measure tip deformation over use time. I know I can’t be the only person who segregates their markers into “new” and “used” categories due to tip diameter.
I have been using metallic markers, usually Sharpies, as a replacement for more expensive paint pens, on plastic containers like flower-pots for seed starting, or labeling storage containers and would like to know how the various brands stack up when writing on something other than paper.
@Sarah – Yeah the width might be too much, but I’ve also heard they can be tricky to get started sometimes too, and in a situation where you are getting an autograph that can be bad.
@Lylah – Thanks for the reminder, I forgot that I even tested those a while ago! I have a short memory I guess.
http://officesupplygeek.com/pen-review/markers/write-dudes-metallic-markers/
I don’t know how I can replicate a tip smoosh test, but I’ll definitely give it some thought. Thanks!
@Gary – I can try on other items like plastic notebook covers