The Sharpie Pen Review
By
The Sharpie Pen in red, blue, black, and green...all fine point
There are lots of reviews out there of The Sharpie Pen, and I have had mine for a while now, but I never got around to writing up my review of them until now. These pens come in fine point in red, blue, black and green and are available at most stores that I have visited. Amazon has the assorted color packs available in both a 4 pack and 14 pack. There is also a 4 pack of black only available, and both Staples and OfficeMax carry a 12 pack of red, blue, and black individually.
Being (as the package proudly states) the “first Sharpie pen” these pens have a lot to live up to if they want to match the versatility and quality standards that the basic Sharpie permanent market has set. Knowing the Sharpie brand, I was sure that they would not compromise the brand name with an inferior product, so when I did this review with the writing samples, I was not surprised by how well the pens performed.
The Sharpie pen package with claims and features proudly displayed.
So when you head out to your local Office Max, Staples, or Office Depot…or if you head on over to Amazon.com, the above package is what you should be looking for. Some of the key features of this pen are as follows:
- Wont bleed through paper (Although there is a “Results may vary based on paper characteristics” disclaimer)
- Smear resistant when dry
- Permanent on paper
- Water resistant
- Acid free
The Sharpie Pen writing sample in a Clairefontaine notebook.
Above is the first writing sample that I did in a Clairefontaine notebook. I have had much success with the Clairefontaine paper with other pens, so I figured I would use this paper to test the Sharpie pens. As you can see, the Sharpie pens lay down nice bright lines, and on this paper they show absolutely no feathering and you will have to take my word for it that there is absolutely no bleed through…I didnt feel like scanning a blank reverse side of the page. A quick look at the drying times for the Sharpie Pen on this paper shows that although it didnt dry instantly, it certainly dries quick enough at about 3 seconds.
The Sharpie Pen writing sample in a Moleskine.
The next writing sample I did was in one of the notebooks that I dont usually get such good performance with, and that is my Moleskine. On this paper you can see when you click on the picture that there is a bit of feathering, which is no surprise because I usually get that with any pen I try on this paper. Additionally, you can see that the drying time on the Moleskine paper is not quite ideal at about 7 seconds to become totally dry, however unless you are a lefty this probably wont be too much of an issue. The next picture shows the bleed through that I got with the Moleskine and the Sharpie Pen.
Bleed through with the Sharpie Pen in a Moleskine notebook.
The bleed through for the Sharpie Pen on a Moleskine isnt ideal, but it could have been worse. Again, I blame this almost completely on the paper and not the Sharpie. Personally I think your best bet with the Sharpie pen would be to stay away from the Moleskine, and to stick to a better quality paper like the Clairefontaine. I also tried this pen on some Doane Paper and got results very similar to what you see with the Clairefontaine paper.
The Sharpie Pen writing samples after being run under water and smudged. Moleskine (left) and Clairefontaine (right).
The photo you see above are the original writing sample pages of the Sharpie Pen on the Moleskine (left) and Clairefontaine (right) papers. I was impressed to see that after running the paper under water for a few seconds and then trying to smudge the ink with my fingers, there was absolutely no streaking, smudging, or any other alteration to the original writing.
Close up of the Sharpie pens fine point and the barrel/grip section.
In addition to the great writing performance of these pens, I also found them to be fairly comfortable to write with. If I could modify the pens grip a bit, I think it would be perfect, but I just wasnt totally comfortable writing with it because of how the barrel of the pen abruptly ends right before the grip section begins. It creates a slightly rough edge which is a little too close to where I hold the pen. It certainly was not a deal breaker when it comes to writing with the Sharpie Pen for me, but I would prefer a more subtle transition from the barrel to the grip section. At the end of the day I would highly recommend these pens because of their super smooth writing, bright colors, and the simple fact that you know you can rely on the quality of the Sharpie brand.
Update 08/14/09: If you like the regular Sharpie Pen check out the OfficeSupplyGeek review of the new Retractable Sharpie Pen.
Update 09/23/09: Check out the review of the Orange and Purple Sharpie Pens here.
Update 11/19/09: Sharpie has updated the Sharpie pen yet again, check out the Sharpie Pen Grip review.
© 2009, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.
Thank you for a very thorough review! I have two black Sharpie pens languishing in my desk drawer. For no good reason they haven’t made it into my regular pen rotation. I need to correct that oversight.
Always a nice review, thanks OSG. I am impressed at the ink qualities the Sharpie pen offers. If they were a bit greener in some way I might pick them up. You know, made from recycled content or perhaps refillable; those might get me to try them.
I love this pen. LOVE. I wouldn’t say I couldn’t live without it, but it’s not a life I want to imagine. It’s a quality pen, all around, and I discovered during Tropical Storm Fay that it also writes on wet paper and doesn’t bleed like crazy when it gets wet.
@John Johnston – glad you found it helpful, and no problem. You should break them out, they are pretty nice to write with.
@bardharlock – Good call on the environmentally friendly aspect, every pen should do something to address the issue.
@notaclevername Wow, using them in a Tropical Storm totally makes my simple test of running them under water look like nothing!
On a recent trip to Office Depot, I was *psyched* to see a Sharpie Pen pack that included ORANGE and PURPLE. I have been waiting for this for months!
Thanks for this review. I love love love my Sharpie pens. I just wish they weren’t so damned expensive.
I adore this pen. Next to my Lamy Safari, it’s the pen I reach for most often.
However, do they come in packs of only red? I haven’t run into that kind of packaging yet, and I know I’d buy bunches if they do!
@brenda elizabeth – I didnt know that they had new colors available, thanks for sharing!
@Katherine – Pack of 12 red Sharpie Pens here:
http://www.buyonlinenow.com/viewproduct.asp?sku=SAN1742665
Does anyone know where I get a set of the four colours in the UK? All I can find are the black! Thanks Alan
I will run right out tomorrow to get the new colors. I’d like a turquoise too. Maybe someday.
Well, I did run out yesterday to find the new colors. I had no luck in Office Depot. I did find the stainless steel refillable sharpie there. Bought it for my sister since she loves sharpies and I hate them. Can’t stand the way they bleed. I found the 6 pack of sharpies in Office Max. And I am still thrilled that I am not alone in my love of pens, paper and office supplies.
I absolutely cannot find the purple and orange anywhere! I’m fairly sure they only come in the 6-pack, but they are nowhere to be found! Help?
@Brenna – I have not been able to find individuals of the orange or purple myself, and I spent some time looking for them. Wish I could be of more help…I actually couldnt even find the 6 packs with them when I looked.
Bit of a strange question–does the ink from these pens smell like that of “regular” Sharpies? Or do they have less of a scent? I sometimes get headaches from ink that smells strongly (even if they’re not intended to be “scented”).
Thanks for your great review!
@kookychick – Not strange at all, I actually kinda like the reglar Sharpie smell, bit there is pretty much no smell to the Sharpie pens that I can pick up. Glad you enjoyed the review and thanks for always stopping by!
[...] One orange and one green Sharpie pen [...]
I do not really enjoy this Sharpie pen I am currently writing with. The ink, of course, is fine as you’ve said, but the barrel is too light and plasticy and uncomfortable for me.
@Diana – I agree about the comfort level of the grip/barrel, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
I was testing several different pens on the back of photographs and found that these take way to long to dry. A standard Sharpie Permanent Marker dries in a few seconds, but these take so long that i lost track of the time. These are probably fine for use on regular paper, but not photo paper.
If any of you can recommend a good pen for use on photo paper I would appreciate hearing from you.
i *hated* the sharpie pens. the ink was too faint and it wasn’t smooth for me. not at all.
@Brian – Yeah, that is one of the differences between these and Sharpie markers, you cant really write on pictures or CD/DVDs with them.
@Yolanda – Thats surprising that they werent smooth, what kind of paper were you writing on?
I do like these Sharpie Pens for writing on ordinary paper, like checks and making notes. They are extremely light weight and don’t seem to slip around in my hand like I thought they would. Their shape point is excellent, too! I would recommend them except for use on photo paper or any shiny, slippery paper.
[...] was not that long ago that I reviewed the Sharpie Pen which I really liked, and it seems to be a pretty popular pen based on the other reviews and [...]