Sharpie pens

I am particular about my pens. I want them to work reliably, produce nice looking text, and not bleed through pages. For several years, I used Pilot’s excellent line of G2 pens. Unfortunately, these have become harder and harder to find. In fact, they seem to have been displaced by imitators that resemble them, such as the Zebra Sarasa.

I have been reduced to stocking up on G2s when visiting friends and family in the United States (especially the green and red models, which seem to be totally unavailable in Canada). When visiting Vermont a few months ago, I cleaned out a Staples location of their entire stock of four-colour packages of G2s. I only really needed the green ones (for taking notes in books and magazines), but they are only available along with the rest.

Given that awkwardness, I decided to take Emily’s suggestion and try the new Sharpie pens. I have been using the blue and black models for a couple of weeks and am generally very happy with them. They have fine points and ink that dries quickly. They don’t bleed through even thin Moleskine pages, and seem to write well on a variety of surfaces. The only downside I have discovered is that the ink from the blue model looks rather thin and translucent compared with the Pilot G2 blue.

In any event, it’s worth spending $4 to give a couple of Sharpie pens a try.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan