I guess I'm a highlighter junkie.  I just love using these magic markers - with their bright, see-through colors, that really make portions of text stand out.

My collection of highlighters comes from Avery.  This set of four highlighters (they call them Hi-Liters) includes yellow (probably the most common highlighter color), green, pink, and blue. 

These Avery highlighters have tapered, chiseled tips.  This means that pressed on its thick side, you can easily make a line 1/4 inch thick.  This is useful for marking entire words and sentences, or even paragraphs.  But, held with its tip to the paper, the line can be as thin as 1/16 of an inch.  This works well if you want to underline words, or cross through lines.

So what kinds of things do I highlight?  I highlight certain transactions in my checkbook, when I know I'll want to find them easily at a later date.  I use them to mark the due-date on bills as they come through the door.  This way I don't have to go searching for the date, later.  I sometimes use them on my shopping list - yellow highlights for those items to be bought at the grocery store, and pink for the warehouse club.  I use them at work all the time - to mark changes to programs and reports, or to highlight specific line items on a printout. 

Basically, these highlighters are useful whenever you want to emphasize a portion of some written material.  The colors are fluorescent - light and transparent.  This package includes a nice variety of colors - I love the yellow and the pink!  No matter which color you choose, the writing underneath remains perfectly clear and legible.  But the eye is very quickly drawn to the colored spot.  It's a great way to hand someone a piece of paper, and have them immediately know where to look first.

A few technical details: with the cap off, the marker is just shy of 5 inches long.  With the cap on, it's just over 5 inches.  The cap snaps very tightly into place.  And, when you're using the marker, the cap can be slid into the bottom of the marker, so it won't get lost.  Leaving the cap off the marker - even for a full day - doesn't seem to reduce the marker's effectiveness.

The tip is sturdy - it's not one of those tips that bends or wobbles.  In fact, even after years of use, the tips remain solid.

I'm happy that there's very little odor, when using these markers.

The marker's barrel is fairly thick - approximately 3/4 of an inch around.  There is no soft rubber grip.  The barrel is made from hard plastic.  As a result, it might be uncomfortable if used for a long period of time.  But for short usage, it's just fine.

The ink does not bleed through standard-thickness paper, and seems to resist fading - at least as far as I've been able to tell.  I have papers in my file cabinet that were highlighted years ago.  The markings look as bright today as they did when they were made.

According to the package, these markers are nontoxic and meet ASTM safety standards. 

At around $1 each, these highlighters (or Hi-Liters) can't be beat.  I've used them for years - both at home, and in the office - and I expect I'll continue to do so, for many happy, highlighted years to come.


Zebra LiteRite Highlighter/Pen Combo

Recommended: Yes