I freely admit that blue is not my favorite highlighter color. So why am I using one? I’m glad you asked! Along came a project where I needed to color-code areas of text. Enter the Avery Hi-Lighter Desk-Style Highlighter in Fluorescent Blue Ink.


Description

This Avery highlighter measures 5 1/8" long x 3/4" wide at its widest point (at the end of the barrel). The plastic barrel is round and smooth. Not so coincidentally, the barrel is colored blue to indicate the highlighter color.

The highlighter cap has an interesting faceted design, which allows the fingers to easily grasp and remove it. The cap is designed to attach to the back end of the highlighter so that the cap does not become lost.

Non-toxic, quick drying ink fills this marker. It has a chisel point that is designed not to fray or collapse with use. The point is about 1/4" long. The manufacturer says the ink is improved so that the marker can be left uncapped for a week and still work.

In case blue is not your color, these desk-style highlighters come in a variety of colors: Light Green, Light Blue, Light Pink, Yellow, Fluorescent Green, Fluorescent Blue, Fluorescent Pink and Fluorescent Yellow.


My Experiences

My project involved a 34-page multi-column table of information. I needed to sort the information in the table by category. I’m so spoiled by computers that it would have been a dream to have it in a format that I could sort on the computer. However, that was not the case.

A coworker handed me a Fluorescent Blue Avery Desk-Style Highlighter since I needed an additional color to color-code the information. The table was printed on 20-pound copy paper. The Avery highlighter worked great and did not bleed through the paper. Each swipe of the highlighter produced a smooth, even line. The only time I noticed the ink showing uneven color is when I lifted the highlighter from the paper, or when two or more highlighter lines overlapped.

The chisel tip allowed me to draw different width lines, which allowed me more ways to highlight information. Sometimes I drew a broad stroke through text, and at other times used the highlighter to draw a narrow line beneath a series of words or numbers. Even with the thicker barrel, I found this highlighter comfortable to hold and use.

I know my coworker has put this highlighter to a lot of use, yet the tip is still sharp and the color flows as if the highlighter is new.

I enjoy putting office supplies to the test. I used this Avery desk-style blue highlighter on words written in pencil as well as blue, red and black pen. I also highlighted text written with a black Sharpie marker and a red Flair pen. The highlighter aced the test! It did not smear any of the words it highlighted.

A disappointment is that this highlighter does not highlight well on Tombow or Papermate DryLine correction tape. The highlighter does not “stick” to the white correction tape. If another paper rubs against the highlighter on the tape, the paper will pick up excess highlighter that lays atop the correction tape.

You may ask why blue is not my favorite highlighter color. For some reason I find blue a more difficult highlighter color to read through than a lighter color such as yellow. This fluorescent blue color is eye catching. The color is a medium see-through blue. Being blue, it writes darker than the yellow I am accustomed to using. Black text is visible through the blue ink, but I prefer more contrast for easier viewing.

During lunch, I enjoy doing puzzles in the daily newspaper. As an experiment, I used this blue highlighter on the newsprint. The chisel point allowed me to write words that are crisper than I thought they would print. Also, the highlighter did not bleed through the newspaper. It did not matter if I printed a word or highlighted text.

One thing to consider is that the ink is not waterproof. I highlighted laser printed text on 20-pound copier paper and let it sit for a half hour. Then I ran a dribble of water over the paper. The good news is that the highlighter ink did not form colored pools of ink on the paper. However, the ink did noticeably fade where the water dribbled over it.


Purchasing

Office Depot offers a 12-pack of these blue highlighters for $5.59. Officemax sells these blue highlighters in an assorted package of colors: 4 pack at $2.39 and a dozen for $5.59.


Summary

Even though blue highlighters are not my first color choice, this Avery Hi-Lighter Desk-Style Highlighter has proven very useful. It writes smoothly, and the chisel tip offers a variety of writing widths. It’s nice having a different highlighter color in my writing arsenal. It’s a good thing I have a coworker who shares!

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Additional Information

Avery Dennison -- Brea, California 92821
Toll Free Phone # 1-800-462-8379
www.avery.com

Product Guarantee
"Avery Dennison is committed to providing you with quality products and will gladly replace any product which does not provide complete satisfaction."


Please read my other reviews.

Sanford Major Accent Highlighter

Avery Pen-Style Highlighters

Bic e.3 – Pencil, Pen, Stylus all in one

Pilot G-2 Gel Ink Pen

RSVP Retractable Ball Point Pen

EraserMate Pen

PaperMate FlexGrip Ultra Ballpoint Retractable Pens

Sanford Uni-ball Deluxe Roller Ball Pen

Sharpie Twin-Tip Permanent Marker

Sharpie Permanent Markers with 5 new colors

PaperMate Flair Felt-tip Markers

Avery Marks-A-Lot Permanent Marker



Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes