Freak369's Full Review: Sanford Chisel Tip, Calligraphic Markers
The Sanford catalog of products seems limitless; just when you think you know every single product they make you come across something that you think is new but it's not. That was the case with the calligraphy markers that I saw about a year ago; they were in a plastic poly pack at the office supply store and it looked like they were a stray item, possibly something that was shipped to them in error. With no hang tag, shelf sticker or price on them I decided to toss them in my cart and if they were a couple dollars at the checkout I’d get them. They were $4.19 which wasn't bad for a regular five pack of Sanford or Sharpie markers so given that these were calligraphy style, that made it an even sweeter deal.
Sanford Calligraphy Markers chisel tip, five color set
Even though these are a Sanford product, you might not know it the second you see them; the barrel design is a little different than regular Sharpie markers but in a way that is a good thing. You can spot them easier in a drawer full of markers so if you are looking for them you will be able to spot them easily and if you are looking for something else, you won't accidentally pick these up. These come in a plastic case that will hold up to a good bit of use but it isn't something that is going to last forever. Thankfully the barrel of the marker reflects the ink inside so even if the information gets rubbed off it, you will still know exactly what color it is. While the plastic case is nice to have for the markers you do have to remember to put them back into it to get any real use out of it.
These can be used for all types of calligraphy; be it fancy elongated letters or something simple for addressing wedding invitation envelopes. Because of the solid construction of the tip you will get a lot of use out of these but you do need to remember to check the tips often for overlay. If you are working with two colors there is always a chance that one color will bleed or get on to the tip of another. This can happen even if the ink is dry so even if you allow them to sit for an hour to two, it is something that you have to be careful of. The barrel is smooth so when you are writing with this it feels extremely natural. As far as the caps, they are color coded to the pen and snap back on to ensure that the marker will not dry out when not in use.
What colors do you get in this set? This is the basic five color assortment that contains red, black, brown, green and blue. If you are interested in other colors you can also get this in pink, purple and teal. Since the ink is a little different from what you get with regular Sharpie markers you may have a little bit of trouble matching them up exactly if you want to do a border or design. It isn't impossible to match the shades but if you are someone that has to have everything match perfectly, you may run into a little bit of trouble using these with other Sanford and Sharpie products.
The only color that doesn't get used is brown; for some reason I just can't use this color for anything without it looking or reminding me of poop. I know, that's a very third grade mentality but it is the truth. I was hoping that someone would make off with it if I left it on my desk but apparently everyone else feels the same way about this color. Why Sanford chose to add this to the color line up still baffles me; I know it is a neutral color buy how thrilled would you be to see your name written in brown letters? Regardless of how ornate or fancy it looks, it's still brown. I am hoping that Sanford will be releasing new colors in the calligraphy line this spring or at the very least an eight color pack.
The Bottom Line
These would be excellent markers for someone that is just starting out with calligraphy; they are well made and will stand up to a lot of use and practice lettering. These aren't the best calligraphy markers on the market but they are nicer than most and with a $4.00 to $6.00 price at most office supply stores they are an affordable way to give calligraphy a try without investing in the metal tipped sets that start out at about $25.00 if not more. While these aren't the greatest they are easy to use and have nice ink flow, cool colors and can give your writing a bit of extra style.
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