After trying out the erasable version of this pen I decided to get the regular stick version. I came across them for a little less than the suggested retail price of $3.99 so I threw caution to the wind. Being a pen junkie I can say that these are above average but they are not art quality; they are more than suitable for taking notes in class, writing letters, shopping lists and phone messages but you may want to go with something else for fine line art work. Part of that is the thicker .7mm line that this has; scrapbookers like to use these to add some color to pages or accents to die cut images. If you are into embossing things these pens are really nice to use for freehand writing on pages then dusting with the powder. If you are using a lighter color over the ink you will still be able to see it after you have hit it with your heat gun. You can use these on any type of paper but if you are looking for something to write on black pages, look for something in the Milky line; you may have a little bit of luck with the orange or pink colors from this set but if you want something that looks great, stick with pens that are made specifically for use on black paper.

Sanford Uni-Ball Signo Economy Gel Stick Pens
Five color set: blue, green, orange, pink, purple

Getting five colors in one pack is never a bad thing; especially when you are getting something that is outside the norm. These shouldn’t be confused with the Signo erasable pens that are also packaged in a five color set [different colors but the packaging looks alike]; both pens are nice but I really like the way that these write. They are a basic stick type pen so you aren’t getting a lot of perks to them; no rubber comfort grip, no retractable tip, no ‘true’ ink window. You can see how much ink is left but like most every other stick pen, that isn’t a true reading. Sometimes it looks like there is nothing left and you can still squeak out another five pages of writing and other times it looks like it is half full and when you go to write, the pen is dead. The word economy comes into play with the barrel and cap; made of plastic these aren’t built to last so it’s no wonder that these are non-refillable. Well, I did try to slide another ink stick inside one of the barrels and it worked for a while but then fell apart every time I went to use it. Since these are relatively inexpensive, replacing them if they die or get lost isn’t a big deal.

These do write smoothly, smoother than I thought that they would especially for being a stick type pen. The only stick pens that I really like are the Bic Cristal Grip Stic; they have a nice thick ink color and it flows perfectly without any clumping or globs of ink smearing all over the place. You may get a few globs of ink from these pens if you are working on paper that is smooth like photo or glossy stock but most of the time you will get a nice even flow from the roller ball tip. These are medium tip sized, .7mm, so they are thicker than the Uni-Ball Vision and Micro Fine pens but they are nice for writing letters, taking notes or just to have in your backpack to jot down phone numbers. I don’t use these for art because of the thicker line that they create. If you are using them with a ruler, T-square or any type of beveled edge the ink doesn’t rub off on to the template or smear on the paper; again that really depends on the type of paper that you are using but most of the time you are going to get peerless writing. You will want to make sure that you recap these when you are done because the ink is pretty hard to get out of clothing.

Ink Quality

Most of the time when you see the word ‘economy’ you think that you are going to get something that isn’t going to write well, that’s not the case with the Sanford Uni-Ball Signo Economy Gel Stick Pens. The colors are very interesting; you don’t get the usual colors like black and red but instead orange, green, pink, purple and blue. Sure blue is usually considered a common color but in this case the hue is nicer than the usual ‘blue’ you get with roller ball or gel pens. They are acid free so they are a great pick for artists or scrapbookers; the ink dries quickly and the only time you will see any smudging is when you use it on a slick or glossy paper. You do have to keep the tip of the roller ball clean and free from dust, dirt and eraser grit or you might experience some skipping when writing but that goes for just about any type of pen.

Price

You can pick up this five pack for about $4.29 at places like Wal-Mart and Target; you do have to be careful when you are getting these because there are a lot of different pens in the Signo line; some are erasable, some have a retractable tip, some are neon. If you want to pick up some cool gel pen colors without spending a lot of money, this is a great pack to check out. Look at it this way, if you don’t like the way that they write or you ever have a problem with them, Sanford has a great money back guarantee that you will be satisfied or they’ll refund your money or send you a replacement. Just because this has the word ‘economy’ in it doesn’t mean that you are getting something that is cheap or writes poorly. This is a great way to get five colors in one package, for the price you would pay for two gel or milky writers you can get this set.

The Bottom Line

You get five colors per pack, the ink flows nicely and if you lose one of them, it’s not a big deal. I like the way that they write and you can use them on almost any type of paper. The colors that you get in this set aren’t all that common so it make sense [and cents] to buy these rather than paying two dollars a piece for other stick gel pens. These don’t have a fine line to them so you might have some trouble using them for fine line art work but for letter writing, adding some color to notes or for color coding they are a great pick. If you are new to using gel pens then this is an economical way to get started or to try them out; as with all the Sanford products, if you aren’t satisfied with them you can return them for a refund or replacement.


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2006 Freak369


Other Sanford Uni-Ball product reviews ...
Metallic Colors Gel Impact Violet
Gel Impact Retractable Pen Black Ink
Signo Erasable Gel Pen Purple Ink
Deluxe Micro Fine: Red, Black, Blue
Uni-Ball Vision: Passion Pink, Majestic Purple
Vision Exact Micro Point Black



Recommended: Yes