Sanford Liquid Expresso - A High Quality Product But Not Very Tasty
Written: Mar 14 '03 (Updated May 24 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sturdy tip, exceptional ink flow, doesn’t bleed trough paper.
Cons: Clip breaks easily, no comfort grip.
The Bottom Line: Love to write with markers but hate the mess? Give the Sanford Liquid Expresso line a try.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Sanford Liquid Expresso Porous Point Pens 34503 |
As you may have gathered from other reviews, I am a pen junkie. I have several favorites that I tend to use most of the time but I am always open to trying out new pens and markers. I've used the Sanford Liquid Expresso line for a while now and I have to say that these are exceptional pens / markers. These are classified as ‘porous point pens’ since the tip resembles that of a marker but is reinforced so the tip doesn’t bend or smash. So you could say that this is either a pen that writes like a marker or a marker that writes like a pen – your choice. Any way you classify it, the Expresso is well worth the price.
Sanford Liquid Expresso
The body is thicker than the average ballpoint pen so if you like your writing tools on the thin side, you might want to skip this or purchase one of them individually. A definite perk to this is that it will allow you to create crisp lines without having to worry about ink globs forming on the paper if you stop writing for a few seconds. To me, that is the number one draw back of most felt tipped pens / markers on the market today. That’s not to say that it won’t bleed through the paper if it is left in one place for too long, but generally I have no trouble when I am writing with these. If you like writing with Sharpie markers but find that they make too much of a mess or bleed through to underlying pages, then this is the perfect product for you!
Even though there isn’t a comfort grip this is still extremely pleasant to use, even for extended periods of writing. The ultra smooth barrel allows the pen to move freely when you are writing and since it is a little wider than normal pens and markers it doesn’t require as much pressure when writing. One of the nicest things is the snap tight cap that gives you a loud ‘click’ when it is pushed into place. This means that you’ll always know that the cap is secured so you can prevent any accidents inside your purse or knapsack. The clip that is on the cap isn’t the strongest and most of the Sanford Liquid Expresso pens that I own have broken clips. I’m not sure if this was a problem with a batch of pens or just an overall design flaw.
The ink flow is excellent and as I already mentioned, you won’t have to worry about the tip ‘spitting’ or leaving globs of ink all over the place. The ink dries almost instantly when it hits the paper so you are almost guaranteed a smudge free environment. When working with papers like velum you should test out how the ink does on it before you plan on starting a project or design. The colors in this pack are black [2], red [1] and blue [1] and all of them perform the same exact way – perfectly. The red and blue tips do tend to pull up or absorb other inks so if you are going to be using these on top of another marker you should test it out first to see if they are compatible or if you will have to clean the tips to remove the other ink.
The bottom part of the barrel is transparent so you will be able to see how much ink is left and when you need to stock up on more. Learning how to read the barrel might take you a little bit of time since the inside of it features a series of small chambers. When you notice that there isn’t much ink left between the slats its time to start shopping for new ones. These are not refillable and no part of the pen comes apart [except the cap] so don’t bother wasting your time typing to refill them with standard ink.
If you haven’t tried these but are curious about them you can purchase them individually for about $1.49. The four packs usually run between $4.99 and $5.49 depending on what type of a store you are purchasing them from. Generally these last me about two months before they run out of ink [or I lose them] but the life all depends on how much writing you plan on doing with them.
Things To Know
Even though this comes with a reinforced tip that doesn’t mean that it won’t give out after a while. I don’t recommend this for use with carbon paper or multi layered forms that require a lot of pressure since you will end up breaking the point or having to go over the bottom layers. On the same token, this is great for letter writing, drawing, fine line artwork or general day-to-day use around the house. You might want to test this out on small a small section of paper before you start a project or write a long letter to see if it will bleed through to the back side. I use this on a variety of different styled papers and most of them hold up nicely. Thin airmail paper, airmail envelopes and rice paper don’t do well with this since the ink seems to travel through the paper.
These are sold ‘carded’ [attached to a cardboard and plastic sleeve] and can be found at most office supply stores as well as Wal-Mart and Target stores. The latter also sell these individually for about $1.49 a piece so if you want to give these a try without investing in a four pack, that is a definite option. They come in the basic colors – black, blue and red as well as a series of neon colors [review forthcoming]. So far I have only seen the basic colors sold individually but I am sure it is only a matter of time before the neon colors are sold this way as well. Look for these near Sharpie markers or in the school supply section of your favorite retail store.
Please note: the photo that is used for the product listing is for the neon color assortment [Sanford item 34503]. This should be the photo of the basic Expresso assortment [2 black, 1 blue, 1 red]. To see the correct photo please visit this URL: http://images.officemax.com/images/kreb_large/10121101.GIF
The Bottom Line
If you are someone that does a tremendous amount of writing and like the feel of using a marker but hate ink globs then this might just be a great product for you. This can be used on a variety of different styles of paper and the quick drying, smudge free ink allows you to writing without having to worry about letting the ink set. I’ve had noting but good luck with these and I highly recommend them to anyone that is looking for this type of pen / marker. These might cost a little bit more than standard ballpoint pens and felt tip markers but I am sure once you give them a try you will see the difference.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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