Freak369's Full Review: Sharpie 35110: Mini Permanent Marker 12 Color Set
What is the appeal of the Mini Sharpie? Well, it is smaller and portable, the metal clip allows you to attach it to key chains, jacket zippers or work clothing and it is a fully functional Sharpie marker only in a smaller size. They were released a few years ago and Sanford, the parent company of Sharpie, did a huge college based marketing campaign for them. They had on campus events, contests and urged people to submit their ideas for the best all around use for a Mini Sharpie. Ultimately the success of the new marker didn’t fall on the shoulders of college kids, it was the soccer moms, teachers and people in the trenches of everyday life that made the Mini a staple product. I had to dig through bins of Mini's to find the colors that I wanted to try out but those are a thing of the past. With the inclusion of multi packs into the Sharpie family, you no longer have to dig for the colors you want but at the same time, when buying a multi pack there are always going to be shades that never get used.
Sanford Sharpie 12 Color Mini Marker Set
What are the good points of the Mini? The size means you can store it almost anywhere - pocket, backpack, purse. The downside to that is that some kids felt the need to use the Mini to vandalize private and public property and some school districts have banned the use of all Sharpie and permanent markers by students. That might seem silly but consider the fact that it takes a lot of cleaning compounds and time to remove graffiti from walls, shelves, doors and windows. Sure, banning a marker might seem like overkill but it only takes a couple of bad apples to ruin it for everyone. The Minis are half the size of a regular Sharpie marker so they can be concealed easier but there is no way to get around the smell of them. It isn't all that bad and it is better than the industrial permanent makers but there is a definite small to them.
Working with a Mini isn’t hard but it may take you a while to get used to the smaller size. It doesn't feel as comfortable in your hand when you start writing with it and it is helpful to put the cap on the back of the marker while you are writing with it so that you get a little extra length. You can use these on anything that you would use a regular Sharpie on; plastics, metal, wires, glass, cardboard and wood. Because they are smaller you won’t get as much life out of them; if you have a Sharpie in use for two months look for the Mini version to last about half that time. That isn’t a slam on the product, just an observation from someone that uses a lot of Sanford and Sharpie products and noticed that the Mini's do not last as long as their bigger cousins. The metal clip is a nice perk but we have had a ton of them accidentally go through the washing cycle because they were clipped to clothing or jackets. It's best to remove the cap and clip instead of just removing the marker prior to washing because you never know when you are going to forget to reattach the marker and it will end up dried out.
You can get the twelve packs of Mini markers in a few different color assortments. The standard one includes black, blue, green, red, blueberry, orange, light blue, purple, dark blue, dark purple, light purple and key lime. They recently put out a neon assortment that looks more like a collection of highlighters than markers but the colors are nice. Another color scheme is the pastels that have some nice lighter tones to choose from. Out of that collection the purples and blues are the nicest but at the end of the day it all boils down to functionality. Because these are smaller in size and have a fine .1mm tip to them you might not get a lot of use from them when it comes to labeling boxes or other office applications. Even so, they do work well for addressing boxes and packages, files and moderately sized jobs around your home or office.
If you are thinking about trying out the Mini then try to find a larger office supply store that has the single serve bucket, you can usually find it near the check out counters or customer service desk. They are usually priced at about a dollar a piece but some stores sell them for a little less. The twelve packs sell for anywhere from $8.00 to $11.00 at places like Staples and Office Depot. I would only suggest buying the twelve pack after you have tried the individual ones and know that you will be able to make use of them. Not everyone is going to like the way that the Mini feels in their hand or the way that they write so it is better to spend a dollar to try one out then to sink a wad of cash into the twelve pack and find that you really don't care for them.
The Bottom Line
While I love the concept of the Mini and that it can be stored just about anywhere the practical applications for it are limited. This is nice to have if you do a lot of commuting or have a mobile office but it doesn’t have the staying power for large jobs. The Mini was introduced to look cute but perform as the large standard sized members of the Sharpie family. It appeals to teens and tweens because of the size and metal clip but it is a permanent marker so it can and will end up dying skin and clothing., The ink is the same as what is featured in the regular Sharpie markers and while there is a slight scent / odor to them, the ink is non-toxic. As I said, I'd only recommend the twelve packs to people who have tried the Mini and like them, otherwise you are taking a big risk.
Portable Sharpie marker in half the size! Take it anywhere to complete tasks on the go. Convenient cap clip allows it to be carried on a key chain, ba...More at Buy The Case Sales
Go anywhere with this mini marker!Portable Sharpie marker in half the size!A smaller version of the original Sharpie! Take it anywhere to complete tas...More at Office Depot
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.