We all have things lying around that we take for granted: you know, those trivial things you don't realize you need until you really need them; the things that lay around your house, on your desk, or in a junk drawer in your way until you really need them; the things you don't want to pay more than a $1.00 for until you really need them.  One such thing for me has always been a highlighter.  I have several types, sizes and colors, but I rarely have a use for one... that is, until I really need it.

I recently started graduate school and am currently enrolled in a class that has an incredibly high volume of reading I have to do each week.  Not only must I read a variety of books, articles, and journals, but I have to be able to discuss them in class, discuss them in a journal, discuss them online, and compose abstracts of them.  When it comes to high-colume reading, especially those of the scholarly type, I don't always retain as much as I probably should, and have to mark up the pages of my readings with a highlighter.  I occasionaly use highlighters at work and get pretty irritated with how quickly they seem to run out or dry up.  Thinner highlighters often bug me because they draw such a thin line over text that combined with my postural tremors I have thin, squiggly lines that distract more than they draw my attention to specific phrases or terms.  Yellow highlighters seem to be most popular, but sometimes the yellow color doesn't stick out enough to draw my attention to what I've highlighted. 

When I picked up school supplies for my class at the beginning of the summer (an exciting venture always) I saw how expensive supplies were, and forgetting how useful a nice highlighter would be, I opted to search my desk junk drawer at home for an old highlighter.  Lucky for me, my mother always saves the day, and when I stopped by her school for a visit before heading home she announced that they had just had locker clean-out day, and told me to pick through the boxes of used school stuff.  I spotted a wide selection of highlighters of all shapes and sizes and picked out several Sharpie Accent Highlighter brand highlighters in varying colors.  The one I tend to use most often is orange.

My Sharpie Accent Highlighter is a thicker and shorter than a standard pen or pencil (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter, 4 3/4 inch in length).  The entire highlighter is fluorescent orange in color on the outside with the logo stamped on the side of the highlighter marker.  This marker has a chisel tip, with one side being an accute, (approximately 45 degree) angle, and the other side being an obtuse (approximately 135 degree) angle.  The ink, like the outside color, is a bright fluorescent orange color.  The lid simply snaps tightly on- no screwing or twisting or clicking to expose the marker tip.

I use this marker every day when I read articles and chapters for class.  The orange color highlights the text I choose in a dark enough color that my attention immediately snaps back to it when re-reading, but the ink doesn't overpower the rest of the text, and isn't hard to read through.  When highlighting or underlining, because of my tremors, I have to draw my lines very slowly: with some highlighters the longer the ink stays in contact with the page the darker it becomes, and it can eventually bleed through to the other side of the paper-- not good when you're reading double-sided pages.  With my Sharpie Accent Highlighter it rarely bleeds through to the other side of the page, unless I hold the marker in the same spot for several seconds, or if I press really hard.  On the same note, I've used this highlighter a lot, every day, for the past few months, and it was used before I got to it.  The ink shows no signs of drying up, and still marks as brightly as the first day I used it.  The ink doesn't smudge after it hits the paper, and dries incredibly quickly.  The chisel style tip has two angles: I tend to use the smaller angle when I'm underlining, or when I'm highlighting very small type, while the more obtuse angle comes in handy when I'm highlighting bigger (12 point) type.  The thicker size of the highlighter is nice because it fits perfectly in my hand, and doesn't make my hand cramp up after several hours of holding it, and it makes it easier to find in my bookbag or purse. 
There are a few minor things I don't like about my Sharpie Accent Highlighter.  First of all, the lid is in no way attached to the pen, and when I take it off I'm notorious for dropping it... and watching it roll of my desk.  Not a big deal, but my very-pregnant belly keeps me from enjoying the whole bend-over-and-pick-it-up part.  A click style pen would be much more satisfying for me.  Also, the thickness of the marker, while for the most part appealing, can sometimes mean that it takes up too much space in a pencil bag; not really a big deal, but enough for me to notice it.  While the ink bleeds through paper less than most highlighter markers and pens, it still bleeds when I hesitate for too long.  Also, while the marker claims not to smudge on paper, I do sometimes get it on my fingers, and it doesn't dry on skin nearly as quickly as on paper... I've been known to spread it from skin to, well, other skin.

Overall the variety of the two angles is a major plus for me; there are times I like using the smaller angle, but when I need more coverage the bigger angle is perfect.  The size isn't a major issue, and the color of this marker is perfect for my uses.  The bleeding is only an issue rarely, though the ink does tend to stay wet on my skin for awhile if I accidentally mark myself. 

I'm glad I have this highlighter on hand, and will use it until the ink runs out (if it ever does), and then will use the other colors that I picked up along with this one.  If I ever have a ridiculous amount of money to spend on school supplies, I may consider upgrading... but until, the Sharpie Accent Highlighter will do the trick. 



When I don't need a highlighter I tend to throw them aside, but when I need one they sure come in handy.  While the Sharpie Accent Highlighter may seem TRIVIAL sometimes, during this class, I've definitely gotten some use out of it.  This is why I'm submitting this review to mmcphee's T.R.I.V.I.A.L. write-off.  Check it out!

Recommended: Yes