I came across this pen by complete accident at Michaels, when looking for a mid sized light colored marker to use on felt I saw the sale sign that said “All Gel Pens - .99 cents”. How could I possibly pass up that kind of deal? One thing I over looked was the small sentence under that – “includes all gel pens up to $2.49”. When I went to pay for my order I didn’t pay attention to the total but realized I paid too much the next day. When I returned to the store the cashier pointed out that it was only gel pens up to $2.49 and this one cost $2.79. Without batting an eye she adjusted the price and gave it to me for .99 cents – but truth be told – even if she hadn’t adjusted the price I would have kept this pen. So what makes this so special? It’s got a nice fat barrel, the gel ink comes out smooth and doesn’t clump up and the color is amazing! If you are gel ink freak and haven’t tried this one out yet, get ready to sink an easy $50.00 in to getting every single color in the series. Yes, that are that good.

Sanford Gel Ink Roller Ball Pen

One of the nicest and coolest things about this pen is the ink; slightly sparkly but bold and hearty – the 1.0 mm tip delivers a nice thick line that looks great on black paper but is also dark enough that it can easily be seen on white paper as well. Sanford calls this ‘violet’, I call it purple – what ever color you call it, it is something that you just have to see to appreciate. The barrel of the pen is a little thicker than normal pens so you can write longer with it without getting cramps or having wrist pain which is great to know if you are going to be using this for invitations or scrapbooking. There’s virtually no skipping or spitting so you won’t have to waste time going over lines or cleaning up messes however if you are going to be using this with a rules, make sure that it has a lip under it so the pen, tip and ink supply are not coming in direct contact with the edge of the ruler. This will eliminate the chance of the ink smearing or smudging.

Since this is a roller ball type pen you don’t have to worry about having constant movement; with some gel pens if you stoop for a moment or two you end up with an ink pool that seeps down to surrounding pages and make a complete mess. To prove this point I pressed the metal tip of the pen to a piece of paper and held it there for about thirty seconds just to if it was really a “no spread” type of ink. The result – nothing out of the ordinary, simply put, it looked the same as the dots that were made in random fashion. So why is this such an important factor in a gel pen? Because it is a roller ball tip it needs some type of action to get the ink to flow out – and since the tip of this pen is fatter than most, you don’t want to run the risk of it spreading or leaking when you are writing or doodling. If there is a drawback to this pen it would have to be the ink – now, I know, I said that the ink was the best feature but at the same time it sucks when you get it all over your wrist or hands. It isn’t impossible to get off but it does take some elbow grease. You may want to have some rubber or latex gloves on hand if you are going to be using this pen a lot, it will keep the ink off your hands and make clean up a lot easier.

For the price, under $2.00 at most stores, you get a pen that really delivers the goods. The color selections range from vibrant reds and greens to pale pinks and yellows – colors for every season, event or project. So far I have only seen these sold individually but I am sure that if you visit one of the primo art stores you could find them in a boxed set. The pen caps nicely but you do have to make sure that you push it on firmly and listen for the faint “snap” noise. There is a thick pocket clip on the lid, great for attaching it to notebooks or inside knapsacks. There’s no rubber comfort grip on the barrel but since it is a little thicker than normal gel pens, it is easier to work with for extended periods of time. One last thing to know about this pen, the ink is semi permanent so if you get it on clothing there is a good chance that it will stain or leave a mark if it isn’t treated right away.

The Bottom Line

If you are a gel pen freak that wants a beautiful purple ink to work with then this is one of the best picks I’ve come across so far. For the price you are getting a solid pen with a nice ink flow however you do need to pay a little attention to the ink when you are filling in a large area. Over saturation can happen which could leave the paper slightly warped but under normal use, you get a nice thick line that doesn’t fade or flake off. This can be used on paper, cardboard, poster board, some plastics and Shrinky Dink sheets but for plastics it’s best to do a test run on a small scrap piece to see if it will bead or spread. Some Shrinky Dink paper is presanded which could lead to the ink spreading through the small veins. When in doubt, test it out! If you have never tried these out I high recommend them to anyone that likes the coverage of gel ink without having to worry about a felt tip application.


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2004 Freak369


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Recommended: Yes