Customer Reviews

STD334SB20 - Fineliner Porous Point Pen, .3mm, 20/BX, Assorted

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Previously, these pens seemed unavailable in the US. I even tried special ordering them from my stationery story. I would always pick up a set every time I visited Europe.

As an aspiring academic, who takes lots of notes, and a connoisseur of pens since the Pilot Precise revolutionized disposable pens, I have to say the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner is the best that I have found.

These are FANTASTIC pens. Especially for the obsessive-compulsive note-taker type - i.e. the medical student, or pre-med student.

The case doubles as a stand-up pen stand, and is solid and difficult to destroy.

The color selection is excellent, and I only have a ten-pack.

They glide beautifully, and have lasted through many pages of ridiculous note-taking.

Staedtler claims you can leave the pens open for "days" without them drying out -- I've only tested them for a few hours at a time, and they're great!

$14.95 is a very good price for a set of 20, depending upon shipping of course.

My only complaint is that the pens are slightly small to hold -- which is great for compact storage, but not so good for hand-cramps -- the triangular barrel shape helps alleviate the problem to a significant extent though.

Now, IF ONLY I COULD FIND THEM FOR SALE SOMEWHERE AGAIN!!!!
AMAZON -- PLEASE SELL THESE AGAIN!!!

I have been a Stabilo user for the past 7 years, and recently found these pens on Amazon while looking for a new set of Stabilos as most colors of my current set are dead (due to years of usage, not that there's anything wrong with them). Seeing the great reviews, I thought I'd try out this new brand, trusting it because my experience tells me German pens = quality. And mainly because Stabilo was not sold from Amazon, but these were, with free shipping too :)

I was disappointed when I first received them, because the gray body color looked bleak to someone who is used to the vibrant orange of Stabilo, and I felt that the writing experience (I write a lot with these pens) was inferior to Stabilo's, it felt more rough where Stabilo glides on the paper. I kept on using these anyway, and I don't know what happened in between, but now I use and like Staedtler at least as much as Stabilo. Some comparisons:

+ After getting used to Staedtler, I can still feel that Stabilo writes more smoothly, but you would not notice the difference unless you are a pen enthusiast :)

+ I tend to hold pens close to perpendicular to the paper while writing. This makes the tip of the Stabilo pens turn flat, over a very short amount of time. Staedtler pens also became thicker, but not as much as Stabilo, so I count it more durable to misuse. If you hold your pens like most normal people do, neither brand's tip will change shape.

+ Stabilo pens show slightly less on the other side of the paper. Both brands are pretty bad (but nowhere as bad as Uniball) when it comes to this issue, especially with the dark colors. With the light colors and some properly thick (not out of the ordinary, but not exceptionally thin) paper, it is hardly noticeable unless you press hard.

+ I personally prefer the tone of the Stabilo pens more. I don't know why Staedtler has such a bright shiny orange, I don't like orange much as a color but orange Stabilo was one of my favorites, it is a perfect shade. The blue tones of Staedtler are all too dark or too light (even though the caps don't look like that), Stabilo has a perfect medium blue tone. Stabilo also has a beautiful lavender, grass green and pale pink/orange, unlike Staedtler which has none of those colors and has more generic blue and green tones. The only color Staedtler has superior to Stabilo is the dark rich purple that the Stabilo was missing. About half of the colors, like reds, a couple of blues and greens, grays, pink and browns are almost the same in both brands.

+ Staedtler pens have clips on the caps which is useful when carrying them around, you can hang them to notebooks, documents, etc. Stabilo doesn't have this.

+ Stabilo is 0.4mm finelines and Staedtler 0.3mm. I have not actually taken a ruler and magnifier and measured them, but their thickness is equal to my eye most of the time, except for the Staedtler pens I barely ever used, and in some cases my Stabilos have a finer tip. It depends on the user, but I prefer finer tips because my handwriting is very small, I think even the 0.3mm pens are too thick sometimes. Note that when you first get them, either brand, they're super fine, but with a few weeks of usage, they WILL get thicker. You decide if this is good or bad.

+ The design of Stabilo is more unique and colorfully fun in my opinion, whereas Staedtler could probably be called more professional looking due to it being gray.

+ The case of the Staedtler is one I haven't seen from Stabilo, might be useful, but I like my pens being scattered around so I've abandoned it. Tried it out a couple of times, holds the pens well and easy to take the pens out and put back in after using them.

All in all, Staedtler turned out great, and since they're newer and thus write better than my Stabilos which are all 7-4 years old, I've been using Staedtler most of the time except for the colors they lack. I use these pens for everything, from grocery lists to copying down notes in class, doing homework, very useful to prepare cheat sheets, drawing and inking (as a hobby, not professionally) and just randomly for playing around. In my opinion, everyone who wants more than bland old BIC pens should own at least a basic red-blue-black set of either Staedtler or Stabilo. They're inexpensive, gorgeous, and high quality. I will keep on buying the same pens in both brands as mine get old and run out. Highly recommended.

The technology of these pens are fabulous and I'm not just saying that because they're made in Germany. I've got more than a couple of packs of these and they are wonderfully made.

QUALITY...
From the triangular smooth plastic streamlined body all the way down to the color coded tip I'm thinking quality every time I start. I don't have to think twice about what pen to use when the ergonomic design is put in place to keep me from experiencing pen fatigue and that's really important because I love to write all the time. I also think that's the cool part.

Now whether I'm busy working on a small intimate portrait or journaling about the tremendous out come of a successful business endeavour when I reach for my Staedtler's pens it's all about the end result and a pen I can bank on.

You see this is probably the neatest part of all. The DRY SAFE technology. It keeps me from having to be up tight if I mislocate a pen cap for several days.

How many times have you snatched up a pen took off into a writing frenzy and had trouble finding the cap for a few hours. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't happened to me more than a couple of times. But because of the DRY SAFE technology you don't have to worry about the pen drying up or out and that's cool!

WHY THE 20 PACK?
Now the 20 pack gives you a rainbow assortment of colors with up to three colors (or more) within the same color range. Why is this important? Because when you're trying to create depth, or you're layering to create a nice blend you need a range of colors to go there. Take it from an award-winning artist or keep knocking your head up against the wall (which ever you think is easier)these pens are great. My recommendation is it's always easier to learn from the voice of experience than to keep stumbling blindly through life trying to get where you're going. But if you're serious about quality pens or you're into coloring, writing or drawing use these pens because they're nice to work with.

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE

Just over a year ago, I was in Office Depot looking to replace one of my favorite art pens. They didn't have it in stock, but I couldn't leave empty-handed. When I saw how fine these pens were (0.3mm), plus they were on sale, I dove right in feet first and bought the 20 pack. Then I forgot about them (I found my preferred pen at the art store later that day). For a year they sat languishing in my art box unused and unloved, so when I pulled them out for my annual "pen check", I expected them to be dead.

I was wrong.

Not only were these pens alive and kicking, they wrote like I had bought them earlier that day. (That was a week ago and they're still going strong.)

Each pen is lightweight with a slender body and comfortable to grip; if you prefer thick-bodied pens, then it may be a deal-breaker. The line each pen produces is smooth and even with just enough grip to control the line direction. The ink is highly saturated with pigment producing a vivid color, but it's slightly darker than the cap indicates. It's not horrendous, but it's something to bear in mind if you're coloring artwork because it means you may have to lighten up on the pen pressure a bit. (I use moderate pressure and had to use *very* light pressure to soften up the color.)

Depending on the quality of paper used, bleed-through is minimal. For instance, in my Moleskine notebook and my regular ruled notebook (brand Mead) where the sheets are thin, there is noticeable bleed so writing can only be done on one side, but for my sketchbooks (brands Academie, Cachet and heavyweight Moleskine) there was no noticeable bleed.

The pen case is sturdy and doubles as a stand, leaning the pens back at a nice angle which makes keeping them organized and at your fingertips a complete snap.

It says that it won't dry out if you leave the cap off, and that's a theory I'm not willing to test, but somehow I believe it. Overall, these pens are an amazing value.

NB: Please note that I did not purchase these pens from the merchant listed; I am only reviewing the product and not the merchant's services.

Like so many other users I love this pen. The tip is very fine but firm. I have a heavy hand with all writing utensils and I have never had a problem with these particular tips. Keeping them capped when not in use will extend the life but I have found even after a momentary laps of ADHD I return to the uncapped pen and still get a long life out of them.

I want to point out that the price for this product from this seller is quite expensive. If you art going to purchase these pens you may find the cheapest price (usually by 4 or 5 dollars) from Blick art supply. I am not affiliated with the company but I do purchase this product from them purely based on price.

I hope this review is helpful. If there is something I didn't mention you would have liked in the review please leave a comment and I will try to incorporate my opinion of that detail into the review. Thank you

I can't speak highly enough of these colored pens, made by Staedtler. They are reasonably priced and wonderfully designed. They write very smoothly, the ink lasts and lasts, even if you have left the cap off for days. The colors are bright, the tip is narrow enough that you can write between the lines, and the choice of colors is wonderful. The storage case is also very well designed. I've attached mine to my desk to make the pens easily accessible. Finally, the pens are very lightweight, compact, and have a triangular shape that makes them easy to hold. I have only the 10-pen set right now, so I am looking forward to getting the 20-pen set. Thanks to Staedtler for coming up with a wonderful product!

These pens are great; they are thin enough to outline pencil lines, but thick enough to take notes with. The colors are vibrant, and the colors overlap to create a layered feel for art. The tips do get rough and weathered after useage, but they are still useable; just simply harder to use. (you have to hold it upright.)

These are great pens. I'm a teacher and am always marking student essays, and these are "easy" writers. That is, they're light in your hand and don't dry out. Some other pens I feel as though I have to grip too hard - it becomes uncomfortable (though you don't exactly realize it). These are just very well balanced and light and smooth, but still "inky" - if I were an artist, I imagine these would be perfect, too, but I don't possess the appropriate skills to go down that road. Anyway, the very fact that I'm moved to review a pen should say something!

They don't dry up when you leave the pen cap off! Case turns into stand!