Sorry for the lack of photos, they can be found at my blog of similar name.
The Stainless Steel version of the Sharpie takes a product that we are all familiar with, and gives it a simple, yet major makeover. There was never anything wrong with how a Sharpie looked, in fact it was a nice simple design that was pretty timeless. The sturdy plastic construction, the color coded cap, and the plastic clip that allowed you to fasten the pen to whatever you needed to...what more could someone ask for in a permanent marker? Well the folks over at Sharpie decided to step it up a bit and give their classic marker a stainless steel cap and body, and the results couldn't have been better.
One of the first things that you notice about this Sharpie (besides the fact that its stainless steel) is the cool Sharpie logo that is laser etched into the barrel of the marker. This is one of the features of this item that really shows the attention to detail and quality that went into this Sharpie marker. You will also notice (in the next picture) that when you take out the refill cartridge, Sharpie decided to go with a metal threading to screw the cartridge into. I like this option because if they had used plastic and you stripped it, you would have just ruined your fancy new Sharpie Stainless Steel marker...by making the threads on the refill cartridge plastic, it pretty much eliminates that possibility.
Speaking of the refills, they are pretty basic and simple to put in. There really is not much to it, but I thought a picture was in order just to make sure we cover everything about the Stainless Steel Sharpie.
In the uncapped picture above, you can see that the only part of this pen which is not metal, is the plastic grip section of the refill cartridge. As with any other Sharpie, the grip section of the marker is pretty comfortable. The only noticeable differences between the Stainless Steel Sharpie and the regular Sharpie are that the grip section on the stainless steel version is more of a matte or flat finish compared to the glossy finish of a regular Sharpie, and it is also a little longer and thicker on the stainless version and comes to a tapered end towards the tip rather than a rounded end. Ive included a picture for comparison purposes below. Another thing to note is the clip, I know I've used the clip plenty on the regular Sharpie to attach it to sheets of paper and such, so no worries here, the metal clip functions just as well, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea to force too many sheets of paper or anything under the clip.
One thing that has not changed at all that I could notice, was the way that this Sharpie writes. Its identical to any other regular Sharpie I've ever used, but it feels funny to do a review of any writing implement without adding a writing sample. The silver ink you see in the writing sample there is a Sharpie too, its the metallic silver one, same one that I used to do my rendering of the Sharpie logo for the photo backgrounds.
If you are someone who finds themselves presenting in front of a group and writing on those big white flip charts, this is a marker that will really do a great job of adding just another small hint of stylish professionalism to your overall look, and it also makes for a nice pointing device. Weather you are gesturing with the Sharpie stainless in your hand, or actually writing up on an easel and flip chart with it, I think people will notice, but not be distracted by it as it is a very nice looking accessory for any professional.
If there was one improvement that I could make to this new Sharpie, it would be some way to indicate the color that it was, but without having to remove the cap. I am thinking something like a clear plastic window on the side along the length of the barrel would probably do the trick, although I'm sure that the folks over at Sharpie already have their own ideas on how to tackle that issue. More along the lines of "nice to have" suggestions rather than improvements, I think it would also be cool to see this marker in an all black stainless version, or any other color bodies.
In talking further with Sharpie's PR Manager, Susan Wassel, she did mention that "due to the response to the new black ink stainless steel sharpie, Sharpie hopes to expand with new colors, tips sizes and more." so hopefully we can look forward to additional versions of this great looking Sharpie!
