Sanford 63631: Uni Paint Markers Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

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Writer

vivasuzi
Livonia, MI

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Everyone should have at least one of these lying around!

able to get office supplies for free, willing to pay for quality

Pros

Marks great on shiny surfaces, Permanent

Cons

Doesn't work on regular surfaces, Smelly

JUL

2008

I don't know where we found these or how we started using them, but my dad has purchased a bunch of these "paint" markers and we've been using them for one purpose and one purpose only - Labeling CDs! I've found a few other useful purposes for these markers so I thought I'd let you all know. This is not just your ordinary marker!

Warnings
Someone pointed out to me a website that says:

For the same reasons, if you want to write directly onto the surface of a disc, you want to use pens that are approved for use on unlabeled CD-R media. The ink in some kinds of pens may damage the top coating of the disc................ Never use a solvent-based "permanent" marker on a CD-R -- it can eat through the lacquer coat and destroy the disc.

Well I looked into it and first of all I've never had a problem with any of my CDs, even CDs I've labeled 5+ years ago. I looked at the Paint Marker and I see that this pen is Oil-Based, not Solvent-Based, so it should not ruin your CDs. In my experience, I've had no problems with this :)

How to Use
When you first get it, you will have to shake it until the "ball" rattles inside. What it's doing is mixing the paint inside the marker. It works the same way as those little balls in nail polish. For best results, you can shake it every time before use, but if you are using it a bunch of times you probably only need to shake it once - unless you really enjoy that ball rattling noise like I do :)

Also on first use, you have to press the tip down several times until the paint comes out. Just use a practice paper for this. Once again, you will only need to do this upon first use and in the future it will usually just work. Once saturated, you can use the marker for the purposes stated below.

What it's good for
You may be thinking that's a lot of work just to use a marker, but this marker is not an ordinary marker - it's paint - in marker form! This means that it flows better than a marker, and will leave marks on things just like if you had paint on a paint brush. There are a few things it's really good for:

Labeling CDs would be #1 as I mentioned. This paint marker will clearly label your CD without smudging or being hard to read. If you've ever labeled a CD with a regular marker you may have had it smudge, or wipe off completely, or be blurry. This doesn't happen because the paint is especially great with shiny or slick surfaces such as CDs!

Calendars are also a good use for these markers. Calendars are usually made of a shiny paper that once again won't always take to pen or regular markers. However this paint marker can conquer anything!

If you want to make a permanent transparency, these will work for that as well. That paper is pretty much like most calendar paper and if you need it to be a permanent transparency the paint will never wipe off. We used to use these in one of my math classes in college. We were each assigned a problem and had to write out the solution on a transparency so we could discuss it. Just write cautiously so you don't have to redo it.

You can use these to write on anything shiny really - shiny stickers, shiny boxes, shiny tape, shiny pictures, or even glass. If you have an item with a gloss finish, regular markers and pens just won't do! But this will.

What it's not good for
These pens simply do not do well on regular paper or boxes. If it's not shiny, slippery or glossy, these pens will usually sound like nails on a chalkboard - as if the pen is starting to dry out just as you write. I just don't think it was meant for that purpose. The paint also doesn't flow as well on regular paper or look as nice. That's why I only use these for the shiny things as mentioned above.

Long Lasting
Since the markers are made with a metal barrel, they last a very long time (as long as you don't accidentally leave the cap off). Paint can sit for years and still be paint. It might need a little more shaking if it sits too long, but as long as you store it with the cap on the paint will not dry up. I've been using some of these markers for years. Besides that, I can label hundreds of CDs with one pen before needing a new one. When's the last time you left a marker in a drawer for years and it WAS NOT dried out when you found it? Probably never. But with these they can sit in my desk and only be pulled out every few months - still ready to go and not dry at all!

Conclusion
If you can get over the smell, buying a few of these pens will definitely save you some stress next time you are trying to label that CD! or write on that picture, or even just put stuff on your calendar. I use a medium point, but we have some fine point markers of the same brand that also write very nicely. I just like the way the finished product looks after using these markers.

Note: These aren't for children. They smell, they stain, they are fatal if swallowed. Adults only please!