Pens Review

      Schneider Pens Review

     Okay.  It is no secret to anyone who knows me, I love pens.  I have a serious pen addiction, buying any interesting ones I see.  But I suppose there are worse things to be hung up on, right?  So when I got the opportunity to review several pens by Schneider ( a German company) and Stride I gladly accepted.  Along with a super pack of pens from Shoplet, I received an interesting story about the company that assembles and sells these pens.  Stride was "born" in 1988.  It is the brainchild of Barbara Brennan.  She wanted a work place that would produce green products and allow people with disabilities to work.  She keeps work hours flexible for these disabled people and focuses on helping make their lives better by giving them some independence.  She formed a relationship with Schneider Writing Instruments in Germany and together they produce a really high quality pen.  You can read more about this remarkable company at www.strideinc.com.  It is an interesting site and worth a visit.
     

     The first set of pens I looked at was the Slider Memo XB.  It is a four pack of some rather cool colors - pink, green, orange, and purple (and you never go wrong including purple).  I found the ink to skip a bit at first but after a few moments usage it flowed nicely.  I also really love the "chunky" feel to the barrel of the pens.  Easy on my hands. 

      The next part of this package was 5 different pen types by this company.  Each one has the feel of a much more expensive pen - not your checkout counter ballpoint.  The barrels are nice and comfortable, a little thicker than most pens.  Again the ink sort of skipped at first but it didn't take long to get a very nice even flow.  The top pen, Schneider Xpress, has an 0.8 mm point, filled with waterproof ink.  I had some posters to draw and thought it a good chance to use it.  It worked beautifully.  The ad on the pen says it works up to 3 days without the cap on and won't dry off.  Now, admittedly, if I were a really good reviewer I would set this pen - capless- on the desk and come back in three days.  I admit I am not that sort of good reviewer.  Two reasons - I am crazy about the lines this pen writes and I intend on using it A LOT.  Reason two, one of my big pet peeves is not capping a pen when not in use.  If you decide to test it, let me know.  I won't ever leave it uncapped, but you can still let me know.
     The Slider Basic is the next in the photo.  It is a very nice pen.  Pretty basic (where did hear that?) compared to the rest, but still a nice value for the money.  I did find that if I left it sitting (capped of course) it took a few moments of scribbling to reactivate the ink.  It doesn't have the ergonomic feel of the others, but like I said it is a nice pen and a good value.
     Like all the pens I reviewed this next pen has waterproof ink that dries very quickly.  It is my almost favorite (the first one may win out).  As a teacher I grade a lot of papers.  This RED pen has such a great feel to it.  My hands get tired and the rubberized barrel is a big seller for me.  Check out the Ballpoint Pen Red at Shoplet.
      The Slider Edge is a very inexpensive pen resembling the cheaper counter models.  The big difference is the rubberized barrel on these.  The ink comes in black or blue.  It is nonrefillable and also does not smear even when highlighting something.  Great pen for it's value.
     The last pen shown is a very nice ballpoint pen.  It has a high grade steel clip.  Refills can be purchased on Shoplet.  Again the ergonomic barrel keeps hand fatigue down.  The Viscoglide Retractable Pen is one you may want to guard and make sure when you loan it, you ask for it back.  Maybe though, at only around $4.00, you might could spare one or two for some friends.

      Thank you for dropping by!  I hope you have a great day!