I’m sure that just about anyone who has ever read this blog has used a Sharpie before, and probably has more tan just one of them in their desk drawer or wherever they keep their office supplies. It is a favorite for everyone from office workers, to autograph seekers, to arts and crafts hobbyists. Naturally when I saw Susan Wassel, their PR Manager (aka @sharpiesusan on Twitter) mention that they were coming out with a Stainless Steel Sharpie, I immediately started to pester her with questions about when they would become available and when I could get my hands on one to review. To my surprise, she offered to send me my very own Sharpie stainless steel permanent marker before the official release date to review. I have been lucky enough to have this one for a few weeks now to use and get familiar with. Being my first “exclusive” review, and for such a popular brand and product, I thought I would try to include as many photos as possible. I hope you enjoy and they are helpful to you as you read through the end of this.

The Stainless Steel version of the worlds most popular permanent marker takes a product that we are all familiar with, and gives it a simple, yet major makeover. There was never anything wrong with how they looked, in fact it was a nice simple design that was pretty timeless, but it seems that the stainless steel look is quite popular now. 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. Right now, Amazon.com has the Sharpie Stainless Steel for $6.99 ($5.59 now) plus shipping, but it does say that they are not yet shipping for another 2-4 weeks. It might still make sense to get your order in now though because I have heard that they are selling very well. They also have the refills available for $2.20 each. Eventually they will have these available at Office Depot, Staples, and Wal-Mart too.

One of the first things that you notice about this version (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, they 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 version of this permanent marker.

In the uncapped picture above, you can see that the only part of this pen which is not stainless steel, 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 and the regular version is 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 one, 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 with the Sharpie stainless steel permanent marker that I could notice, was the way that it 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 stainless steel permanent marker 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 this stainless steel version 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 stainless steel permanent marker, 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 Sanford 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, they hope to expand with new colors, tips sizes and more.” so hopefully we can look forward to additional versions of this great looking permanent marker! The official Sharpie page for the Stainless version of their classic marker can be found here, or you can always grab one from Amazon.

I’ll leave you with one last picture of the stainless steel version to enjoy.

Update: For another unique office supply from Sharpie, check out The Sharpie Pen review.