Sharpie adds a retractable version of their popular Sharpie Pen

It was not that long ago that I reviewed the Sharpie Pen which I really liked, and it seems to be a pretty popular pen based on the other reviews and feedback Ive seen from other people that appreciate unique office supplies.  The new Sharpie Retractable Pen takes the previous version and makes a few changes in addition to just being retractable.  Before getting started with the review though, I just wanted to thank the folks at Sharpie for providing me with pre-release samples of these to review.

A comparison of the original Sharpie Pen to the Retractable Sharpie Pen

The first thing I noticed about the Retractable Sharpie Pen is that the body is much thicker than that of the original version, and it is pretty much all black with a few silver accents.  I really like the new look for this pen, Im kind of partial to all black design with silver accents like this, so I might not be the most unbiased observer here.  After taking in the great looks of the new Retractable Sharpie Pen, I quickly realized that my one issue with the previous version (the sharp edge of the grip section) was most likely resolved.  As you can tell from the photos above, the new retractable version of the Sharpie Pen has a thick soft rubber coated grip as compared to the standard version that just has a plastic right angled edge where the cap snaps on…the top knuckle of my middle finger could not be happier about this.

Close up of the more comfortable grip section on the Retractable Sharpie Pen

Above is a quick picture of the much better and more comfortable grip on the retractable version of the Sharpie Pen.  The black grip does attract a small bit of dust but nothing major that you cant live with.

The chrome plunger with color coordinated tip on the Sharpie Retractable Pen

Similar to the retractable Sharpie Markers, these pens have an elongated plunger to push the tip of the pen out.  I really like how the silver jumps out from the black, but in some instances I found it hard to distinguish between the color of the small plastic tip of it that indicates the color of the ink in the pen.  Obviously thats a fairly minor complaint on such a great pen, but I didnt want to sound like I had a total man-crush on this thing.

Tip comparison between the Retractable Sharpie Pen and the standard Sharpie Pen

When you move down to the business end of the Retractable Sharpie Pen you will notice that instead of the long needle point that the standard version had, this version has a bit more of a stubby tip.  To be more clear though, its just the metal part of the pen that leads up to the tip that is actually a little different, not the tip itself.  The tip on each pen appears to be identical in terms of its plastic material and overall width and size.

Retractable Sharpie Pen writing sample in a Rhodia Web Notebook.

I felt obligated to post a writing sample for this pen because it just seems like the right thing to do, but the pen performs identically to its non-retractable predacessor.  In my original review I tested out the water resistance and other qualities, and they all lived up to the high standards that one would expect from a Sharpie product.

Side view of the Sharpie Pen Retractable

The overall writing experience with the Retractable Sharpie Pen is better than that of the standard version in my opinion.  Although there was not much room for improvement, its really a big win for me that the issue with the edge on the grip has been resolved so I can have a pain free wrtiing experience.  Other than that same smooth and consistent writing experience can be expected.  One thing that you might be curious about is the weight of the pen in your hand since it is so much thicker than the other version.  I dont have a scale to weigh such a small item, but its a pretty light pen considering its size, so if you are expecting a certain heft to this pen, you wont find it.  Again, not a bad thing at all, just trying to set expectations though since visually it may appear to be a heavier pen.

I’ve already seen some things (a comment or two from @sharpiesusan) that lead me to believe that there will be more colors of the retractable Sharpie Pen on the way, so Im looking forward to those additional options.   If you have bothered to read this far, you might be asking yourself where you can get one of these fantastic Retractable Sharpie Pens, right?  Well, Amazon.com has them here but they are currently showing a Sept. 1st ship date, if you prefer the in person method, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and Office Max are all supposed to have them available sometime this month.

Lots of Retractable Sharpie Pens means a giveaway is on the way

Lastly, since the folks at Sharpie were so kind to send over some extras, I will of course be doing a giveaway shortly.  Ill be on vacation for the next two weeks, but I will still maintain my regular review schedule of some great office supplies, and somewhere in there you will see your chance to win your own set (red, black, and blue) of the Retractable Sharpie Pen.

©2017, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.