I am such a sucker when it comes to unusual colors in pens and highlighters. So when I saw the Writech Retractable Highlighter (6-Color Set – Neutral) ($13 per set) I knew I had to give them a whirl. The set was particularly interesting because the pens are RETRACTABLE! I don’t think I’ve ever used a retractable highlighter. If you use your highlighters for actual highlighting in textbooks or for annotating books, then a retractable highlighter might be just what you need.
The knock does require a bit more oomph to press it completely than a regular gel or ballpoint knock. Its not hard to do, just a little longer. I think of it like the difference in the clutch in my MINI vs the long clutch in my husband’s VW. Neither one is better, just difference.
The colors in this set are not as “neutral” as the name would imply. The colors are more what I’d compare to the Mildliners than the Stabilo Boss NatureCOLORS. The set includes Antique Purple, Aqua Green, Dahlia Pink, Grape Green, Olive Green, and Pale Green. Its a bit surprising that the set includes three shades of green, one bluish and a pink and purple.
I dug around in my stash and found the Stabilo Boss NatureCOLORS and the Zebra Mildliners that were laying about (probably not all the ones that were in the Natural color set. I did think the comparison would help show the color similarities and differences.
The Writech Retractable Highlighters are a bit more bright compared to the Stabil Boss set but kind of similar to the Mildliner color. I have purged a lot of the Mildliners that I had so I probably have a milder Mildliner collection. Overall though, I think the Writech Retractable Highlighters are a fun color range.
Mildliners do come with two tips though which make them a bit more flexible to use. They can be purchased with either a chisel tip and bullet tip or with a brush tip and a bullet tip which gets a bit more punch per pen. But they don’t retract.
On an actual textbook, the colors are overall pleasantly light. Not glaring except for the first green at the top of the page which quite grassy green. I like the other colors for highlighting.
I don’t know if the neutral color set will be the favorite for most but there are six color options: mild, neon, vintage, pastel, natural and this neutral set. Maybe the natural set will be more “neutral” to me. Great. I guess I’ll buying another set.
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Wondering if you’ve tried/reviewed the writes retractable fountain pen. I keep a LOT of fountain pens inked and so a pen’s ability to seal well to avoid ink evaporation is important to me, and I was pleasantly surprised by Writech’s retractable fountain pen. I don’t know how durable it will turn out to be, but then, they’re not all that expensive, either. I will get my money’s worth out of this one.
I have the retractable Writech fountain pen. It seals well, but the trap door looks rather fragile so I can imagine it wouldn’t take much to damage it. For the price it’s reliable, but not special. The nib writes at arbitrary line width and can bleed thru where it got bolder. I used a regular non-waterproof fountain pen ink in it when the cartridge that came with it ran dry. (refilled the cartridge with a blunt syringe.) I have been told the feed inside is fiber, like felt tip pens, so I am not sure how long it’ll keep going before I have to risk putting it in the ultrasonic cleaner, or take it apart. It doesn’t seem to have a way to take it apart or replace the feed if it does get clogged up eventually. When I first got it, I flushed it as I always do with new fountain pens, and it took forever for the water in the feed to go away, so cleaning it is still a puzzle. I keep it in my purse and use it to cross things off my shopping list, etc. It writes reliably every time, so until it does start to give me trouble, I won’t risk trying to “clean” it, I’ll just keep refilling it with the same ink.