pen 21: tul permanent marker (fine & ultra fine tips)

 so when is a sharpie not a sharpie?

when it's a tul.

i first saw this brand around a year ago, i had bought some ballpoints that were in the clearance bin at one of the bix box office supply stores, half off and like four pens (i think it was four anyway) i really didn't want to spend more than five dollars that day and for whatever reason i didn't have any pens on me at the time. so i bought them, and HATED them... at first.

the first pen i tried was spotty gummy and tore the paper, but i refused to admit defeat and the second pen worked like a charm.

after that experience i looked into a few other products from the german company, you can see their products here.

it wasn't long before i had gone back to the store in hopes that i would find even more of these little treasures in the clearance bin, i was disappointed.

i did, however, find the aisle where the rest of the line was stocked and brought home several new additions to my "big box-o'-pens.

today i'm going to talk a little about the fine and ultra fine
permanent markers.


all in all they are really more or less the same as a sharpie, they wear about the same, the ink is pretty similar, except the sharpie has a stronger smell, it does bleed through the paper, in fact, it bleeds more than the sharpie, and it dries pretty quickly. the pens are good for inking outlines and the fine is good for large areas of fill. the tips tend to wear down fairly fast, i find that the fine tips are really only good for a drawing or two before it goes into the blunted background filler coffee mug next to my desk.


the cost is around five dollars for a four pack (yup i checked my facts) and they come in a limited variety of colors, the caps of these pens have a hoop in in them, whice looks cool and al;l future-y but aside from their custom marker stand i dont really see much use. these pens last and last, i have yet to bleed one dry, but then again i do a lot of big fills in photoshop. they arent as in many places as sharpies are (read: everywhere) so if you happen to come across one (like at office max, hint hint) it might be worth a try, and trust me, i would be the first to tell any of you if this pen sucked. they are cheap (the sharpies i priced are about the same cost but there are five to a pack), well made pens, tehy work well and look nice on you desk or pen holder of choice. go ahead and try one, you may end up falling for this brand (like me).