Here we have the Staedtler Pigment Liner Pens, which you can buy on Amazon here, for about $11 for the set. This equates out to approximately $1.83 per pen. Comparing the price to the Sakura Micron and the Art-n-Fly, the Staedtlers are more expensive by about $0.20 a pen. Please keep in mind that the testing of this product was done on everyday printer paper, which is thin. I will say that this pen doesn’t claim archival ink, instead, it claims indelible ink, which is sorta the same thing. The definition says “that cannot be removed, washed away, or erased.” The ink is waterproof as well. I’m just not sure about fade proof.
The first thing I noticed about this pen set is that they come in a very sturdy case that doubles as a pen stand. I don’t use the stand and honestly, I prefer putting all my pens together. The feel of the pen is more cushioned than that of the Sakura or the Art-n-fly, as there seems to be almost a rubber coating of the pen. This makes using this pen for long-term easier.
On top of having the size printed on the caps, it is also printed on the pen themselves, which I love. You will also notice the “18H cap-off” printed on the pen. This means that the pen can be left for 18 hours without the cap and without drying out. I don’t think that I have ever left a cap off my pen that long, but its nice to know that you can, especially when you have toddlers running around that love to try to grab my pens sneakily and run off.
I wrote with each of the sizes that came in the box and I will have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the supportive metal tips. They seemed a little more sturdy than both the Sakura Micron and the Art-n-Fly tips. The entire feel of the pen seemed more comfortable in my hand than the other two. I did run my finger over the ink immediately after drawing a line and there was no smearing.
Another thing that I was very impressed with was the fact that there was even less bleed through than the Sakura Micron pens. Keep in mind that I am using everyday printer paper with this review. I wanted to make sure to give each pen review equal coverage.
Final Thoughts:
Although these pens seem to be more expensive than both the Sakura Micron Pens ($1.50) and the Art-n-Fly Pens ($1.67), I find the quality worth the extra coins. I have been a long time user of the Steadtler products because the quality has always been unmatched. Using these pens for the first time made me want to switch from the Steadtler fineliners I have been using to these pigment liners. The overall look, feel, and quality of the ink seemed to surpass my expectations. I would definitely recommend this pen to any artist for multiple projects.
If you have any tests you would like to see or if you would like for me to perform a specific test, please let me know in the comments below.
You must log in to post a comment.