[Pen/Pencil Review] The MonAmi Essenti Soft Highlighter in Evergreen from JetPens.Com
Apparently I totally spaced on the fact I signed up for another random sample giveaway at Jetpens.com–until I pulled a package out of my mailbox on Friday. That was a nice surprise. This time JetPens sent me the Essenti Soft Highlighter in Evergreen by MonAmi. I’ve never reviewed a highlighter before, so this is going to be interesting.
The Essenti Soft Highlighter is just under 5.5″ long capped and 6″ long with the cap posted. The cap posts securely without fear of flying off and feels solid recapped. This is another one of those pens with multi-shades of soft green at play in the barrel. The post end green is different from the grip and cap, which is different from the clip. The clip is a “clothespin” style like on the Sumo Grip, just not as “hearty” (I’m tired of the word “robust”), but it is a solid clip that will secure to most papers, notebooks, or pockets.
This is what I would consider a “pen-sized” highlighter (as opposed to the wider bodied “marker” style). It’s more narrow in body than say a BIC or a Sharper pen-sized highlighter. I don’t know if that will matter. The point is a standard chiseled felt tip that can do a narrow underline on the point or a wide covering line. The felt tip feels firm, which I like in a highlighter. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to lose shape over long-term use and go mushy. The color is soft but rich. It covers well but maintains transparency and doesn’t seem to smear.
The one thing I haven’t been able to test just yet because I no longer have the day job which required much highlighting is longevity. That’s the thing I don’t like about most highlighters is that you use them for a relatively short time (as in hours) and the color fades to non-existent. I’ve had new pink and blue highlighters bleed through with the first use, but within a couple of hours be so pale as to be useless. I don’t know if that happens with the Essenti. I will update this when I have more information on that part of the process. But so far, I don’t know that there’s an indication of that happening.
Now to the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 This highlighter has everything I look for in a highlighter. Good color. Solid (not mushy) tip. But I haven’t been able to test full-on longevity, so I don’t know how long it lasts.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s s smidge on the narrow side. It’s long enough to be comfortable, but it is a bit narrower in diameter than what I would consider a “traditional” highlighter. The grip is smooth plastic, and there are ridges in the grip that would dig in with long-term use.
3. Material – 1 For an inexpensive, plastic highlighter, it seems well-made.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It has a good solid cap. It has a very solid clip. I do like the firm feel of the felt tip, so I would say the highlighter is well designed.
5. Price Point – 1 – The Essenti Soft is actually one of the less expensive highlighters on JetPens.com. This one runs $1.05–though the site currently says out of stock, which could be why. So even if the longevity is an issue, though you do have to order it. Sharpies and BICs are going to be cheaper at box office supply stores, but for “fashion” colors or just something different, I would go with these.
That’s a 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
