Cheap sticky-note holder/ highlighter

When it arrive, the highlighter was disappointingly DRY- some colour, but pretty dry. I easily remedied that by topping up with my broken highlighter ink and water.

The rectangular shape of the highlighter is sharp and not comfortable.

The design, has a slide on cover that protects the stick notes.

Because it's in a crevice, the mechanism for removing one piece of sticky note is fiddly. 

2/3 of the sticky note is covered with adhesive. 

Verdict: Not bad, I'd buy again. 

BIC Crystal Easy Glide M

I bought this on sale at the local supermarket.  I tend to only write with black ink, but they didn't sell any completely black ink packs. I ended up being glad I got a multi-colored pack.

I am very impressed - nice to write with.
Definitely smoother than Papermate kilometrico style pen.
Smoother than BIC economy fine point pen.

Sometimes it is slow to start.

Easy to tamper with / pull apart, if you like hacking pens. The cartridge barrel fits into a BIC multipen, but not the nib. The cartridge barrel fits into Daiso multi-pen, but it is too large for the plunger.

Had some air bubbles, but they miraculously just move forward and disappear! 

Verdict: Cheapest!

Jetstream 5 in 1 Multi-pen

I paid AU$17 for this, and later saw it on sale at Singapore Changi airport on sale, buy 2 for $8 each or something. I compare it to the much cheaper Daiso pens I got for AU$1.40 each.

It is heavier and sturdier than a Daiso pen.  

It is more comfortable to hold than a Daiso pen. 

It has darker ink than a Daiso pen. 

Comparing all these pens side by side, it doesn't look worth it's price to buy fancy pens. 

When I carry it around (after all, it's purpose is to be portable), I find that I'm terrified of losing it!

Artline Flow 1.0

Artline flow 1.0 arrived in the mail today. 

I bought a pack because I tried out the Artline flow multi-pen and was very impressed. 

I wanted to get the ballpoint pen as ink cartridge refills for my multi-pen. In a way, this review will be a comparison of the pens. 

10 ballpoint pens came in a package. The package itself was cut open at the bottom, but there were no missing pens. There is a plastic frame in the packaging that keeps the pens nice and neat. 

Each pen has a ball protecting the nib that needs to be removed, before the first use.

Then pens write with smooth, bright colours. Lovely to write with. Bit of globbing. 

I have noticed the older multi-pen tips look a bit messy with ink globules, but this doesn't affect the way it writes. 

Each ballpoint pen ink cartridge is opaque, so you cannot tell the ink reservoir size. The ballpoint pen cartridge body is double the size of the multipen cartridge. 

The ballpoint pen cartridges only fit into BIC multi-pen with some modification (dilating the end), but they do not fit into the Artline flow multipen! :( It might be able to be sanded thinner to attempt to fit the multi-pen.

Each ballpoint pen AU$0.60.  Each multi-pen cost AU$1.45, making each cartridge cost AU$0.36.  The multi-pen includes green ink! 

Beware the similar looking multi-pen that doesn't perform as well, the Artline Clix 4: 

Cheap glue dots

-This is the reusable stuff that they stick new credit cards onto the welcome letter with. 
-It is kinda what I wanted, but pretty lumpy.

NBC Glue Tape

-Lays a blue dotted colour, so you can see where you have applied it.
-It applies neat and smart
-It doesn't tear when removed, and remains weakly sticky.

Daiso red glue tape runner

-Very nice to apply: smart and quick
-Glue is laid down in a lovely neat rectangle shape
-Does not tear paper, and is repositionable. Like a post-it, it remains weakly sticky for a long time. 

I'm not really sure what to do with it.  Make post-it notes? Eg tracing paper post its? But I can buy 30 pieces of tracing paper post-its for $2.80.  Not suer if it's worth the price of a glue tape and tracing paper (A3 = 16 pieces)

Elmer's Washable Glue Stick

It had dried up, so I added water to rehydrate it.  Now, it appears brown and gross and spongy.  It smells bad, in a chemical way, not in a rotten way.  But it works. When dry, it is no longer sticky and tears the paper when you attempt to remove it. 

I know some people want repositionable glue, but in my mind, permanent glue is what glue is supposed to do: stick and stay on. More reliable for attaching photos to visa applications and stamps and such. 

Elmer's All Purpose Glue Stick

Mine dried up and looked like a sponge. So I hydrated it, but I overhydrated it- which got it all gummy and sticky and messy- almost liquid consistency.
It works well.
It is not sticky when dry.
It tears paper if you try to remove after it's dry.

Link Glycerin fine pen

-Manufactured in India (I am beginning to think products made in India are better quality than those made in China).

-Cheap? I actually don't know whether it's considered cheap because I bought in Myanmar.

-Lovely dark ink.

-Seems to skip only at the very start, but easily / quickly returns to normal.

-Writes very smooth. Doesn't glob much.

-During normal writing, unnoticeable smearing. 

-Sweet alcoholic odour... not sure if it's toxic or not!

-Too skinny for my comfort- I had to put a pencil grip on

Boogie Board by Improv Electronics

I have owned two Boogie Boards.

Positives:

I love the way it feels to write on them.

I love that they are environmentally friendly.

I love the way the whole board can be erased with one touch (unlike a white board where you have to wipe the whole board clean).

The contrast is easily readable.

The longer you press, the thicker the line.

I am able to replace the battery: This is way more easier in newer models. The screws are no longer hidden. The battery is no longer soldered on and tricky to remove. 

Negatives:

It is quite fragile. I damaged my first one by throwing it in my backpack and things must have crushed the surface chips. My latest one has lasted longer by my storing it in the box it came with. I throw this whole thing into my bag. 

The latest price I have seen the basic model is $45.

Things to do with them:

-scribble pad

-sketchpad

-game pad: pictionary, tic tac toe