The Sharpie PRO (or the Fancy-pants Sharpie T.E.C.)
I feel like a fool for having used regular Sharpie markers in the shop. They are…OK. As long as you don’t expose them to water, alcohol, pretty much any solvent or even a stern look. Face it: The ink in regular Sharpies is not durable enough for workshop use.
I’ve used them for years to mark important settings on my machines, for marking glass and plastic bottles for mixing finishes, and for marking cutting edges while sharpening.
And pretty much, the regular Sharpie marker sucks at all these tasks. But I didn’t know there were other options.
Enter the Sharpie PRO. It sucks so much less. It makes a far more durable mark on plastics, metal and even wet wood. It even smells more dangerous and professional, like you shouldn’t sniff it for too long.
Mostly, however, it’s what a workshop marker should be – at baseline. The cap has a heavy-duty clip, so it clings to your shop apron and stays there. The marker has a rectangular cross-section, so it doesn’t roll off the bench. The ink takes a little longer to dry, but it stays put. Even if you wipe it with alcohol, you won’t lose all the ink on the surface.
Question: Is it available in an ultra-fine tip? If it is, I’m unaware of it and can’t find it. But the big Sharpie PRO works fine – as long as you aren’t trying to do calligraphy.
For the space nerds, check out the Sharpie T.E.C. (trace element certified). This one has ink that really sticks and smells completely dangerous.
Can it write upside down, in zero gravity?
I have just tested a common-or-garden permanent marker on the ceiling of the loo in my local pub and it happily writes upside down. I assume the ink flow is maintained by capillary action and so would work in a micro-gravity environment.
I would be happy to confirm this for you if you care to supply me with a test sample and a ticket on a Virgin Galactic flight.
Have you tried the Sharpie industrial? They are great.
I second the industrial Sharpie. They come in fine and ultra fine points
A fine tip is available, model #2018321
I found these available at my local Office Depot and the package (2 black, a red and blue) say they are “fine tip”.
The picture reminds me. I broke my graph gear 1000. The plastic barrel on the inside snapped off just after the threads. Found a guy on ebay selling new barrels made out of aluminum or brass. I got the aluminum one. It works great. Felt kinda odd spending 20 bucks repairing 10 dollar pencil but I highly recommend.