Uni-Ball Propus Erasable Highlighter

Looking at highlighters I decided to try this Uni-Ball Propus erasable yellow pen. The idea that a highlighter could be erased has a certain appeal to me, but I didn't think it would take away all of the ink so I didn't have very high hopes.

Actually, the erasing went quite well. The yellow color is more neon with a green tinge to it (I'm thinking black light), and while I needed to put a lot of pressure on the eraser it did take off the yellow ink. The eraser crumblies left in the wake actually seemed to cling to the paper a bit and took two or three brushing to clean off this notebook.

I should add that this Propus isn't smear-proof, using it with a ballpoint pen left a black stain on the tip of the highlighter and a smear on the first line. However, the stain did lessen as I used the highlighter so I'll only take away half a star.

Finally, the tip of the pen is depressed initially to get ink to flow down, then you pump every once in awhile to get more ink on the tip.

An interesting concept, and if you want to get rid of all the markings in a book to sell or trade it then this is the highlighter to use.

Kokuyo Beetle Tip Highlighters

While I'm not much on highlighting anymore having overdone it in college (my text books look like they're printed on yellow paper), every once in awhile I do need to note something and reach for one of the freebie highlighter pens picked up at a vendor show. But a few weeks ago I found the Kokuyo Beetle Tip highlighters at a bookstore in mid-town and picked up the pink and green ones.

The Beetle Tip highlighter was one of three winners of the 2007 Kokuyo Design Award, and was designed by Park Misaki. The pen went into production in 2008, and seems to be a big hit; you can purchase them at JetPens, and they are a great way to round out an order for free shipping. The power of suggestion being what it is, the tip does seem to represent a beetle's mandible, or something insectoid.

This is one of the most interesting pens, highlighter or regular, that I've ever used. The tip is meant to be used in three ways: for highlighting as a double line, for giving a bold broad stroke across the page, and as a sharp accent line. I tend to just need a broad stroke, but I'm thinking of playing with that double line. The color isn't as bright as some highlighters, which is actually a plus in my book as I don't want the neon screaming all over the page. Just point out to me what I thought was so important when I first read the material, thank you. And the Beetle Tip does just that.