Zebra Mildliner Double-Sided Dot Marker Review

The Zebra Mildliner lineup is about as popular as it gets for markers and highlighters. The colors are amazing, the uses are endless, and the styles are plentiful. So, what was missing from their lineup? Dots.

Dot markers were not something I knew I needed until I got the Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot Double-Sided Marker in my hands, and they were a game changer. Why? I don’t highlight much, but I do like to embellish my pages with various marks, and in various colors. Dot markers give me a fun option to play around with.

I bought this set of 10 Dual-tip Dot Markers this Summer from Zebra at the Atlas Stationers Sidewalk sale. I hadn’t seen them before, but apparently I hadn’t been looking hard enough, as they are available in a few pack sizes (2, 5, and this 10,) although not in the massive variety of shades found in the classic chisel-tip Mildliner lineup.

These dual markers feature two styles of tips: the aforementioned Dot tip, and a more traditional Bullet Marker tip on the opposite end. The Dot side is pressure sensitive, meaning you can press lightly for a small dot, or squish it down for a bigger one. This works perfectly since the tips are designed to bounce back and retain their original shape. The marker side is fine, but I would rather have a classic chisel tip on that end, or an even finer plastic tip for something different. That side is fine for filling in or coloring, but they don’t see much action.

The colors of this 10-pack are great, which should come as no surprise for a product with the Mildliner name attached to it. Cyan and Fuchsia are two of my favorite shades, while Summer Green isn’t quite my jam but fits well within the group, which overall gets a solid A-grade.

Not a great highlighter with the Zebra Sarasa R Gel Ink Pen.

If there is a downside to this product, it is that the Kuretake ZIG Clean Color Dot markers exist. I think the Kuretake version is better because I get that finer tip I’m looking for on the other side of the double-sided marker. They also have more colors than the Mildliner Dot lineup does, at least for now. Most options of both pens average out around the $2 per pen range, with some configurations of the Kuretake costing a bit more.

That said, Mildliner gonna Mildliner, and if you are in that ecosystem already, you will like what their Dot Markers bring to the page.

(I paid full price for this set of markers directly from Zebra USA.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Marker Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I don't know what sort of sorcery they're practicing over at Sun-Star, but the Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Markers are pure magic. I was entirely skeptical of these when I first saw them. I expected smudging, bleeding, muddy marker tips... all the things one usually sees when trying to layer marker over marker. Instead, I was genuinely shocked at how well these work.

The marker looks perfectly normal, with no hint of its arcane superpowers. It has a white plastic body with an oval profile. The flattened round shape stops it from rolling and is very comfortable to hold. The marker has two tips. One is a thicker chisel tip, and this end has a broader cap with a plastic clip on it. The other end is a fine point marker, and it has a smaller clear cap. The marker body is also marked with lines and colors to show the thickness and color of the different tips. It's a nice design and has a super 90s vibe that takes me back to my school days.

But this is no ordinary two-color marker. The inks are somehow formulated so that the narrow tip overwrites the thicker one. You can either use the thick tip to create a line and then write with the narrow tip over it, or you can write with the narrow tip and highlight over it with the chisel tip--either way, it works. The colors are vibrant and have bright contrast, so it's easy to see one against the other. The effect is very Lisa Frank. As a bonus, they didn't even bleed through the Hobonichi paper. Pure sorcery.

The markers are sold individually at JetPens and cost $2.95 each. That's less than most other two-ended markers, and those ones aren't even magic. And these are just good markers, even if you have no need of the overwriting feature. They're perfect for notes, planners, scrapbooks--or for astonishing your coworkers with office supply magic tricks.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Zebra CLiCKART Retractable Marker Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's been years since I've tried a new type of marker, and after trying the Zebra CLiCKART markers, I can only conclude that I need to try markers more often. Felt tip markers aren't my favorite writing instrument for day-to-day notes and doodles, but they're just so much fun to use.

The particular variant I have is a 12-pack of CLiCKART markers that cover a basic range of colors. At around $14, this set is a great value for what I consider to be excellent markers.

Taking a look at the exterior, each marker features a white body paired with a color-coordinated nose cone and click mechanism. There isn't a clip, but there is a nub where a clip would be that prevents the markers from rolling on your desk.

There's also a round window in the barrel (close to the nock) that is black when the marker tip is retracted, but red when the tip is extended. This is a cool feature, but I'm a little confused as to why it was included since you can tell the tip is extended by looking at the length of the nock button (and also by looking at the tip). The nock button sits low when the tip is extended, but it looks fully extended if you turn the pen upside down. Either way, I'm not complaining about the little window — it's a great feature!

The pen barrel diameter is a great size that fits comfortably in my hand. The plastic material provides plenty of grip without getting slippery after a little use. The nose cone is short and doesn't cause me any issues with the way I grip the marker. I actually found myself wanting the nose cone to be smaller so I could use the broad side of the felt tip to make a wider line. The large nose makes this nearly impossible.

Now, getting to the felt tip that makes this pen so great. Out of the box, the felt tips lay down a 0.6mm line that is a sharp and crisp. I imagine the line definition may get a little larger and maybe a little fuzzy as the felt tip wears down with use. I've been drawing and writing with these pens for a couple weeks, and the tips show no sign of wear yet. That said, I've been consciously trying to use light pressure when using them.

The colors are vibrant and solid. No wishy-washy colors here. A couple of the colors are light by design, but the only one that is hard to see on white paper is the yellow. This color works best on a dark paper or in conjunction with other dark inks on a light paper. Still, when you use the right paper or approach, the yellow is vibrant.

Felt tip pens are great, but most of them use caps. Caps are easy to lose — especially when you have several different colors on your desk at once while working on something. The convenience and practicality of a retractable felt tip marker is amazing. The only downside I can think of is the felt tips drying out prematurely since they're exposed to air constantly. Well, Zebra have thought that through and claim that these markers don't dry out. In fact, they supposedly absorb moisture through the air to remain viable. I haven't had these markers long enough to vouch for this claim, but I hope that the marketing lines up with real-world performance because markers deserve some popularity and notoriety.

Like I said at the beginning, felt tip markers aren't really my thing, but I've really enjoyed using these Zebra CLiCKART markers over the past couple of weeks. My drawings aren't any better for it, but at least I've had a lot of fun making them!

Zebra CLiCKART Markers are available as individual colors for $1.75 each, and in various 12-color multi-packs, and one 36-pack of all the colors, both of which bring the price down closer to $1 per pen.

(Zebra Pen provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!