Stabilo Boss Highlighters

...#Introduction#

The Stabilo Boss Highlighters seem to have been around for a life time. Much like my previous review on Post-it Notes, an office environment, a school or even a home wouldn't be the same without a highlighter pen. These are items that make life a whole lot easier for a number of people and save plenty of time. The Stabilo Boss Highlighters will remain in use for years to come, they will have a function. The computer ...
...produced and supplied under the Stabilo Boss brand name. The parent company is Schwan, the company is sometimes known as Schwan Stabilo, depending upon the market it operates in. There are two divisions of Schwan Stabilo, one focusing on cosmetics and the other producing and selling stationery equipment. The company harks from Germany and has provided Europe with highlighter pens for over 30 years. The company generates annual sales of around 250 ... more

#Introduction#

The Stabilo Boss Highlighters seem to have been around for a life time. Much like my previous review on Post-it Notes, an office environment, a school or even a home wouldn't be the same without a highlighter pen. These are items that make life a whole lot easier for a number of people and save plenty of time. The Stabilo Boss Highlighters will remain in use for years to come, they will have a function. The computer revolution may be reducing usage slightly but it will be a long time yet before any real effect is noticeable.

#Background#

The highlighters are produced and supplied under the Stabilo Boss brand name. The parent company is Schwan, the company is sometimes known as Schwan Stabilo, depending upon the market it operates in. There are two divisions of Schwan Stabilo, one focusing on cosmetics and the other producing and selling stationery equipment. The company harks from Germany and has provided Europe with highlighter pens for over 30 years. The company generates annual sales of around 250 million Euro a year and employees over 2,500 employees globally.

#Why Use Highlighters?#

There are many different uses that a highlighter may serve, but there is obviously one main use for the pen. The highlighting of certain bodies of text can enable people to pick out key words or paragraphs in order that when they come back to it, the can see the relevant points. The nib of the pen is shaped in such a way, that you are able to highlight lines of text, sometimes two lines at once and also individual words or short phrases. They can also be used on wall charts, flip chart presentations and even for graphic representations. They aren't really designed to colour in large areas, you can only really make small strokes before having to lift off the paper and start again. Highlighter pens can make filing, reading and representations incredibly easy and that is why so many people use them. I used to get handed out pages and pages of information at school and with the aid of highlighter I was able to identify and mark the relevant information. I may then have transferred key points onto another document, therefore simplifying the text down. I have also used them for highlighting text that I have already typed onto my computer, when I have typed reports for my brother. I find it much easier to highlight text than to underline it with pen or pencil.

#Why Stabilo Boss?#

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of 'highlighter pens' is 'Stabilo Boss' and I'm sure that is the same for most people. Also, when you say the words 'Stabilo Boss', most people should come back to you and say 'highlighters'. They are the original producers of highlighter pens and no other company has threatened to challenge their status. There are some own brand highlighters produced today, Staples and school stationery supplies provide highlighter pens. Stationery giants BIC produce a range of highlighters but even those don't seem to compare with the quality of the Stabilo Boss product.

#Design#

The Stabilo Boss highlighter pens are shaped in such a way that they are easy to hold and manoeuvre around the page when highlighting. The shaft of the pen is mainly rectangular with the corners rounded off to make the pen easy to grip. Then pen gets larger (thicker) towards the nib, again making the pen easy to use. The nib of the pen is aligned parallel to the upper body, pointing in the same direction. The tip is wedge shaped, allowing you to make varying sizes and widths of lines on the paper. If you want to highlight a long line of text, then you can angle the pen so it is almost flat to the paper and it makes the process much faster.

#Durability#

The Stabilo Boss pens seem to last for an awfully long time. They continue to perform at the same level as when they were new, for at least a year. It will of course depend on the amount of usage that an individual highlighter is subjected to, but on the whole they last for a fair amount of time. The nib itself doesn't seem to suffer any wear and tear throughout its usage. It is important to use the highlighter on smooth surface and also that you don't press down too hard on the paper or card. The nib will then remain in tip top condition and continue to provide top quality highlighting. I have found that leaving the lid off for a day or so doesn't affect the long-term use of the pen so if you leave it overnight by accident, you needn't worry about it.

The pens are extremely well made products and they never seem to go wrong. The casing is very firm and solid. The join between the black tip area and the main body of the pen is also very secure and there shouldn't be a problem on that count. The highlighters do also remain looking as new on the outside for a long while. The pens don't scratch or mark easily and they don't crack either. These pens aren't going to let you down in terms of their performance and they will give you a long usage life. I am very impressed with the durability of these highlighters and have never had any problems at all.

#Pricing, Denominations and Availability#

It is testament to the success and continued popularity of Stabilo Boss highlighter pens, that we see so many different colours and varieties available in the shops today. The original highlighter pens (picture one) are those that most people will be familiar with. They are available in 9 different colours, the traditional yellow along with blue, red and green are among the available colours. These can be bought in a huge number of different amounts. There are simple two packs, four packs with a rather funky large highlighter case(picture 2), a pack of nine with one pen of each colour and also a pack of ten with the most popular colours.

In recent years, the Stabilo Boss minis(picture 3) have become available in the shops. These are quite unsurprisingly mini Stabilo Boss highlighter pens. They are smaller versions of the original pens but are just as good and effective. They have a smaller nib but in some ways that is a good thing as you can make your highlighting more targeted. They are also very smart and neat and they won't take up as much space. I do like these more on a personal level, because I use highlighters more for individual words or short phrases. These are only available in five colours, the more traditional ones at that.

The ten pack of assorted highlighters can be purchased for £5.49 from Staples, online or in-store. The four pack in the case can be purchased from Viking Direct for £3.16, which is slightly less value, but you do get a nice pot for your pens. A packet of the mini highlighters will set you back £1.87 for three and £3.04 for a wallet of five, again from Viking Direct.

#Conclusion#

The Stabilo Boss highlighter pens do have very clear benefits if you use them and need them, along with no disadvantages for doing so. They are incredibly well made and efficient products that deliver the best every time. The last for a long while and they can also take a fair amount of use. Above all, they are great tools for highlighting key text that you may need to refer back to at some point. They are unbeatable tools whether in the office, at home or in school they serve a purpose. Stabilo Boss are a well respected brand across Europe and with that you know you are buying into a quality product. I can't recommend them highly enough and I am sure that others that use them will agree with me.

 

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