Gel Highlighters Product Review
Which Gel Highlighters Should You Buy?
Gel Highlighter Markers Review
Gel highlighters are not your typical highlighter markers. They are actually more like a very soft crayon. The ink is tacky and waxy. The wax makes a great medium for the ink because it keeps the ink from soaking through to the other side of the page. This isn't a problem if your sheet of paper is of normal thickness, but if you are trying to highlight something on very thin paper, such as in Bibles, this can be a problem. The ink from regular highlighter makers will seep through to the other side of the page making it look very messy and confusing. This is why these Gel Highlighters are great for use in Bibles.
I compared three different brands and found that they all were very similar; however, there were some differences that may persuade you to pick one brand over the other. Two were made in China, the other in Canada. Two were rounded, the other somewhat flattened. The most expensive brand that contained an extra highlighter actually contained less ink overall than the two cheaper brands.
Note: With all these highlighters, if you press too hard it will leave a waxy blotch. The trick is press down lightly. However, If you do see a blotch, you can easily just wipe it away.
You can use these highlighters for coloring, but the ink is very soft so they would not last as long as a regular crayon.
I used all of these highlighters over six different types of ink and none of them smeared the ink.
***1. Twist and Glide Highlighters
Twist and Glide Gel Bible Highlighters - These are my favorite, mostly because each highlighter contains a different Bible verse. They would make great prizes for religious get-togethers or parties.
Specs
1. Made in China
2. Almost exactly like the Bible Safe Highlighters except the ink sticks are 2" long, 1/2" longer that the Bible Safe Highlighters.
3. The highlighter is round and easy to hold. The tip can be sharpened by using the sides or made flat to make a wider line.
*4. Each highlighter has a different Bible verse on the side.
*5. Comes with a nice storage container to keep your highlighters together.
*2. Bible Safe Gel Highlighters
Bible Safe Gel Highlighters - These markers are almost exactly like the Twist and Glide Highlighters, except they don't have Bible verses on the sides and the ink sticks are 1/2" shorter.
Specs.
1. Made in China
2. The ink sticks are only 1 1/2" long, the shortest of the three highlighters. So with the six markers in this set you are only getting 9" of ink, compared with the other two sets that have only five highlighters you get 10" of ink.
3. Extra Color - This set comes with an extra purple marker. However, the purple is quite dark compared to the other colors and makes the text a little hard to read so it really doesn't work that great as a highlighter.
*4. Comes with a nice storage container to keep the highlighters together.
**3. Sharpie Gel Highlighters
Sharpie Accent Gel Highlighters - These highlighters were the cheapest of the three and performed just as well. The green in this set was a little brighter and not as yellow as the other two brands; however, the pink was not at all as bright as the other two brands. These highlighters are not rounded, but somewhat flattened on two sides. I didn't like the feel of them. I think they are made this way so that you can turn the highligher on the longer side to make a thicker line and turn it on the shorter side to make a thinner line. But I found this made it hard to be exact. With practice this probably wouldn't be a problem.
Specs
*1. Cheapest set.
2. Made in Canada.
3. The ink sticks are 2" long and some are slightly scented. Although I didn't find the smells to be pleasant.
4. The pen and ink sticks are oblong, not round.
5. The pink is not as bright as in the other two brands, but the green is greener than the other two brands and is very bright. The green in the other two brands is slightly more yellow.
6. This set does not come with a handy storage bag. You have to tear apart the container in order to remove the highlighters.
