My Big Staples Haul was an unmitigated success, and included in that big batch of pens and paper was a new (to me anyway) Staples brand pen called the DuraPoint. I'm certain that the popularity of the Sharpie Pen led Staples to bring this store brand to the shelf, so how does it stack up with the category leader? Not too well at all.
The first thing I noticed about the DuraPoint is that as soon as I took of the cap I could smell the ink of the pen. I made a quick double check of the package thinking that this might be a permanent ink pen that I just bought, but it is not. It just happens to smell like one. Getting past that and putting the line down on the page, it actually does a decent job. The line is a little bit wide for my tastes, and that brings me to my second issue. The tip of the DuraPoint is too soft. If you have used the Sharpie Pen for any length of time, you know what a study, firm tip feels like. The DuraPoint has more give to it, and I actually felt it breaking down at a fast rate. While the initial cost might be cheap, the overall value probably isn't there due to the short time these pens will last.
Like I mentioned in the written review, this isn't a bad pen to have around the house to pick up for a quick note or two, but I don't see any long term viability with the DuraPoint.
Click here for the XL review.
