Review: OfficeMax Liquid Highlighters

I recently received some sample products from OfficeMax to review in preparation for the back-to-school season so, of course, at the top of that list would be highlighters for marking up textbooks and notes. OfficeMax is introducing new “house brand” products under the name “OfficeMax” which is, I suspect, the basic, entry-level category compared to their other house brand “TUL” which is their more upscale, stylized line.

With that in mind, the OfficeMax Liquid Highlighters are classic slim pen highlighters with chisel points. The packet I received included six colors: 3 classic yellow, 2 orange, 2 pink and one each of the green, blue and purple colors.

They appear to perform well on paper and over ballpoint ink. Since they are liquid highlighters, I didn’t try them with non-permanent ink as I knew they would smear the writing. The OfficeMax liquid highlighters would work well with printed text in books and textbooks and the tip is fine enough to write with the darker colors like the pink, blue or purple.

The caps seemed a bit difficult to re-click on the pens so there’s a chance that they might not get capped tightly before being stored.

I liked the highlight-ability of the yellow, orange and green best. The pink, blue and purple seemed a bit dark to read the text highlighted easily. It could still be read but I felt it obscured more than it highlighted.

These are not fancy pens but they are functional and aimed at the “most bang for your buck” consumer. If you need to stock your kids’ backpacks with back-to-school supplies, these are an option.

At present, these highlighters are not listed on their website but you may be able to find them in stores. I don’t have prices on this 12-pack but if I were to guess, I’d put these in the $6-$8 per pack category.

If you’re looking for alternatives to the traditional highlighter, check out my previous post on the subject.