After seeing my post on the Schneider Memo XB, Stride, Inc. reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in sampling additional Schneider products, so I obviously jumped at the opportunity to see what else Schneider has to offer.
Thanks to Stride, Inc., you will start seeing Schneider products in some of the big box retails stores, such as Office Depot and OfficeMax. Given the stagnant selection typically found in the larger retailers, new options are certainly welcome.
So, what is the Schneider Xtra Document?
"Ink roller with conical tip made of stainless steel and innovative liquid ink technology. Waterproof ink according to ISO 14145-2. The Xtra ink regulator controls the ink flow exactly and consistently from beginning to end, without blots or interruptions. The large ink reservoir has a level indicator and an ergonomic rubber grip on the barrel of the pen, promoting a tireless and relaxed writing experience. The cap has a high value metal clip."
Depending on the paper you use, the line width will be somewhere between .3 and .5 - And, in either case, this is a good thing, especially considering that many liquid ink pens bleed out to a .6-.8+ line width.
In terms of fine point pens, Japan tends to excel at producing clean, sharp lines in the micro tip category and, based on my experience, Germany is likely second in line for producing high-quality pens with precision writing, though this may be subject to debate (please comment if you feel differently).
The fact that these pens are becoming more popular in the U.S. retail environment is huge; normally we are stuck with a very narrow margin of options, and I can only hope that consumers of fine writing implements create the demand required to change the status quo.
As far as the conical tip and rubber grip, both are quite solid in quality and performance. The grip is made of the material that tends to attract dust but, being a capped pen, I think the buildup after a few days of use is fairly negligible.
While the pen is not refillable, I think the build quality will easily last through the life of the life of the ink.
The description from Schneider notes the "high value metal clip", and I am not quite sure what is meant about the value, but it is solid, aesthetically pleasing, and looks very nice. What more can be said?
It may seem flashy, but this offering from Schneider is, apparently, loaded with technology to ensure consistent, satisfactory writing, and everything I experienced with this pen reaffirms that indication. I will soon be posting additional reviews from the Schneider package I received from Stride, Inc.