Avoid Hand Cramps And Sore Fingers With Sanford’s “Pencil Pillows”
Written: Aug 11 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Assorted colors, reduces strains on fingers, great for pens too!
Cons: No choice in the colors you get, get dirty after a few weeks of use.
The Bottom Line: Love to write but hate getting sore fingers? Give Sanford’s Pencil Pillows a try!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Office Depot Pencil Pillows |
Being an office supply junkie is always an adventure. You never know when you are going to come across a new pen or product when strolling the aisles or looking online. Having a small home office as well as one at the shop, I am always ordering something for one of them. One of the local office supply stores sent out a flyer a few months ago advertising a ‘free gift bag’ if you spent more than $25.00 at the store. I could spend $25.00 in less than a minute at this place so I was all over the free offer. When the cashier rang me up she smiled, reached under the counter and pulled out a medium sized brown paper bag that was filled with tons of product samples, full sized items and promotional things. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy store going through everything. One of the things tucked inside the gift bag was a package of Sanford’s Pencil Pillows.
As soon as I saw them I was filled with dread. For years now I had hopes and dreams that I’d invent something like this and strike it rich. Seeing the package of pencil pillows dashed my hopes of being an independently wealthy person so as I loaded my wares into my SUV, I prepared to hit the trenches and sling some ink for a living. Even though I was a little angry that someone beat me to the punch that changed when I thought of all the cool things that I could do with these and the fun, yes, I did say fun, I could have testing them out. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that get you off ... in my case, it’s new office supplies. Since I got these in the gift bag I’ve picked up a few more packages to put on the pens, pencils and things around the house that are used all the time although more than a few of them mysteriously vanished ... damn those office supply goblins!
Sanford Pencil Pillows
These are about an inch and a half long and about a quarter of an inch thick when you slip them on to a pencil [these can also be used onautomatic pencils]. Getting them on is pretty easy providing that you are working with a standard sized pencil. If you have something that is larger or thicker you might have to work a little harder to get it on but once it is on, it isn’t going to move around or slide on you. The only time I had one of these move on my was when I was writing for a long time and the sweat from my fingers must have gotten into the pillow. Outside of that, I’ve had no problems using these except that when they get dirty, it drives me insane. These aren’t just for pencils - you can use them on pens as well as X-Acto knives. They were a complete blessing when I was cutting out a lot of shapes from foamcore and thick cardboard. I was able to get a firm tight grip on the knife and create intricate shapes without having to worry about the barrel sliding around. Even though there is a textured grip area on the knife, the pencil pillow allowed me a lot more freedom when working on the thick material I was cutting.
These are made of a squishy type of foam that contours to the shape and grip of your fingers as you write. When you put it down or move your grip the foam slowly expands beck to it’s original shape so it can be used over and over again until they are so dirty that you can’t stand it. I’ll admit it, I tried to wash these inside a laundry bag and the results were horrible. They were so water logged and bloated that when I tried to squeeze the water out of them, they never rebounded from it. When the water finally evaporated from them they were all mangled and misshapen that the most humane thing I could do was toss them in the trash. That’s what I get for trying to recycle things! So, what did you learn from this? Don’t try to wash them, it’s just not worth the trouble.
These come packaged in assorted colors so chances are you are going to get a few that you like and a few that you don’t like. You get five to a pack and they cost anywhere from $1.00 to $1.75 depending on where you shop. I really liked the way these felt when I was using them and I knew that I could use them for my barnisher [a tool used for rub on transfers], E-Acto knives, pens, pencils and other writing tools. About the only thing that you can’t use these on are the oversize ‘grip’ style markers like the Bic 4 x 4 Grip Markers. These are something that can really help your hands and fingers when you are doing a lot of writing or you need to get a solid and firm grip on something. If you are into doing crafts but hate having to do things over and over again because you slip when making intricate cuts, adding one of these to your cutting knives might help you. Likewise, those with problems gripping things like pens and pencils might find these helpful.
The Bottom Line
I guess someone else beat my to the punch on getting this trademarked so I guess it’s back to the drawing board for me. About the only downside to these is that they do get dirty and there’s no practical way to clean them. Some companies make plastic ones but they aren’t soft like these and they don’t go back to their original shape when you are done using them. The plastic ones are cheaper but they don’t offer you the same type of support and comfort as these. For about a dollar a pack [more in some areas], you can relieve some finger cramps and make writing an almost painless kind of thing. These are great for students too - especially the younger kids that are just learning to write and don’t have larger sized pencils like the Dixon “My First Ticonderoga” Pencil to work with.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Other awesome Sanford products ...
• Expo Dry Erase Marker Tote • Fluorescent Yellow Highlighter • Sharpie Permanent Markers • Liquid Expo Low Odor Dry Erase Marker Set • Uni-Ball Gel Impact Retractable Pen • Super Sharpie Permanent Markers Set • Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker Two Pack • Expo Dry Erase Precision Point Eraser with Replaceable Pad Docking Station • Liquid Expresso Porous Point Pens - Neon • Sharpie Grip 1 mm Fine Tip Permanent Markers • Expo2 Low Odor Dry Erase Marker Set • Metallic Fine Point Silver Marker • Sharpie Twin-Tip Permanent Marker • Highlighter Fluorescent Yellow • Clickster Grip Mechanical Pencil • Liquid Expresso Porous Point Pen • Uni-Ball Metallic Colors Gel Impact Violet • Expo Dry Erase Marker Minder •
Recommended:
Yes
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