We have one of these on the desk at all times, it is withing touching distance of me now! The Sharpie pen, or marker if you will. You can buy in multipacks with different colours or go for a single pen and pay about sixty pence.

We have the black one, as it is the most practical colour. Thicker than a biro, slimmer than a chunky highlighter pen and satisfyingly robust to hold. The grey base is shiny and easy to grip and the size of the pen would suit adults and children, though this is more a pen for adults to write things with.

To use, you push, with a little force, the nozzle on the end, which pushes up a nib at the reverse end. The pen then stays in this position until you push back down on the nozzle to close the nib and hide it away again. This keeps it protected and also saves you having to worry where you left that darned lid!

I use the pen to write on CDs with, it dries in an instant and the fine point nib allows precision writing from all angles. I have also used it to write out envelopes and on paper for important headings and bullet points. This is a pen to use when preparing notes where you need a sufficient large font and a nice thick ink to see. The nib flows with a pleasant motion and does not require force which makes writing very easy. Not so easy to draw with, this is more for writing purposes.

I should also mention, it smells rather wild. Having just sniffed the pen, you will be greeted by a daring and naughty pen scent that begs you to get another sniff. This little perk also makes writing out labels less of a burden! You can buy the pens from stationers and from online stores. Recommended, as it has lasted us a few months now.