# Dry erase markers. They piss me off. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 26, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991 "2015-03-26T00:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/1 "2015-03-26T00:12:53Z")
[Lame rant; not pit-worthy.] So during last week’s class the four markers (green, red, black, blue) started to dry up in less than 10 minutes. I kept having to rotate them in an effort to try and find a good one which resulted in the damn board looking like a child’s birthday cake had exploded on it. I then went over to the adjacent classroom to steal some markers. (It was vacant.) They worked great for… 10 minutes. And then I found myself rotating _eight_ goddamn markers. :mad: And _yes_, I replace the cap after each use. Look, I’m not asking for much. I just want a dry erase marker that’s not a pile of orangutan dung. I don’t care what they cost – **I want some damn markers that will last the duration of the class period.** Grrrrrrr!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/2 "2015-03-26T00:37:44Z")
Preach it. At least chalk was consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/3 "2015-03-26T00:59:26Z")
I’ve been experiencing the same thing. Apparently markers aren’t meant to last the whole school year. Ah, but there’s only 40 days left and counting for me and my markers. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/4 "2015-03-26T02:29:39Z")
You get red, green, black and blue? I’m jealous! Our (cheap) college only stocks black and sometimes black. Sometimes it’s to do math and charts with just two colors. And yes, they do seem to need to be replaced much too often. I blame the other instructors for leaving the cap off too much, so when I get them they’re mostly dried up. Perhaps I should carry my own set. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/5 "2015-03-26T02:39:52Z")
I should like to know why Dry-Erase Markers and Sharpies _look exactly like each other_. Gee, what could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/6 "2015-03-26T04:35:29Z")
I know your pain. I was using sidewalk chalk when the school went to all white boards. The sidewalk chalk worked great- it was cheap, colorful, and erased really easily. Dry erase boards suck compared to a good, smooth chalkboard with sidewalk chalk, dust excepted. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/7 "2015-03-26T05:02:12Z")
Oh dry erase markers are enough to drive anyone to drink. I’ve tried all brands and they ALL suck (and yes, I replace the cap immediately after use too) :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/8 "2015-03-26T05:14:33Z")
I have some VERY NICE Japanese highlighters / three totally distinct colors / but when I view their marks on the music sheets in the bell choir loft … their colors SHIFT. Yellow becomes invisible (I have to circle those marks with PENCIL); green becomes slightly more differentiated (but not by much); purple becomes an unbecoming sludgy grey. Soooo: Either the light is messing up my ability to see color, OR my eyes are going rilly rilly BAD. Age 65 here. Grotty ole female :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/9 "2015-03-26T05:20:19Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > I should like to know why Dry-Erase Markers and Sharpies _look exactly like each other_. Maybe because they are designed to be used in the same part of the body – the hand? ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/10 "2015-03-26T05:41:58Z")
They can fulfill that requirement and still not have to use white/gray cylinders for both. With the same rounded, shaped form and color marks. For some people in some jobs, it can cause disaster. I tell you, for some reason they did this. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/11 "2015-03-26T08:09:46Z")
I like the Quartet dry erase markers. You can see if they’re running low on ink. At least you know if the tip dried out or if the marker is out of ink. But they can be a little tough to erase. Whatever makes them last longer also makes them not dry to the point of just erasing easily. I’ve gotten some Expo markers that were dried out right out of the package. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/12 "2015-03-26T09:01:00Z")
I bin them as soon as they fail. I can usually get a semester out of three Expos though (I don’t like using red). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/13 "2015-03-26T12:37:29Z")
> [@Atomic\_Mama](#): > > I have some VERY NICE Japanese highlighters / three totally distinct colors / but when I view their marks on the music sheets in the bell choir loft … their colors SHIFT. Yellow becomes invisible (I have to circle those marks with PENCIL); green becomes slightly more differentiated (but not by much); purple becomes an unbecoming sludgy grey. > > Soooo: Either the light is messing up my ability to see color, OR my eyes are going rilly rilly BAD. Age 65 here. Grotty ole female :mad: Sounds like the lighting. Is it unusually yellow? Because that’s exactly what would happen to those colors under yellow light. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/14 "2015-03-26T12:53:43Z")
I try to store them head down. The last a little longer. My biggest complaint with them is that we use them to save notes that sometimes stay up for a few months. After that amount of time they practically have to be sandblasted off the board the “erase” feature of Dry Erase seems to be time dependent. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/15 "2015-03-26T15:20:15Z")
If I attempt to use a dry-erase marker and it doesn’t work, I _throw it away!_ When I do that, 3/4 of the people in the room will look at me as if I just stabbed a puppy. Throwing out a non-functional marker stupefies them, ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/16 "2015-03-26T15:35:05Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I bin them as soon as they fail. I can usually get a semester out of three Expos though (I don’t like using red). > [@August\_West](#): > > If I attempt to use a dry-erase marker and it doesn’t work, I _throw it away!_ > > When I do that, 3/4 of the people in the room will look at me as if I just stabbed a puppy. Throwing out a non-functional marker stupefies them, God bless you guys! (yeah, yeah, insert your own personal deity here) I have a theory that the biggest problem with with dry erase markers today is that the previous person who used it up, just put the cap back on it, and set it back in the tray. Throw the damn thing out! ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/17 "2015-03-26T15:40:07Z")
I work in the math department of a well-known (U.S.) university. I helped procure V-board® dry erase markers for the department a while ago. The come in FIVE colors (black, blue, green, red, and orange) and, more importantly, they come with replaceable ink cartridges which **A** ) allow the markers to be used indefinitely, and **B** ) write REALLY VIVIDLY. The people in my department who use them seem to think very highly of them. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/18 "2015-03-27T01:11:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Dry erase markers. They piss me off. You aren’t sniffing them right. They should make you mellow. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/19 "2015-03-27T10:57:05Z")
Fuck any teacher who knowingly walks into a classroom without proper tools for his presentation and then whines about the school. WHO do you think is responsible for those tools? The janitor? Hell no! it is YOU! YOU suck! YOU are unprepared. YOU represent the school. It it YOUR job to prepare your presentation. Chalk is always being stolen, working dryboardmarkers have never been spotted in the wild in any (educational) institution. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991/20 "2015-03-27T12:19:29Z")
Here’s a tip. never count on the markers left in the classroom or training room to work. Bring your own. I have 6 Dry Erase markers in a ziploc bag, and 10 Mr Sharpie Markers (for flip charts) in a separate ziploc bag. The ziploc bags help keep them fresh, as does storing them horizontally. [Popart Fluorescent markers](http://www.amazon.com/Popart-Marker-Pens-Colors-Fluorescent/dp/B008V6W2FG) are also great for whiteboards or even for writing on glass windows if no dry erase board is available. They are kinda like paint markers but they wipe off with a paper towel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-erase-markers-they-piss-me-off/715991.md?page=2)