Varathane 347840 Wood Stain Repair Marker Kit, Assorted Warm Tones

Great for what I needed

Only one color works for me. The rest don’t match my furniture so they are useless to me. Disappointed.

I paid around ten bucks for this product because, for 6 separate colors to choose from, it seemed like a good deal. And I chose "warm" shades because those are the tints of almost all of my wood furniture. I have a large ceramic candle holder that had originally been painted with a wood-look design (indistinguishable from real wood in it's new state). Well, the cherry-stain marker was the only shade that came close, so I went ahead and used it since, over the years, the holder suffered various nicks and chips all over the item. This worked out okay. Not perfect, but it definitely looks better than it did. Now, onto my old desk, with a wood-look laminate surface, that I purchased in 2000 when I got my first computer. It has since suffered multiple scrapes and other small places where the surface of the laminate has rubbed off. I would say that the "finish" was/is a medium oak shade, but certainly darker than most maple wood that has had a finish applied. Well, the maple marker was ridiculously off-color (almost black where I used it) that I applied to the worst areas which were showing the actual particle board underneath the original laminate...and it was NO WHERE even close to the shade that I was hoping for. Maple, in most cases (whether finished or unfinished) is a LIGHT wood. Needless to say, a super dark maple marker isn't going get rid of unsightly blemishes. It's going to CAUSE them. I haven't tried the other markers yet, but I've already seen what I needed to see. If you have TONS of different wood items that need touching up, you might get lucky, and be able to use a couple of these pens. As for me? I regret buying these, and I would NEVER recommend this "Marker Repair Set" to anyone who seriously wants to improve the look of their old heirlooms and furnishings. Go with something else.

Prompt delivery….easy to use…nice storage pouch

The negative reviews of people scribbling over scratches and are then perplexed as to why they don't work are unfair. You need to 1. test on an inconspicuous spot first for color match. Start with the lighter color, you can go darker if need be. 2. dab these lightly over the scratch or, gently draw over the scratch with a fine edge, drawing slowly along the scratch. 3. wipe off any excess with a damp towel that you don't mind getting stained. Keep in mind these are not going to cover large areas of scratches like hardwood floors. These are touchup markers to cover small scratches on wood and wood veneer. I haven't used this brand before, but other brands fade over time and I assume these will too. You will likely have to reapply as needed.