#HTE

Do the New Post-It Extreme Notes Actually Work?

Post-It Notes are an invaluable tool when it comes to effective brainstorming sessions and leaving reminders for yourself in the office. Heck, they even make it incredibly easy to leave passive aggressive notes for roommates and family members. In reality, though, this image is something I’m sure all designers are familiar with:

While Post-Its are a useful tool in the moment, their ability to last longterm is questionable, and their lifespan highly depends on what type of surface they’re stuck to. Post-It Brand recognized the need for communication in tough conditions through the release of their new Post-It Extreme Notes. The notes, which feature 3M'a Dura-Hold™ paper and adhesive, seem to be more appropriate for people who demand more than the ability to stick to a white board, including designers, construction workers and engineers.

With designers in mind, we decided to give them a test run by sticking them to various surfaces and leaving them there for three days. Reporting live from the Core77 office, here are the cold, hard facts:

They stick to metal

The Post-It Extreme Notes stuck very well to our dusty metal lock.

Same goes for one of our metal chairs.

They stick to plants

Very minimal peeling on this large, dusty plant.

They stick to plastic fish

Sticking them to large plastic fish was effortless.

They stick to terracotta

We were happy to see the Post-It Extremes stuck to terracotta and ceramics well.

They do not stick to Aeron Chairs

Don’t bother trying to stick them to your Aeron chairs, it’s not going to happen. In general, steer clear from fabric and fabric-like materials with these.

They stick to glass

We stuck one to the glass on our arcade game. We came back three days later so no peeling.

They stick to wood

Same goes for the painted wood on the arcade game!

And to our very old, peeling hardwood foors.

They stick to paper lamps

The Post-It Extremes advise against using these on paper, but they did well on our paper lantern.

They can get wet

After leaving this one covered in water for over 20 minutes, both the adhesive and paper stayed strong. Just keep in mind to use waterproof ink on these if you know they’ll be getting wet.

There you have it, Post-It Extremes do work on plenty of unexpected surfaces and conditions. We wish we could’ve tested these on concrete and brick ourselves, but alas, those materials aren’t on-hand here. 

If you’d like to see some more intense testing, Post-It was able to get a little more extreme with the test conditions:

They’re available at most big retailers if you’d like to test them yourselves.