Dave's Mechanical Pencils

Leads From Austria and Slovakia

2009-11-27T04:10:00.010+13:00

Little packages from far away, faithfully delivered by Her Majesties postal service, are one life’s simple pleasures. This blog has put me in touch in with new friends in far away places and it’s always great to receive a little surprise package from one of them. The other day my first ever parcel from Hungary arrived. Nick from Hungary had done a little pencil shopping on one of his jaunts to Vienna, Austria with a stop-off in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Some new mechanical pencil lead refills to add to the collection.

Aristo, an Austrian manufacturer and distributor of drafting supplies. Apparently the company roots are German, and in 1976 the company was acquired by Rotring, but then the Austrian subsidiary developed relative independence and more recently local management staged a buyout leading to full separation from Rotring.

Lyra, from Germany, now part of the Italian FILA group.

Lastly from the Czech Republic, Koh-I-Noor.

Ahhhh…the Czech Republic, the birthplace of pilsner. At the same time as Nicks package arrived, the travel section of my weekly magazine was extolling the virtues of ‘Beer Wellness Land’ in the Czech Republic. A brewery and spa, where you soak in warm foamy hoppy goodness! Now that would be a good days outing – KIN factory tour in the morning, then an hour or so in the car and a relaxing spa in the afternoon!

Bye Bye Skippy

2009-11-24T20:10:00.000+13:00

Many of you will have read elsewhere of the recent closure of Staedtler Australia’s manufacturing operation. They didn’t make any mechanical pencils, but I always liked to see “Australia” on the woodcase pencils in the local shops. It made a welcome change from the usual other countries like China, Indonesia, etc. So, with that in mind I thought I should say “Farewell, Skippy. I’ll miss you” especially to the Staedtler Tradition, formerly proudly Made in Australia.

Dating from 2001, here’s the front page of a 4 page A4 brochure detailing the pencils, coloured pencils and stick ballpoints they made in Australia back then.

2000 and Scribble

2009-11-22T15:25:00.001+13:00

I don’t usually write direct comparisons of mechanical pencils in the “Mechanical Pencil A v Mechanical Pencil B” style, but quite a few people ask those sort of questions, so I have decided to do this comparison of two mechanical pencils that are always close at hand when I have something to write.

Lamy 2000 compared to Lamy Sribble. Note that I am comparing 2000 to the Scribble 0.7mm mechanical pencil which has several differences to the Scribble 3.15mm clutch pencil.

The 2000 is a long tapering classic minimalist style mechanical pencil. Scribble is somewhat more unusually shaped. This photo hopefully demonstrates the difference in length and width between the two.

Weighing in at 19g, 2000 is 138mm long by 12mm diameter whilst Scribble weighs in at 25g and is 120mm long by 14mm diameter. Not surprisingly this difference in weight and dimension produces a substantially different feel in the hand.

2000 looks and feels long, slender, lightweight and precise versus the short, solid, robust, chunky heavyweight Scribble.

2000 has a brushed surface finish which gives a very pleasing tactile experience in the hand. This finish provides good grip and over the long term some patina from use may build up. Scribble has a lightly sandblasted type finish which also gives reasonable grip but doesn’t feel as interesting to the fingers.

2000 has a fixed conical sleeve. It is still a reasonably fine diameter at the point and I would describe it as only semi-pocket safe. On the other hand Scribble has a short retractable metal pipe sleeve. When retracted Scribble is considerably more pocket safe than 2000.

Both are normal push top button ratchet advance mechanisms, but they produce an unusually long length of lead. Ten clicks on 2000 will get you a whopping great 11mm of 0.5mm lead. On the other hand ten clicks on Scribble will get you 9mm of 0.7mm lead - that’s actually still quite a bit, despite being a shorter advance than 2000. Some recent comments on this blog have noted lead breakage problems with 2000. I definitely agree that 2000 takes some getting used to, and until you do so, you may have lead breakage problems. I personally believe most of the problems are associated with the unusual length of lead advanced by the mechanism. When you first start writing, two clicks of 0.5mm lead is way too much and you will probably snap it. You also need to get used to allowing the lead to wear right down before advancing another length. Lead breakages will also be reduced if you adopt a fairly upright stance when writing, and use superior quality leads. If you are happy writing with either 0.5mm or 0.7mm lead, and want a 2000, then I’d definitely recommend you choose the 0.7mm for improved resistance to breakages.

The black coating on the push top button of my Scribble has worn and scratched over the years through wear against the main body.
Both have small erasers under the top cap, and neither are worth further mention. Both also have clean out rods under the eraser which is nice little extra.

Both have strong functional metal pocket clips.

Both these mechanical pencils are great things, but Lamy clearly intend these two mechanical pencils to occupy different niches - 2000 is a 'fine writing instrument' and all that implies. Scribble is no lesser a testament to Lamys design ethic, but it is a note-taker, a jotter, a sketcher.

Further reading from this blog:-
Lamy 2000 Mechanical Pencil Review
The Life of 2000
Lamy Scribble Mechanical Pencil Review
A Day In The Life Of Scribble

Cross ATX Mechanical Pencil Review

2009-11-12T04:02:00.001+13:00

Cross ATX Mechanical Pencil Review

The Cross ATX mechanical pencil appeals to my personal tastes. The body is a gently tapering shape and the pocket clip flows onto the body, continuing the smooth elegant lines. Classical simplicity. Mighty attractive.

My ATX mechanical pencil is the cyanic blue with chrome trims colour option. The cyanic blue is a very dark shiny blue lacquer type finish which shows many fine striations when the light hits it in a certain direction. Apparently this is actually reflections from the brushed metal finish of the main body beneath the lacquer. The ATX is a reasonably substantially sized writing instrument, but at 25 grams and with a fairly central balance point, it is somewhat lighter in the hand than its size and dark colouring might otherwise suggest.

Down in the general area where most would grip the pencil the diameter is about 8 – 10mm. The lacquer finish is smooth and shiny, but as far as such finishes go, and combined with the reasonable body diameter, it provides an acceptable level of grip.

The lead advance mechanism is twist top ratchet. The top half of the body is rotated to activate the lead advance one increment and then it springs back. If you have good dexterity then you can operate it one handed, but many would need to use both hands. There is quite a bit of rotation before the lead advance mechanism is engaged which means there is an amount of play between the two halves of the pencil and at times there is some intermittent wobble noise when writing with the pencil. Ten activations of the mechanism will advance about 6mm of the 0.5mm lead.

The lead sleeve is a short 2mm long pipe and it is a fully retractable sliding sleeve so the pencil as fully pocket safe as you would expect from a luxury writing pencil. If you twist the top half of the body the opposite direction than that which advances the lead, then the twist mechanism locks and the lead and sleeve can be pushed back into the body. This twist and lock feature of Cross mechanical pencils was pointed out to me by a commenter on this blog earlier this year. Just like push top ratchet mechanisms you can of course also push the lead and sleeve back into the body when the mechanism is at held twisted at its maximum lead advance position.

The top half of the body pulls off to reveal a small eraser, which in turn pulls out to allow access to the lead refill chamber. The mechanism housing is clearly marked “PAT. 5,662,424”.

Now, if you look that up on Google Patents, you will see that it is for a “ ‘Mechanical Pencil’ Assignee A. T. Cross Company, Lincoln, R.I. Inventors Kageyama Shuhei; Ebinuma Tadayoshi, both of Saitama-ken, Japan; Thomas Clem, Lincoln, R.I.” Now, those first two names and their address didn’t exactly fit with A. T. Cross and it piqued my interest. This patent lists two other patents in its citations section, so I thought I’d follow through to them. The first of these is “ ‘Rotary knock type mechanical pencil’ Inventors: Hidehei Kageyama, Robert V. Lozeau Assignees: Kotobuki & Co., Ltd., A. T. Cross Company” Ahhh, Kotobuki, now there’s an interesting relationship revealed. Anyway, I won’t rush off on that tangent any further…for the moment.

“CROSS” is marked clearly on the pocket clip. The pocket clip is strong and will certainly keep your pencil attached to whatever you clip it to. It’s very hard to see, but “CROSS” is also marked on the top half of the body, near the centre ring.

My ATX pencil was purchased a few years old and it states on the protective packaging sleeve “Assembled in USA with US and foreign components”. I don’t know what country of origin statement is on the mechanical pencils currently shipping from the A.T. Cross company distribution centre.
• Best Points – The looks.
• Not So Good Points – That occasional rattle noise can be annoying.
• Price Range – Mid.
• Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 141mm, diameter 12mm at widest point. Balance point about 75mm up from the tip.

But wait, there’s more! (Though no free steak knives)

Back on 9 September, ‘Benjamin’ left a comment on this blog suggesting I review the Cross ATX mechanical pencil, and also compare it to the Lamy 2000. Now, I don’t normally do that sort of comparison thing, but without establishing a precedent…here are a couple of photos of the Cross ATX and Lamy 2000 so you can get more of a direct comparison between the two.

18 grams for 2000, 25g for ATX.

Clips - sprung and not sprung.

Excalibur Explained

2009-11-09T18:25:00.001+13:00

Pentel Excalibur and SG65

Back on 8 September 2009, ‘Guacanator’ left this comment on my Guestbook.

"My question is in regards to the Excalibur. You've mentioned it, and have compared a few other pencils to it. However, I feel it has not been adequately explained. I've done searched for it, but all I found was people bragging about their collections.

Do you think you could put in a bit of info about it?"

I thought he (or she) had a fair point, but there was someone far better equipped to handle this than me, so I fired off an email to Germ of Pencils11 blog. Germ took up the challenge and has published his article, so head on over there.

Excalibur pen pencil set, 1984 LA Olympics

One of these has had 25+ years of use and one hasn’t - Excalibur and SG65 gold + black stripe.

Candy Score

2009-11-05T08:46:00.000+13:00

At the risk of being called a skite, look what I just scored…it’s like eye-candy from yesteryear.

During the current tough economic times I have been amazed at how the prices of local auctions for vintage fountain pens and pencils have held up, and even increased. A luxury asset increasing in value during recession? Still, everything comes to he who waits. I’ve refused to buy into the current price scenario and lost auction after auction for over a year, and then just last week, somehow the other bidders were absent, and for the price of a home delivery pizza I got this. Beautiful.

I have previously blogged about these two writing instruments – the Conway Stewart No 15 fountain pen and Nippy No 3 propelling pencil, in green marble with black veins. In the past I’ve paid nearly three times as much for these sets. Even better, unlike most sets, this latest one is in fantastic condition. It’s probably forty or fifty years old and it might not be NOS, but it’s so close you really do need a magnifying glass to find any blemishes. The tip of the fountain pen nib shows no sign of any wear under examination with a 10X magnifier.

Bright and shiny gold fittings - there’s no brass here.

Lustrous marble. True depth of colour. Talk about the cat’s pyjamas, the bee’s knees.

Recently I posted about the Pentel P205M Limited Edition marble pencil. No contest.

***********
I include this closing note because spell check didn’t like that word up at the beginning. I had no idea it was Australasian only.

From the Oxford Dictionary website

skite
/skit/ informal
• verb 1 Austral./NZ boast. 2 Scottish & dialect move or glance off quickly and forcefully.
• noun Austral./NZ 1 a boaster. 2 boasting or boastfulness.
— ORIGIN perhaps from Old Norse

Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper

2009-11-04T18:13:00.000+13:00

The Fourth Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper is now up at Black Belt Productivity. Lots of posts and reviews on pens, notebooks, and more, but sadly only one pencil review, namely my review of the Rotring Tikky mechanical pencil. Find out more about the carnival, including how to submit a post, at Notebook Stories.

1915 NZ Diary No.56

2009-10-29T18:09:00.001+13:00

A couple of weeks ago I bid a couple of bucks and got this old diary.

It is leather bound, about 125 x 80mm (5 x 3 inches), one page per day and has a pencil holder sleeve down the length of its spine. It is a New Zealand pocket diary No. 56, from 1915. Considering it is fast approaching being one hundred years old it is in excellent condition.

Not much is written in it, mostly just hours worked by a man who appears to be some sort of rural labourer, travelling around a nearby province clearing forested land for pasture, and doing other farm labours. Although he has a “home” he frequently lives “in camp” for weeks at a time, hunting for his dinner, noting his daily-bags of rabbits, hares, birds and pigs, including on one occasion “shot a pig with no ears!” Another occasion notes a trip to town to purchase suit, hat and teeth.

I bought the diary for its advertisements. They are just plain black and white, very simple and basic. Here’s three I like.

'The Cheapest Shilling Dictionary In The World.' It costs one shilling. So, umm, some ‘shilling dictionaries’ don’t cost a shilling? They cost more?

A very basic ad for one of the world’s leading prestige pen brands.

“...neither too large nor too small, too thick nor too thin, but just right.” The perfect mechanical pencil?

Rotring Tikky Mechanical Pencil Review

2009-10-26T02:43:00.003+13:00

Rotring Tikky Mechanical Pencil Review

The German company Rotring is one with a proud heritage, a name that has long been synonymous with superior technical drafting equipment, including mechanical pencils. In more recent times though they have become one of the Sanford brands and undergone some changes that have at times left many onlookers confused and surprised. A large number of their products have been discontinued but one of the survivors is the subject of this review, the Rotring Tikky mechanical pencil. In the Rotring 2008 catalogue, aside from the Rotring 300 clutch pencil, the Tikky is the only mechanical pencil featured and in fact it is shown logoed as the “Papermate Tikky by Rotring”. As at the time of writing this review the Tikky and the 300 are the only mechanical pencils on the Rotring website. Unlike the catalogue, on the website the Tikky is shown branded solely as Rotring. If you search the web you will also find what certainly appears to be the Tikky available as the “Papermate Precision” mechanical pencil. Like I say, a mix when it comes to Rotring.

The Rotring Tikky mechanical pencil is currently available in four different lead diameters, labelled as 0.35mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 1.0mm. Don’t be confused by these lead diameters, Rotring are using some less common designations and the 0.35mm is the lead that most others call 0.3mm, and the 1.0mm is what is usually called 0.9mm. So to re-state that, the Tikky is available in 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm, despite what’s printed on the pencil itself, and what the true diameters of the leads are.

As well as selling by the individual pencil, Rotring offer a Tikky three-pack of 0.35/0.5/0.7mm which is what I have for this review. As you might expect, the pricing on the three-pack is advantageous compared to the singles. Now that I’ve become aware of this three-pack I think it’s a pretty good marketing idea and I’m surprised other brands don’t offer something similar.

The Tikky is a fairly attractive looking pencil. The base colour is black, but it’s got a hint of brown in it in some lights. The whole package of chrome appointments, glossy black/brown upper body, white logo printing, red Rotring ring and interesting grip section all combine to make a visually pleasing whole. For those of you who like lighter colours, some versions of the Tikky are also available in a wide selection of other colours.

The grip section is the most eye-catching aspect of the Tikky. It is a hard grey rubber, moulded around rectangular sections of the body. Overall the traditional Rotring Tikky wave profile is kept but a rather visually intriguing pattern is created. The grey rubber is very hard and not particularly grippy, so whilst the grip looks good, it is only average in actual use. Weighing in at about 12 grams, the Tikky is a medium weight pencil but it is balanced towards the tip. The weight, balance and grip zone combine to make it feel quite good in the hand.

The pocket clip on the Tikky is a rather impressive affair. It is very firm clip that won’t be coming accidently loose from whatever you attach it to. I really like the clips long flowing profile. The clip is attached to the body by two wings that are folded around and onto the body – it’s a class act that shows some genuine quality of manufacture.

The lead diameter of the Tikky is indicated by a coloured section up near the top of the pencil. Yellow = 0.35mm, brown = 0.5mm, etc. The lead size is also printed on the barrel. Well, the lead dot colour indicator is a nice idea, but I’m not particularly convinced of its practicality. The Tikky is advertised as a “technical writing” pencil so far more useful to me would be a lead hardness indicator, which the Tikky does not have.

The Tikky is a standard push top button ratchet advance mechanism pencil. Ten clicks of the 0.5mm model will get you about 8mm of lead. The lead sleeve is a 4mm thin metal pipe so definitely suitable for draughting work, although I imagine that’s ‘drafting’ in the Sanford lexicon. The Tikky’s sleeve is a fixed non-retractable sleeve, so it’s not pocket safe.

As you might expect, there is a small emergency use eraser under the push top button, and you pull that out to access the lead refill magazine.

Rotring is stamped into the pocket clip.

Markings printed on the body.

Despite the recent changes and other carry on with the Rotring brand, the Tikky is a class act and I’m tempted to think this latest incarnation is an actual improvement on it predecessors. Product evolution as it should be.

Best Points – It looks good, especially the grip and pocket clip.
Not So Good Points – Nothing really bad, but I would swap the lead size indicator for a hardness indicator any day of the week.
Price Range – Low.
Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 141mm, diameter 9mm. Balance point about 60mm up from the tip.

Further Reading : Old & new Tikky's - Tikky 1 2 3

The Fine Print
The set of three Rotring Tikky mechanical pencils featured above were given to me by Euroffice, an office supplies specialist in the UK, in exchange for a review of the pencils and this acknowledgement.

Tikky 1 2 3

2009-10-26T01:25:00.003+13:00

The Rotring Tikky mechanical pencil has been around for many years and undergone many changes since it was first released. I’m not a Tikky expert so I can’t detail the various changes it has undergone, but if my memory is correct I recall that the author of the now deleted Pencil Box blog stated he had something like 30 or 40 different variants of the Tikky.

The latest incarnation of the Tikky mechanical pencil is significantly different from its immediate predecessor, so I’ll point out a few of the main changes below.

I have two older Rotring Tikky’s dating from the early to mid 2000’s. The white 0.9mm is logoed as a Rotring Tikky II (1.0mm) and the brown 0.5mm as a Rotring T. Apart from the name, there’s no obvious difference between them upon visual inspection. They are pictured below with the current Tikky.

Comparing these two older Tikky’s to the current Tikky, it’s fairly obvious that the apart from the name “Tikky” and concept of the wave grip zone the current Tikky has virtually nothing in common with the old Tikky. Maybe some or all of the internal components are the same, but externally they have little in common.

Completely different pocket clips.

Different end caps. Also note the method of pocket clip attachment to the body.

Different tip sections, and grips, although conceptually similar.

Old Tikky has a round upper body whereas new Tikky transitions from a round lower body to a sort of rounded trapezium shape up at the end.

Note the old Tikky had “Made in Germany” moulded into it.

The new Tikky has no country of origin either on the pencil or the packaging. It states distributed by, but not manufactured by or in.

Link to Rotring Tikky mechanical pencil review.

Pentel P205M Sharp Limited Edition Mechanical Pencil

2009-10-21T04:30:00.001+13:00

The Pentel P205M Sharp Limited Edition has been available from the Pentel USA online store for a fair while now, and a few months ago I finally weakened and handed over the dosh for some pencils. I had held off from buying them because I didn’t think I’d like their colour scheme, and now that I’ve got them, I was right. Camouflage isn’t really my sort of colour scheme. They are all a bit dull really. Still, if you are a Pentel person then you sort of have to get them.

Shown below are the three different colours I bought, plus a standard black P205. There is also a red P205M, but I didn't purchase that one.

eMicro Jedo M105

2009-10-15T18:53:00.000+13:00

Before the internet, finding and communicating with fellow mechanical pencil collectors was a near impossible task. Over the course of this blog I have had the pleasure of communicating with several Korean pencil-folk. There are quite a few Korean manufacturers and brands of writing instruments, but it seems most are not generally regarded by Koreans as particularly good quality, which surprises me. I think Korean manufactured products generally have a reasonable reputation, that there is some value in “Made in Korea” Sure, it’s not “Made in Japan” or Germany, but it’s better than many.

Micro was one of the larger Korean manufacturers, but they went bankrupt quite a few years ago. However their legacy continues on under the name eMicro. Recently I have been in contact with Kent from South Korea who publishes PenciLog. I asked him a few questions about eMicro, the use of the term Jedo, etc and he accepted the challenge. Putting on his Sherlock Holmes detective hat, he picked up the phone and let his fingers do the walking, making some calls to eMicro and others. The answers were limited, but interesting.

eMicro was founded by former staff of Micro, but there is no legal relationship or continuation between the two. It appears that Korean companies consider the Korean word '제도' and its pronunciation as written in English as 'Jedo' are both proper nouns and thus not copyrightable. Kind of interesting. I wonder if the Japanese consider the English wording “Sharp” (for mechanical pencil) in the same way?

Well, that’s just another little snippet or two of information. Kent also sent me an eMicro Jedo M105 mechanical pencil. I actually already had one of these, purchased a few years ago at Morning Glory. Like the other Koreans I have communicated with, Kent was at pains to point out that the M105 was not highly regarded in Korea, but was common because of its very low price and variable quality.

I must admit that my original eMicro Jedo M105 mechanical pencil didn’t strike me as that bad. Just another Pentel P205 rip-off. Well, that’s another point. Is it a rip-off or is it a legally licensed copy? I hear both stories.

Moving on, whilst my original M105 seemed reasonable enough, the more recent M105 sent by Kent is a shocker. Clearly eMicro suffer from wildly variable quality, or their quality has declined substantially over the past few years.

Take a look at the pocket clip. The original has some pitting but is otherwise acceptable.

But look, the recent one has a bent clip!!! Surely this would never make it out of the door at Pentel or Pilot.

My camera, photographic skills and photo editing software are stretched to the limit, but note the differences in stamping in the pocket clips.

And the wording moulded into the body.

The real shocker though is the part line on the body of newer Jedo M105. The part line is where the two halves of the mould come together. If the two halves of the mould don’t match exactly together or if the edges are a little rounded and worn then you get a noticeable joint, a sharp little ridge of plastic, or in this case a “Yowie, almost cut my finger” type of knife edge of plastic. I’ve mucked around with the photo as much as I can to try and show the sharp part line below. It really is bad. In Japan, surely someone would lose their job over this.

Just a note to finish with. Please don't think I'm picking on Korean brands or anything. No matter how good or bad these Korean pencils are, Korea actually has a pencil industry which is a lot more than I can say about my homeland!

Uni Nano Dia Mechanical Pencil Leads

2009-10-12T04:29:00.004+13:00

Uni Nano Dia Mechanical Pencil Leads

Earlier this year Japan’s Mitsubishi Pencil Company released their new mechanical pencil leads, Uni Nano Dia. As far as I can tell, basically their claim is that by mixing super small carbon based nano-particles (so called “nano-diamonds”) into the lead formulation, that friction will be reduced thereby creating a strong uniformly dense, dark, smooth writing lead with reduced wear. Diamonds...sounds great. Well then, let’s check these Uni Nano Dia leads out.

Uni Nano Dia leads come in a range of diameters and hardness grades. Currently in 0.5mm they come in 4H through to 4B, including F. I think they only have the one grade of HB, not the other two grades of HB that some Japanese brands offer.

The lead tubes are colour coded by hardness grade in very bright attractive transparent coloured containers. There are 40 x 0.5mm leads per container. The top slides to the side to let you get the leads out.

Right then, time to put lead to paper. Currently Pentel Ain are my reigning champion of leads, so some comparison against them is obviously called for. Please remember that I am testing these leads by hand and by eye, so the results are highly subjective. In order to try and minimise the human factor I am conducting repeat trials, and they are blind tests in that I don’t know which lead is loaded in which pencil. Two Uni Shift 0.5mm mechanical pencils were used for all these tests - oneloaded with Uni Nano Dia 0.5mm HB and the other with Pentel Ain 0.5mm HB

First up, lets try laying down some lead and erasing it. Below is the test card, with Ain and Nano Dia erased by Staedtler Mars Plastic, Pentel Hi-Polymer and Faber-Castell PVC Free erasers. Effectively there’s no significant difference, perhaps the slightest hint of a little smearing with Nano Dia but basically it’s a dead heat.

Next then test for smearing. For some artistic purposes you might want a lead to be smearable, but for normal writing purposes I believe most of use a smear resistant lead. Again, as you can see below it is close, but I think Ain was a fraction more smear resistant.

How about blackness. Well, both are quite similar in their darkness.

As usual, I find there is little difference in darkness between HB and B. Personally I nearly always have to jump two or three lead grades to find a real difference. However I did definitely feel that Nano Dia B felt smoother when writing than did Nano Dia HB. I did not feel there was any real difference in smoothness between Ain and Nano Dia.

OK, well now we have the final two tests. Personally I feel strength is the single most important characteristic of a thin lead, and by clicking out a short length and pressing slowly down on paper to break it, I believe the strength of these two leads is close, but there was a clear winner, and it was not Uni Nano Dia. So, I believe Pentel Ain remains the undefeated champion of strength.

Uni do claim that the Nano Dia formulation results in a low wear lead, i.e. you get to write more letters per stick of lead. So, that’s my last test. I clicked out a length of lead and drew ruled lines, as you can see. First with Nano Dia, then with Ain, repeat over and over, each time counting how many lines I could draw before the lead wore down and I hit the sleeve. Clearly this was a very subjective test as there was almost a 100% difference between the number of lines with the same brand of lead. One time I drew only 15 lines, another time 30, both with the same brand of lead. My procedure was to do the tests in pairs - I would draw a set of lines with one lead, swap pencils and draw another set with the other brand of lead. Now, here’s the thing, despite the huge variability, Uni Nano Dia never won a single match. Every pair of sets of lines was won by Pentel Ain. Sure, sometimes it was close, and sometimes it was a thrashing, but Nano Dia never won once. As subjective and imprecise as my test was I think the result was clear.

So, where does this leave me? Uni Nano Dia is clearly a good high quality lead, exactly what one would expect from a respectable Japanese brand, but I don’t think the hype matches the result and I will still be loading my mechanical pencils with Pentel Ain.

Let the controversy begin.

Comments and Photos

2009-10-09T17:57:00.000+13:00

I have read on some repuatble "Blogger Issues" sites that there are quite a few well known common problems with Blooger and comments. It appears that if you have the problem then many viewers will not be able to comment on blogs that use embedded comments like I do, and that others will have problems with the CAPTCHA letters not displaying for comment verification. So, leave a comment if you have problems commenting on this blog. Yeah, right. Anyway, if this problem is affecting this blog please let me know by emailing me at the contact address on my Blogger profile. Thanks.

Not sure if I have mentuioned it before, but I am now uploading most images in high resolution so chances are you can click on an image to view it enlarged in higher resolution should you so wish.

Uni Shift 1010 Mechanical Pencil Review

2009-10-05T05:28:00.005+13:00

Uni Shift 1010 Mechanical Pencil Review

What to do about the sharp pointy end of the mechanical pencil? That’s a problem that has long exercised the minds of the designers and users of mechanical pencils. Many just ignore it and have a fixed sharp tip. Others protect the sharp end by having sliding retractable lead sleeves, or caps, or double action vanishing points, or extendable protective over-sleeves, or…well the list goes on. The subject of this review, Mitsubishi Pencil Co’s Uni Shift 1010 mechanical pencil uses something akin to a vanishing point mechanism to protect the lead sleeve when it is not in use.

When retracted (storage or carry mode), the Uni Shift looks like this.

When extended or in writing mode it looks like.

The change is brought about by pushing the upper body section forward which in turn pushes the lead sleeve out of the fixed front section. Note the change in overall length of body above the grip, and the position of components, but there is only a minute change in total overall length.

At the top and bottom of the body sections travel you twist it just a few degrees to lock it into position.

When in carry mode, the push top button does not operate so you cannot accidently advance any lead. The lead sleeve is retracted back in carry mode, but it’s tip is only just inside the front section, and if you had recently advanced the lead then it can be left protruding out the end of the front section. This is not a major problem, but it does mean it can potentially mark the inside of whatever you put your Shift into, and to be honest, I am slightly disappointed Uni didn’t eliminate this matter by having the sleeve retract just a fraction further back.

It doesn’t take long to get used to the idea of pushing the body section up or down to advance or retract the tip, but the little twist to lock it into position is slightly problematic. Whilst it is a fairly definite and positive action, it is possible to only half-twist, particularly when advancing the tip. This locks the tip in the writing position, but not securely, and a little later you can inadvertently have it unlock and spring back into carry mode whilst you idly move the pencil about in your hands when not actually writing. I accept that this matter is within the control of the pencil user, and it’s only a minor point, but I am again slightly disappointed that Uni somehow didn’t address this in the design phase.

The lead sleeve is a 4mm long thin pipe suitable for drafting work. I do note that the Uni Japanese website generally emphasises drafting pencils for precise writing of characters, rather than for any traditional drafting work. Although the sleeve is retractable it is not a sliding sleeve. So, when extended it is fixed in position and does not slide back up inside as the lead wears down. Having said that, it isn’t a fixed sleeve in the traditional sense and there is a very small amount of wobble, which ultra precise type users who demand rock-solid instruments will not find acceptable. Of course the actual sliding upper body section also has some wobble on the central shaft, but that shouldn’t really concern anyone.

The lead advance mechanism is a standard push top ratchet. As mentioned above it only functions when the pencil is in writing mode. Ten clicks of the mechanism will get you 6mm of the 0.5mm lead. The Shift is available in other lead diameters. As well as the black and red 0.5mm M5-1010 models shown in most pictures in this review, I also have the 0.7mm model, i.e. M7-1010, as below. It looks rather nice in silver and orange.

There is a small eraser under the top cap. Black. Very cool.

You pull the eraser out to access the lead refill magazine.

The pocket clip is a rather plain but springy and functional chromed metal.

The grip is a diamond cut metal section. It doesn’t feel too abrasive on your skin and provides a good secure grip. It is a round grip, and straight sided, so you can hold anywhere and twirl as much as you like.

Weighing in at about 19g the Uni Shift is a medium weight mechanical pencil and it is balanced towards the tip. The weight, balance and looks all combine to make the Shift look and feel pretty good in the hand.

Markings on the pencil are “Uni Shift” and the lead size on the upper body section. “Japan” is also moulded in small letters on the upper body section.

The lead diameter is also marked on the central body core and visible when in carry mode.

Note the sticker advertising this mechanical pencil is factory loaded with Uni Nano Dia leads.

Overall then the Uni Shift is a very nice mechanical pencil and worth having in a collection.

Best Points – The Shift mechanism makes an interesting change.
Not So Good Points – Not properly locking the mechanism.
Price Range – Low.
Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 143mm, diameter 9mm. Balance point about 60mm up from the tip.

Thanks Isu.

Papermate Pacer Mini Mechanical Pencil

2009-09-30T03:24:00.001+13:00

What a surprise! I was in a large stationery and office supplies store the other day and there were three new mechanical pencils on display. Three new models offered on the local market! Astonishing. Now, two of them were BICs and I’d seen them on overseas websites, but the third was a Papermate that had previously escaped my attention. I wouldn’t normally have purchased any of these new mechanical pencils, but the Papermates were very cheap, and it was such a red letter day I decided to hand over some coins and get a couple. I’m not going to review it, but here’s the Papermate Pacer Mini.

Pacer Mini with clear transparent body and coloured translucent end section/pocket clip.Mini eraser under the end section. The Mini is 114mm long with the sleeve retracted, and the rubber grip is 11mm diameter at its widest point.

Well anyway, at the price it was for sale at, it seems a useful little offering for the pocket or purse.

Now, I decided to take the barcode sticker off one of my Mini’s and it left a horrible sticky mess behind. I hate that, particularly because there’s no need for it. Anyway, in the past I have usually used a citrus based cleaner to remove the goo but I remembered that back at the beginning of the year ‘Anonymous’ left a comment on my Guestbook that a good quality eraser like Staedtler Mars Plastic was ideal for removing this sort of label goo. Well, they were right. It did. Nice and easy. I tried a soft PVC-Free eraser first and it wasn’t much good, but then Mars Plastic took it off no worries. I think the hardness is probably the key rather than the actual eraser material. So next time this happens to you, I recommend trying a vinyl eraser.

For ink-folk there is also the BP version, the Sport Mini, which has a reverse sort of colour scheme to the Pacer Mini, namely coloured transparent body and clear end section/pocket clip.

Number 2 Pencils, HB, 0.5, Scantron Bubble OMR Tests and all that kind of stuff

2009-09-28T19:30:00.000+13:00

#2 Pencils, HB, 0.5, Scantron Bubble OMR Tests and all that stuff.

What is a Number 2 pencil?
Does 0.5 equal HB?
Does #2 = HB?
Is HB mechanical pencil the same as No 2 pencil?
Can I use a HB mechanical pencil on an OMR Bubble Scantron test?
No 2 Mechanical Pencil = 0.5 HB

I get a fair few hits from people searching with terms like those above. Then there are the emails from the parents of weeping children – “My daughter had one of those fill in the bubble tests at school today and she used a mechanical pencil, but they were supposed to use a #2 pencil, and now she’s terrified the machine isn't going to read her paper properly and she’s going to fail. She’s been crying ever since she got home from school.” Well hopefully this posting will let you dry those tears and sleep easy.

I think this is all covered in various other posts on this blog, but I’m going to try and be a helpful guy and put it all in one place, all nice and succinct. I personally believe all this to be true, from having used a pencil or two over the years and from the accumulated wisdom of commenter’s on this and other blogs, but nothings certain apart from death and taxes. So, the questions.

What is a Number 2 pencil?
It’s a pencil with 2, #2, No. 2 or something like that written on it.

Surely there’s more to it than that?
No, not really.
There are no rules, standards, test methods, etc to define it. #2 just means it’s their standard writing grade normal hardness / darkness pencil. The manufacturer just makes what they think is their ordinary everyday writing grade pencil and calls it No 2. One manufacturer’s idea of #2 can be quite different from another’s, there is a big range of lead hardness, darkness, etc that are all called Number 2.

Does a No 2 pencil = a HB pencil?
Yes.
No 2 and HB are both lead hardness grade scale measurements. There’s no standardised definition of No 2 or of HB but they are both the same thing – the ordinary everyday writing grade.

Why are wooden pencils called #2 and mechanical pencils are called HB?
History. Industry non-standardisation. Two names for the same thing.
Just like the metric and imperial measurement systems - some industries and some parts of the world say No 2 pencil and others say HB pencil.

Why do they say I have to use a No 2 pencil for those scantron bubble tests?
History. Basically they haven’t got any idea either, but if the say “Must use a No. 2 pencil” just like they have for decades they feel safe, because that’s what everyone says, and always has said, and it’s always been OK in the past. If they say anything else and the machine doesn’t read it properly you’ll probably ring a lawyer, so they just repeat the same old mantra and feel safe.

So you are kind of saying it’s all kind of rubbish?
Yes.

So I can use an HB mechanical pencil?
Yes.

So I can use anything at all?
Well that’s going too far. You have to make a mark for the machine to read, but any reasonably dark pencil will do. It probably also has to have a fairly distinct edge, a sharp change from white paper to dark pencil mark. The machine isn’t that smart – it doesn’t know you used a mechanical pencil, it just sees a reasonably dark pencil blob and is happy. The point is, there is absolutely no set of rules to define what a Number 2 pencil is, anything near enough is good enough, be it mechanical, woodcase, called a number 2, or a HB, or a B, or a 2 ½, or a whatever. But as well as being too light, too dark and reflective can be a problem too.

Here’s a link to BIC mechanical pencils being tested and approved for Scantron tests. http://www.biceveryday.com/teachers/scantron.aspx

Hey, here’s an idea, you know the wooden #2 pencil you got especially for the test, just like the teacher instructed? Well why don’t you ask the manufacturer to show you their approval for Scantron tests?

I went to the Scantron website and searched for “approved pencils”. The only specific result was BIC #2 MECHANICAL PENCILS. That’s right, according to that search, BIC mechanical pencils are the only pencils approved by Scantron themselves. Well, other than “Standard Number 2” pencils. Hey, here’s an idea, ask them what a “Standard Number 2” pencil is? Ummmm, a pencil with Number 2 written on it?

Bottom line, saying “Use a No. 2 pencil” is about as precise as saying “Write with ink”. Ummm, what colour ink? Gel or ballpoint? Is a fountain pen OK?

Moving on, whats the .05mm or 0.7mm thing on mechanical pencils?
It’s the diameter of the lead, in millimetres, and its 0.5mm not .05, you’re working in millimetres not thousandths of an inch. The 0.5mm has got nothing to do with the pencil lead hardness or darkness, it’s how wide the lead is. Basically 0.5mm is fine writing, 0.7mm is a little wider and stronger also good for normal writing. Younger folk might be better off with 0.9mm or thicker as they are stronger again.

Some Not So Glorious Conway Stewart’s

2009-09-25T05:52:00.001+12:00

The late 1940’s through to the late 60’s was a tumultuous time for writing instrument manufacturers as the ballpoint pen quickly began to enjoy widespread commercial success. Patent battles, poor designs, quality control disasters, product recalls, smear campaigns – it was all on for young and old. Many industry giants were mortally stricken by making a wrong a call over the ballpoint pen, and in particular the mighty Eversharp were dulled, blunted and ultimately snapped and broken by their foray into the world of ballpoint pens.

Another brought low by the ballpoint was Conway-Stewart. Just look at this junk from this once respectable name. It’s a triple set, from left to right being ballpoint pen, fountain pen and mechanical pencil. Despite the tear on the inside of the lid I believe this set is NOS (New Old Stock). The trapezium shaped cardboard presentation box has a cloth interior and looks quite coffin-like in the photo, which is totally apt.The three of them actually look reasonably smart, with bright shiny chrome upper bodies and plastic lower halves. But things change the instant you pick them up. For a start, they are absolute feather-weights, the mechanical pencil weighs in at a puny 9 grams, and all three of them together weigh only 29 grams. I’ve got mechanical pencils that alone weigh almost as much, e.g. the Pelikan D800 Souveran and the Parker Duofold Centennial both weigh 27g each.The chrome top half of the mechanical pencil no longer fits securely onto the lower plastic half of the body. I will be kind and assume that there has been some shrinkage over the years, but now the metal top half just falls off under its own weight if you turn the pencil upside down. The pencil is a tip twist using 1.18mm leads as you would suspect.Trust me, the ballpoint and fountain pen are equally uninspiring. They are just not what one expects from a name like Conway Stewart.

I don’t know the model numbers of these pens or when they were made but I assume it was sometime in the mid 1960’s to the company’s final demise in 1975 during which period the companies products slid many rungs down the ladder of quality. However, if you do happen to know the model details I would be interested in knowing.

The box has Conway Stewart printed on it, but the only marking on the writing instruments is “Conway” and “UK” stamped into the pocket clip.

It’s depressing. Every time I look at this set, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen!”

Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil High Grade Type M5-1012

2009-09-19T02:55:00.001+12:00

Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil High Grade Type M5-1012

To be honest, I’m not really sure of the proper name for this mechanical pencil. First there was only the Kuru Toga, model M5-450 1P (or M3-450 1P in 0.3mm) but now there is a second model of mechanical pencil using the Kuru Toga ‘turn engine’, the M5-1012 1P. This new model is variously referred to as ‘high-grade’, ‘high specification’ or ‘2nd generation’, but high-grade seems to be the most common translation of Japanese websites so I’ll run with that. I guess it makes the 450 series Kuru Togas ‘original’. This article is mostly a quick comparison with the original Kuru Toga rather than a proper stand alone review, and should be read in conjunction with my original Kuru Toga posting.

Kuru Toga High Grade
At a quick glance the High Grade and the Original Kuru Toga don’t share many components other than the name and presumably the same internal Kuru Toga “turn engine” mechanism. You can see the differences in the pictures below.
The tip sections look similar but they are not the same.Different grip sections, main bodies, pocket clips, end sections, etc.

Clearly the extra metal components of the High Grade mean it should last a little longer.

At 15g the High Grade Kuru Toga is a medium weight mechanical pencil and about 5g heavier than the Original, but really neither of them are going to weigh your hand down. I expected the High Grade to be balanced towards the tip but it isn’t really, which was a little disconcerting until I got used to my expectation being incorrect.

The metal grip section of the High Grade is sculpted like the Original, but it’s a very slippery surface finish and I think the clear plastic of the Original actually provides a better grip.

Lead advance is achieved by a normal push top ratchet mechanism. Ten clicks will get you about 6mm of 0.5mm lead.It’s only small and emergency use, but I really like the black eraser. Black pencil, black eraser, full marks to Uni.The High Grade Kuru Toga is simple marked Kuru Toga.Is the Kuru Toga a draughting mechanical pencil? (Or drafting pencil as much of the English speaking world says.) I have seen it advertised on some websites as a drafting pencil, so let’s examine that idea. The lead sleeve is a thin metal pipe, but only about 2.75mm long. That’s a bit on the short side - 4mm is the usual length for mechanical pencils designed as drafting pencils. Quite a few people are very demanding of their precision technical mechanical pencils and the Kuru Toga has two features which might not satisfy exacting standards. Firstly the tip section steps out to full diameter quite quickly and I’m sure some folk would say it interferes with their line of sight to the lead. Secondly the turn engine means there is a small amount of vertical movement of the lead as you press down on the paper. It’s only a very small movement, but it’s different from normal lead cushioning and I know from previous comments that some of you will not find this acceptable. When you use a 0.5mm (or 0.3mm) pencil for drafting you usually hold it perpendicular to the paper so that the lead diameter is the width of the line. If you hold your pencil perpendicular to the paper then you never get a sharp or chisel point on your lead and the whole concept of the turn engine has no purpose, it’s a nullity. Lastly, as far as I can see, Mitsubishi Pencil don’t claim it as a drafting pencil. So, for my money, there is no question, the Kuru Toga is not a drafting pencil. It may have the general form of a mechanical drafting pencil, but it is not a drafting pencil.

Another question – How long will the turn engine last? The turn engine is a mechanism of toothed plates engaging and disengaging, so obviously there must be some wear, and thus the kuru toga will have a life expectancy of x-million operations before the teeth wear and jam or just don’t turn anymore. How many is x?

Best Points – Turn, turn, turn.
Not So Good Points – Slippery grip.
Price Range – Low.
Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 146mm, diameter 10mm at widest part. Balance point about 70mm up from the tip.

Scripto W610 Thick Lead Pencil

2009-09-16T05:37:00.000+12:00

I got this part box of old Scripto mechanical pencils in a mixed lot auction a couple of years ago.As you can see the box states they are model W610 pencils, and cost 29cents. The fine print mentions both Scripto USA and Canada, so maybe back in the day they were 29cents in both countries? I suppose 29cents got you one pencil rather than one boxful as the fine print states, “To display: Separate at perforation and discard top”. I can’t see any perforations anywhere…
The pencils are very basic. You twist the top knob around to advance the lead, and it’s obviously intended as a propel-only screw mechanism, although you can wind backwards and then force the lead back up inside. I assume it was meant to be a disposable mechanical pencil and that you cannot refill the lead once it is all used up. The lead itself is not a graphite lead, rather it is some sort of waxy crayon type lead, roughly about 3mm diameter. It is a good dark black colour. I guess this pencil was sold for durably marking difficult surfaces, an alternative to today’s felt tip markers?

Strange Map

2009-09-13T03:14:00.001+12:00

A couple of years back I did a bit of a survey of what pencils were available in my little corner of the world. Earlier this year I thought I might update that survey, but then I thought, “Nah”. The concept kept nagging away at me, and eventually I weakened and decided I’d do a survey of local mechanical pencil retailers. After some consideration, it became obvious to me that my retail experiences mostly occur in a fairly small well defined geographical area. It’s a roughly rectangular area, about 10km long north-south and about 4km wide east-west. The northern and southern borders are set by large retail shopping precincts, the eastern border is the sea, and to the west a motorway and commercial/wholesale zone tends to cut me off from the more westerly suburbia. At the end of the day, it’s got to be a pretty unusual item if it can’t be found within the borders of my retail rectangle.

So, over the past three or four months, as I have conducted my usual shopping and other travels around I have taken a couple of minutes to survey the retail outlets that would normally be expected to sell mechanical pencils. In total, they comprised 6 x large Office Supplies stores, 4 x large Discount type general retailers, 10 x Bookstores / Stationers and 2 x Art Supplies / Specialist stores. In each store I noted (i) the top two brands for sale, as determined by retail frontage and positioning, and (ii) the total number of different models of mechanical pencils for sale. A change in lead size counts as a different model, thus a store offering Pentel P205 and P207 would count as 2 models.

My original idea was to do some sort of statistical analysis on the results. So, I could tell you facts like
- Staedtler was the leading brand in 7 stores and the second brand in 1 store.
- Bic was the leading brand in 3 stores and the second in 4.
- The most common second brand was “generic/housebrand”.
- The average number of different pencil models per store was 4.7, with a range of 0 to 12, a mode of 2 and median of 4.
- Astonishingly, one store had no mechanical pencils at all, and another kept all theirs hidden in drawers behind the counter.

I could also draw all sorts of graphs and diagrams like

(click for hi-res)

Well that’s all fine, but you know, I’m a big fan of the blog Strange Maps, and a bit of a map-nut. Strange Maps shows how people draw all sorts of weird and wonderful maps about all sorts of crazy things, like the geographical distribution of various hot-dog relishes within a certain US state. Well, I’ve taken my survey results and made myself a country! My mythical country has a basis in real life. Its shape and geography is loosely based on my retail rectangle, and the frequency and prominence of mechanical pencil related features do reflect their retail presence and general location. So, I hereby present my own Strange Map, a map of the Pencilate of Lumographica.(click for hi-res)

The Pencilate was originally founded many centuries ago as a far flung colony of the German pencil-barons. Today the Pencilate is ruled by the 14th Pencilator, a scion of the House of Staedtler, who governs from the imposing castle Staedtler near the southern border with the friendly but aloof Separatists of the Peninsular. The Generic Hills form the main part of the northern boundary, across which are the rich but moderately populated Cowlands of the North. The western boundary is formed mainly by hills, mountains and the small but intense wasteland area known as ‘The Nothing’. The Plains of Papermate and the Bic River form the main central part of the Pencilate. One interesting feature is the Hidden River - the outlet of Lake Lamy to the sea is by an underground, hence hidden, river.

So, in case you don’t get the concept, The Nothing is the store without mechanical pencils, the Hidden River is the one with them all hidden behind the counter. Yes, in real life the nothing is a swampy no-go zone, the outlet of the lake is underground, and the aforementioned stores were nearby. The Plains of Papermate is an area dominated by Papermate retailers, and is a large central valley in real life. Staedtler was the main brand down south and just north of them three retailers had Uni as their main or secondary brand. There really is a castle, and the coast has a lot of abandoned old military fortifications.

I will leave you to decide whether this is proof of madness, or the creative out-pouring of a fertile imaginative mind. But hey, I do live in the land of the Lord of the Rings, and visit Hobbiton, Mt Doom and other such places, so maybe it’s not all that crazy. Maybe I just have to expand the whole concept and story line of the Pencilate, get hold of Peter Jackson…

Labels and Maps

2009-09-12T11:52:00.003+12:00

Yesterday was a red letter day for me. For the first time ever I paid money for a service associated with this blog. It never ceases to amaze me how Blogger, Wordpress and others offer all these free blogs, widgets, gadgets, etc etc etc and I'm very grateful for that. Maps are another thing that I find very interesting so yesterday I could resist temptation no longer and paid for an upgrade on my ClustrMap. You can click on the sidebar map to go to the enlarged world map just like before, but now you can click on the world map to zoom in to continent level data.

A question for you. I have never really been a big fan of article labels or tags, so haven't ever created many labels for this blog. I tend to think that search facilities like Lijit basically make labels redundant. However, I'm starting to re-evaluate that theory, so feel free to tell me if you think more labels would be good, or not. I've put a poll in the sidebar if you feel like answering with an easy click.

Tombow Cool Mechanical Pencil Review

2009-09-09T04:37:00.001+12:00

Tombow Cool Mechanical Pencil Review

Over the past few years I have become increasingly aware of just how much the offerings of the global writing instrument brands vary from one country to another. I guess ages ago I had a rather naïve and simplistic view of the global brands, something along the lines of the brand having a basket of products with a sort of pick and mix selection of those products being offered in various countries or geographical regions by the relevant national distributors. These days my view is more along the lines of the global brand having a basket of products, as well as the various national distributors each having their own individual baskets, such that the products offered in any one country are a selection from the global basket plus the contents of the local basket.

Although it is far away on the other side of the world, Turkey is an inextricable and visceral part of one of the most important events in the history of my country, and that of our ‘Trans-Tasman Cousins’. So, unusual connections to Turkey have a little extra interest for me. There are writing instrument manufacturers in Turkey, one of which is ADEL, a joint venture between Anadolu Group of Turkey and Germany’s Faber-Castell, but I haven’t as yet got my hands on any of their products. Today though I have something else of interest - it appears that there are some Turkey-only Tombow mechanical pencils. You can see them here at the website of Serve, who are an office supplies company in Turkey, and in particular a (or the) Turkish distributor for Tombow of Japan.

So, from Turkey, I present the Tombow Cool. According to the Serve website (with the assistance of Google translate, and as far as I can understand it) the Tombow Cool mechanical pencil is available in seven colour options and in 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9mm lead. Mine is the metallic grey colour and 0.9mm lead.First off then, does the Tombow Cool look cool? Well I quite like its looks, and the Cool logo printed on the body does look rather cool. The combination of black, metallic grey and chrome blends nicely.

The Cool is a triangular bodied mechanical pencil. The rubber grip is triangular and feels a little wider than average. It is quite long in length, taking up over a third of the length of the pencil so you can pretty much hold the Cool wherever you like – down low close to the tip or way up for that relaxed stance. The rubber is smooth without any surface pattern and a reasonably grippy compound with a small amount of give under finger pressure. The Cool is reasonably lightweight and neutrally balanced so it doesn’t have a lot of presence in the hand.

The tip section is a chrome metal cone, and the retractable lead sleeve is also a short cone so this pencil is pocket safe but clearly intended as a general writing pencil. The mechanism is a standard push top ratchet. For my 0.9mm version, ten clicks will get you 7mm of lead. The mechanism feels and sounds nice, smooth and positive. Up at the top end of the pencil, the push top button is an extendable eraser housing. I quite like the grooved chrome ring around the housing. The eraser core itself is a fairly hard white plastic or TPR and is about 4mm diameter. You can twist out about 26mm (1”) of usable length. The eraser is obviously replaceable. The entire cartridge pulls out to allow access to the lead refill magazine.The pocket clip is very smart looking. It is rather strongly sprung, almost too strong. It certainly won’t be accidently slipping off whatever you clipped it to.

Markings on the body are minimal – “Cool” up by the pocket clip, and “09, Tombow, Japan” down near the rubber grip.Overall then this is a nice smart looking mechanical pencil and quite reasonably priced. It’s unusual origins are a little added bonus to mechanical pencil collectors. Cool is not an inappropriate name.

Best Points – The looks.
Not So Good Points – Nothing really leaps out at me.
Price Range – Economy/Low.
Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? - No.

Dimensions – Length 145mm, triangle sides about 11mm. Balance point about 70mm up from the tip.

PS – if there are any collectors or regular readers out there from Turkey, it would be great to hear from you – send me an email on the address up in the blog header.

Let's Talk Mechanical Pencils with Lamy

2009-09-03T16:36:00.000+12:00

Recently I’ve been wanting to know a little bit more about some of my favourite mechanical pencil companies, and the mechanical pencil market in general. I own more than my fair share of Lamy’s, so I thought I’d approach them and see if they would participate in a brief Q&A type interview about themselves and their pencils. Luckily they readily agreed to an “interview”, and below are a few questions I put to Andrea Schuch of Lamy’s International Sales Department in Heidelburg, Germany and her replies.

Dave - Well firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Perhaps to start with you could give me a brief introductory run down on Lamy.

Andrea - Lamy was established in 1930 in Heidelburg, Germany. We have approximately 370 employees, of which 2/3rds work in production, making approximately 7 million writing instruments annually. Our sales turnover is approx. €50 million/year, through 6,500 specialist dealers in Germany, and distribution partners in 62 other countries. Currently our range comprises 27 different series of writing instruments.

Every Lamy product embodies our brand values: Design – Innovation – Quality. Lamy not only develops modern, sophisticated designs, but also conducts ongoing research into technical innovations which raise the functionality of writing instruments. Lamy is 100 per cent “Made in Germany” and we have more than 100 international design awards.

Lamy head office & factory

Factory and roof garden sculpture

Dave - A lot of high-end brands don’t offer many mechanical pencils, but Lamy is a little different, offering a pencil option with most styles. So, thanks very much for that! How well do pencils sell in comparison to the various pen options? Are there some styles where the mechanical pencil option is a particularly good seller in relation to the pen options of that style?

Andrea - Lamy likes to offer complete ranges of the various product families, thus our customers have a variety of writing systems to choose from but also the opportunity to combine sets of their likings.
But to be honest, pencils are not our best selling systems. They do very well as a set with ballpens, but we are mostly selling ballpens, closely followed by fountain pens.
We do however offer two ranges where the pencils are selling very well and the ballpens are more or less an "addition". These are LAMY spirit, an extremely slim pencil, designed to fit into agendas (for those people who still write with a pen and do not use blackberrys) and LAMY scribble, a very handsome pencil available with two lead sizes (0,7 mm and 3,15 mm), designed for artists, architects, designers, etc. who are doing sketches or just like "scribbling"
But I should also mention our pencil LAMY abc which has especially been designed for school children who start learning to write. This pencil has an ergonomic grip section for small hands and a soft (B) 1,4 mm lead which forgives high pressure but also allows a great variety of writing positions.

Dave - Hopefully you see Lamy continuing to offer a pencil option as you introduce new styles?

Andrea - Of course, we will go on offering product families as complete as possible.

Dave - Lamy seems to have a world-wide presence. Are there any markets where sales of your mechanical pencils are much stronger or weaker than average?

Andrea - We are currently exporting our pens to more that 60 countries worldwide.
Should there be any preferences for pencils they are certainly in the Asian markets who like to write either with a fountain pen with a fine or extra fine nib, or with a pencil.

Dave - Counterfeit or fake products seem to be an issue for many well known brands and products. Is counterfeiting of Lamy writing instruments a problem?

Andrea - So far we do not have any problems with counterfeit products. We have however come across one or the other pen that has been faked, but mostly the copies are rather poor and you can easily see the difference. We are however closely watching the market and are taking legal steps when we come across such products.

Dave - To finish with, a question about your manufacturing operation. Lamy writing instruments are made from a very diverse range of materials, and many specialised manufacturing techniques would presumably be needed for this. What parts of the manufacturing process are carried out by Lamy itself? Is Lamy’s part essentially the final assembly of finished components sourced from external suppliers, or are you actually doing most things in-house - making mechanisms, moulding bodies, machining out pocket clips, etc?

Andrea - 97% of the whole production process is done in Heidelberg. There are certain parts we are buying from other suppliers, but for example all our nibs are being completely made in Heidelberg, we are injection moulding all plastic components, producing metal barrels, clips, etc....

Dave - Once again, thanks very much for your time, and I look forward to seeing many new innovative and unique products from Lamy.

Some of the team at Lamy. The gentlemen in centre-front with the light suit and the sun glasses is Dr. Manfred Lamy, owner of the company and to the right in the dark suit with tie is Mr. Bernhard Roesner the CEO of Lamy.

Swank Mechanical Pencil

2009-08-31T04:42:00.000+12:00

Here’s an interesting little mini mechanical pencil. It measures 77mm long, (that’s pretty much smack on 3” for non-metric folk), and the body is 5mm square section. It’s a nice shiny golden colour, but no, it’s not gold.

Now you can use it as a pencil, as is…
Or you can pull it out of the body…Looks rather smart with that lined pattern. Quite classy really. I don’t know the correct name for that pattern – perhaps light godron? The eraser is unused but rather old and hardened, and stuck tight in the body. Anyway, the pencil is a tip feed as you would expect from an older 1.18mm screw mechanism mechanical pencil.

Stamped into the body is “SWANK, PAT. PEND.”. That’s the only markings on the pencil. So, a quick bit of internet searching, and now I’m just blithely repeating internet information here, so it could well be rubbish, but apparently Swank is a US jewellery company founded in Massachusetts in 1897. Originally they manufactured and distributed men's and women's costume jewellery and during World War I they made dog tags for the US military. After WWI they changed focus to produce only men's jewellery and accessories. They are still going today, and apparently their products are common in US department stores. (OK, don’t leave me hanging here, nip out to your local mall and confirm or deny this.)

Right, so much for that company history and unpaid advertorial. What exactly is my mechanical pencil? A few vintage and antique dealer websites show this pencil and most describe it as a mechanical pencil tie-clip.

Others say it’s a mechanical pencil money-clip.
Ha! I hope at least some of you appreciate that I had to dig my ties out of storage, and go to the bank especially for those shots - I don’t normally carry any Rutherfords in my wallet. Some unkind people have suggested moths are more likely in my wallet. How rude! The cheek of them! In case you haven’t noticed, most photos in this posting are clickable for hi-res. Yep, revel in the sartorial elegance of those ties.

Now, those sites mentioned above usually state the pencil is marked U.S. PAT. 124227 and some claim known provenance back to the 1940 - 50’s from Granddad. My pencil says “Pat. Pend.” so it presumably predates that. Some sites claim it dates to the early 1900’s. Anyway, however old it is, it’s a nice little novelty pencil and I’m glad to have it.