Uni-Ball Shift Pipe Lock Drafting Pencil Review

It has been a recurring theme of late, but I am a sucker for cool looking pens and pencils. Drating style pencils especially get me to take a second glance. I'm not sure if it is the long sleek design, or the extra long pipe usually found on these pencils, but something always grabs me. The Uni-Ball Shift Pipe Lock takes the design a step further by allowing you to retract the tip of the pencil for protection by a simple twist - or shift - of the barrel. That aspect of the pencil works like a champ.

On top of that, this pencil is nice to hold, and comfortable to write with. Any writing instrument with a knurled grip is a friend of mine. If there is one thing I would change about the Uni-Ball Shift Pipe Lock is that I would like to see an aluminum barrel as opposed to the plastic barrel it has. From a drafting perspective, this is a plus, because you want your pencil to have a lower center of gravity, but this pencil is so nice looking I think it would benefit even more from an aluminum barrel.

This is the 0.5mm version, which is noted by the writing on the barrel, as well as the blue colored accents. Each of the five widths is denoted by a different color accent. The 0.5mm model also comes in three different barrels colors - black, red, and white. Yes, the Uni-Ball Kuru Toga is still my favorite pencil, but the Shift Pipe Lock drafting pencil is another nice option.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Pilot Delful Double Knock Mechanical Pencil

Pencils are a phase for me.  Day in and day out I'm a pen guy, but I always keep at least one good mechanical pencil within reach.  Normally, that is the Uni-Ball Kuru Toga High Grade, but I pick up one or two others here and there from JetPens to try out, and the Pilot Delful Double Knock Mechanical Pencil was one of my recent purchases.

If it wasn't obvious already, the barrel design is what originally drew me to this pencil.  Sure, I love the classic body styles like many of the engineering style pencils I have bought in the past, but Pilot did a great job with the cool factor here.  I especially love the non-standard barrel colors the Delful comes in.  This one is the green and soft blue, but they have others like black and green or pink and orange to check out.

Aside from the barrel design, one of the things that seperates this pencil from many others is the fact that not only is is a shaker pencil, but that the tip of the pencil retracts completely into the barrel, making it highly portable.  After all, who wants to be stabbed in the chest or write with a bent tip?  The construction feels very durable, so I think this pen would travel well, especially in backpacks for students.

Sure, its not a Kuru Toga - which is the pencil I unfairly compare all others to - but this is one of the best pencils for all around writing, durability, and fun that I have used.  Not a bad overall package for $7.50.

Click here for the XL review.

Review: Zebra Tect 2way 1000 Mechanical Pencil

Since I started my recent drafting pencil kick, I couldn't wait to try out the Zebra Tect 2Way 1000 because I thought it was one of the coolest looking pencils on the market.  While the looks are what sold me, the feel and functionality of the pencil are what keep me coming back for more.  This is a really good pencil, but there are a few too many little things that prevent me from getting more use out of it.

One of the big selling points of the Zebra Tect 2way is the 2way-ness of it.  No, there is not an additional pen cartridge making this a multi pen, but rather there are two ways to advance the lead:  the traditional click advance, or the updated shaker mechanism.  I think I would actually like this pencil more if it was one or the other, because I am not really digging the ring around the barrel that locks the pencil into the type of lead advancement you want.  It just seems extraneous to me, or a case of trying to hard.  It does its job, but is it neccessary?  Plus, you have to shake the heck out of it to advance the lead.

Secondly, I didn't really consider that the grip would be an issue by the looks of it, but it kind of is.  The orange plastic rings encircling the grip are very firm, and they rise above the underlying metal grip higher than it appears.  That's ok for short bursts, but I could see that getting tiresome over long writing or drafting sessions.

Finally, I wish the barrel of the entire pencil was metal.  The silver grip area is, but the upper body is resin based (essentially plastic).  It does have a nice balance in the hand while writing, and as nice as it feels, it is just a little but off.  It could be mental on my part though.

That is a lot of small marks on what is otherwise a good pencil.  Unfortunately for me, those things add up, and push this one to the back of the drawer.

Click here for the XL review.