Platinum OLEeNu Lead Breakage Prevention Mechanical Pencil Review

Aside from the Uni-Ball Kuru Toga, there haven’t been any great strides made in pencil technology over the past several years. That is not a bad thing. Pencils - mechanical included - are some of the most traditional writing instruments around, and it is difficult to change an almost perfect tool.

The Platinum OLEeNu attempts to bring something new to the table with its lead breakage prevention mechanism. This is not a world changing advancement in technology, but I will say it works as intended and is a nice feature.

When I started the written review, I was writing with standard pressure and at a standard pace. If you look closely at the page, you can see the gradient variation when I started pressing down really hard to see if I could get the lead to break, and I couldn’t. Now, I didn’t get violent with it, but you can see how hard I was pressing by how dark the lead is.

That is the major feature of the Platinum OLEeNu, and it works well. What I don’t like about this pencil is the barrel design, specifically the clip. Like most of you, I rotate all non-Kuru Toga pencils in my hand as I write to keep a sharp point on the lead, and the extra large clip gets in the way of my rotation. Not a deal breaker - more of an annoyance. The grip area wasn’t my favorite either - it is best described as funky. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I don’t love it.

In lieu of posting all of the technical details here, check out the specs and photos on the JetPens product page. There are some great photos and descriptions of how this pencil works.

Sun-Star W Knock Mechanical Pencil Review

The Sun-Star W Knock mechanical pencil caught my eye at first with its nice barrel design and cool barrel colors. It was only after I decided that I liked how the pencil looked that I saw the price:  $1.80. Really? Is that a typo? It doesn't appear so, but but never having heard of or used the Sun-Star line, I figured this was a $3-4 pencil on looks alone. Maybe that is just what I am used to these days. :)

So, now that the price is clear, the immediate question that comes to mind next is "Is this a cheap pencil?" I can safely say it is not. It isn't perfect by any stretch, but it is a good value. The key design feature of this pencil is that the tip fully retracts back into the barrel. This protects the lead sleeve from damage, and also protects you from poking yourself in the chest or leg when you put the pencil in your pocket.

When fully extended for writing, the pencil tip does not quite flush up against the barrel opening. This causes a little wiggle to happen when writing, but I didn't even notice it at first, so it isn't too extreme. What is extreme is the eraser wiggle. It is all over the place when I try to erase, so I would definitely recommend a stand alone eraser when using this pencil. Then again, I recommend a stand alone eraser for all mechanical pencils.

So, despite some minor issues, this is a nice overall package for the price. At just $1.80 each, you could buy different barrel colors and match them up with colored leads pretty easily. They certainly make for a nice student pencil or back to school pencil.

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.