Zebra DelGuard Type-GR Mechanical Pencil Review

I’m on record as only being “meh” about the Zebra DelGuard Mechanical Pencil. But a DelGuard in Purple and Pink with a squishy grip? Ok Zebra, you win!

The DelGuard is a legitimately good pencil. The build quality is great, the price is fair, and the selling point - a front-end mechanism that helps prevent breakage - works perfectly.

I’m only meh on it because of the mechanism. It’s nothing that has ever been a selling point for me. Rotating lead? I can use that from time to time. A retractable lead pipe? Yes, if additional protection while portable is required. Mostly, I prefer a standard fixed mechanical pencil, which more than meets my needs. I don’t use 0.3 mm lead sizes much, where the DelGuard mechanism would come in handy. And I’m sure there are a few other specific use cases too, such as using it against a ruler or other fast-paced situations.

All that said, I am a sucker for color and whimsy, and my goodness, does the DelGuard Type-GR have it all.

More color, more better! L to R: Pentel P205, DelGuard Type-GR, Pentel Smash.

Can we talk about this color scheme? It’s a mix of gradients and color blocks, and unbeknownst to me before I got it in hand, it has a subtle cloud pattern starting in the Blurple section of the pencil, rising up towards the clip. The Blue and Grey models each have their own atmospheric design, different from the clouds on this one.

The soft grip section is well done, providing a good middle ground from the firm grip on the Pilot Dr. Grip, and the extra squishy uniball Alpha Gel Grip. The Type GR grip is soft on the outer layer, and firm underneath, making for a comfortable writing experience.

Cloudy, with a chance of Graphite.

If I could wish cast, I would like an 0.7 mm or 0.9 mm option in the Type-GR. The wide diameter barrel lends itself to wider tip sizes, making for a more natural writing flow. But do you know what 0.7 mm or 0.9 mm lead sizes don’t do? Break as much. So there is less need for their mechanism to come in to play in those wider sizes. They do offer an 0.7 mm in their base model in a few colors, but the vast majority of the product lineup is 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, for good reason.

Zebra’s stock graphite is fine. If this was a long-term use pencil I’d look at something with more tooth, like Pentel’s stock graphite.

Given all of my capitulating, and wondering what the perfect Zebra DelGuard would look like, sometimes I’m just enamored by how a product looks. That’s the case here with the Twilight Purple Limited Edition. It’s $10.75 at JetPens, which puts it a price tier above the base model, but far less expensive than some premium pencils. I’d say the fun it offers makes it more than worth it for me. Looks like I’m a DelGuard fan after all.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Leuchtturm Drehgriffel Mechanical Pencil Review

The fact that I’m sitting here thinking about if the Leuchtturm Drehgriffel Mechanical Pencil is better than the Drehgriffel Ballpoint pen I already love tells you what I think about this pencil. Is it better, though? Maybe. Is it better than a traditional mechanical pencil? That’s a tougher question to answer, but I’m going to give it a shot today.

The Mechanical Pencil was a surprise entrant into the Drehgriffel lineup, at least for me. The Ballpoint seemed to be a success, so why not a pencil? From standard colors, to gel ink refills, to building your own pen from an array of colors, I’ve enjoyed all things Drehgriffel. Would I enjoy the pencil? Clearly, yes.

Matching packaging!

What is it about this lineup that I like so much? The design is wonderful. It has a vintage feel with modern colors. It’s small and slim, so it fits in many places, including in the hand nicely when it’s time to write. The aluminum barrel feels sturdy, and both models - Ballpoint and Mechanical Pencil - use a twist mechanism to extend and retract the tip or graphite.

My custom built ballpoint.

The pencil ships with 0.7 mm HB graphite, and it does a nice job. I do find it to be slightly on the Hard side of the scale, but that works well if you are looking for a portable pencil. That’s where this Drehgriffel thrives. In other areas, like when compared to more traditional mechanical pencils, it falls a bit short.

For starters, there is no eraser. That’s not a deal-breaker for me, but is mandatory for others. What may be closer to a deal-breaker, is the aforementioned twist mechanism. To extend the graphite, you give the mechanism on the end of the pencil a quarter-twist, counter-clockwise, for each stage you would like to extend. For me, that’s two clicks (it’s a ratchet-style mechanism that snaps back after each twist,) to get my preferred writing length.

Rotring 600, left. Pentel Sharp, right.

While this mechanism is functional, it becomes weird when it is time to retract the lead. For that, you will hold the twist instead of letting it go, and push the graphite back in, either with your finger or on the page or desk. It’s easy enough, and it feels weird to complain about something that works fine, but decades of standard mechanical pencil operation had me overthinking this.

You may have to grip the Drehgriffel further back on the barrel.

Another design element to consider is the grip section. While it matches the entire Drehgriffel design aesthetic, the large nose cone is more befitting of a traditional wooden pencil than a mechanical one. Most typical mechanical pencils, especially of the engineering variety, have some form of straight-sided grip section. There are some notable exceptions - the Pentel Sharp is a big one - so keep that in mind if that is important to you.

With all of the pros and cons laid out, there is of course one more detail to consider: price. This is a $34 mechanical pencil, which puts it well into the upper end of the price spectrum for mechanical pencils. I think that limits who this pencil is for. Leuchtturm fans will enjoy it, as will stationery nerds like myself. It would also make for a good gift. Otherwise, I think it might be a tough sell for a user needing a mechanical pencil, or a random stationery purchase.

For me, I enjoy it and I can see using it frequently. It will be a nice travel companion since it doesn’t have a lead pipe on the front that can get bent, and it is more writer-ish than my favorite travel pencil, the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil. And who knows, if Leuchtturm ever offers the opportunity to build your own, I may add another one to the arsenal.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Staedtler Wopex Pencil Review

Ok, fine. The Staedtler Wopex is not the worst pencil of all time.

Sure, I like to make that joke frequently, and the pencil itself has become a bit of a meme in our community, but it’s not that bad. Right?

I question myself, because it’s not great to write with. It’s just not the worst. What’s the worst pencil on the market? I’m not sure, but ones with cores that crumble when writing would top the list. The Wopex at least writes. And, depending on your expectations, writes well.

With the Wopex, Staedtler has built more eco-friendly pencil using wood waste (70%) in combination with plastic (30%) to form material than can then be extruded to make this pencil. Assumedly, Staedtler takes the waste from the production of their more traditional wooden slat pencils and uses it to make more pencils. Honestly, that sounds smart, and I appreciate that Staedtler has committed to this process for one of their products.

Does HB even mean anything?

While I can appreciate the environmentally friendly bonafides the Wopex brings to the market, what I don’t get along with is the core. There is less information on that formulation than with the barrel, but the graphite, if it can be called that, has a waxy, plastic-like feel. I’m guessing the core needed to be modified to fit the expectation of the pencil. And also to match the weight of the pencil - the extruded barrel is heavier and denser than a traditional wooden barrel, so it likely needed a stronger core to match.

Marked on the barrel as HB #2, the Wopex writes nothing like any HB #2 pencil I have ever used. It is so firm, and so light, that in comparison to traditional wooden pencil cores, I’d put it all the way up in the 2H-4H range. My handwriting looks fantastic with it, but it is very light. Too light for heavy usage.

On performance alone, I wonder where the Staedtler Wopex sits for hobbyist pencil users. Special conditions only, maybe? Under no circumstances is it better than any traditional pencil I own, for any use case. If I wanted output on the page like the Wopex, I’d just grab a 4H pencil whose graphite is much more enjoyable.

There are some good things to mention about the Wopex. I appreciate Staedtler’s focus on recycling and using the waste products they create during production of their other pencils. The color and style is fantastic. The feel is nice too, despite the relatively heavy weight. The eraser is decent, which is high praise compared to most. They are inexpensive, coming in at less than 30 cents in bulk (Amazon affiliate link.) Finally, the Wopex might actually survive nuclear fallout, along with cockroaches.

On the left, sharpened with the Uni KH-20. On the right, with a KUM handheld. Even with a good blade in the KUM, you can see how both the graphite and barrel are sharpened inconsistently.

The downsides? The lead isn’t good for me, but others may enjoy it. And sharpening the Wopex with a handheld sharpener is an exercise in frustration. I used my Uni KH-20 desktop sharpener for this review and it worked well. I’ve used handhelds with the Wopex in the past and it doesn’t sharpen the barrel cleanly, sometimes leaving a ragged edge. The barrel material makes it difficult.

So there is my look at the Staedtler Wopex, a pencil I have come to love because of how weird it is. If you want to become a part of the weirdness, it is at least inexpensive to try. And who knows, maybe it will become your new favorite pencil.

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