Uni-Ball Kuru Toga Video Review

The Uni-Ball Kuru Toga Roulette is the latest Kuru Toga release stocked by JetPens, and since I have already done written reviews for the Original and the High Grade, I decided to do a quick video with all three. A few notes:

1. I am still figuring out how to best do these videos. I am just using my laptop webcam, which does a decent job, but I had bad lighting in this one, plus the sound is low. Still a work in progress.

2. I wised-up after my last Ustream chat - record video AFTER the kids go to bed.

3. I don't script or edit any of my videos. This is not some random stance I am trying to take, but I just don't have the time. I have a general idea in my head of what I want to talk about, and stumble and stammer through it as best as I can. I'd love a higher production value, but that is a long way down the line.

Anyway, check it out, and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comments section.

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: Platinum Pro-Use Mechanical Pencil 0.7mm

When the Platinum Pro-Use 0.5mm Ballpoint caught me by surprise a few months ago I knew it wouldn't be long before I added more Platinum Pro tools to my arsenal.  The build quality and performance were great on the ballpoint, but would that carry over to a similarly styled pencil?

Without a doubt, yes.  The Platinum Pro-Use Mechanical Pencil is a great feeling pencil.  The aluminum construction is top notch, and it feels well balanced in the hand.  The body type is the slim version, and it also comes in a wide, whcih is similar in style to the ballpoint I reviewed.  I thought the slim would work better for a drafting type pencil, and it does a great job.  I don't often buy 0.7mm lead width pencils, but I thought I would give this one a try, and it is not too bad, although my preference still lies in the 0.3mm and 0.5mm widths, which this Platinum Pro-Use also comes in.

On the negative side, there really isn't too much to complain about.  Standard small eraser issues apply here, but like I have mentioned before, heavy users are going to have their own eraser on the side anyway, so I really don't detract for that.  At $15 it is a little pricey, and yes, I would rather have a Kuru Toga High Grade over this pencil, but it is very nice none the less.

Click here for the XL review.

Products used:

Platinum Pro-Use Mechanil Pencil 0.7mm from JetPens

Large Writing Pad from Doane Paper