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.

Staedtler 925 Drafting Pencil 0.9 mm Review

What is the master of the micro tip doing reviewing an 0.9mm pencil? I thought the same thing when I ordered the Staedtler 925 Drafting Pencil, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone a little bit to realize there are some really great products out there. This Staedtler is one of them.

I hedged a little bit by going with the plastic barrel 925 as opposed to the more expensive 925-25 and 925-35 aluminum body pencils. I wanted to get a feel for the 0.9mm lead more than anything, and as it turns out, I really like it.

The base 925 model has a black plastic barrel, rubber grip, and a different colored lead grade indicator for each lead width (orange for 0.9mm). The eraser is standard drafting pencil fare, which is why I always recommend a stand alone eraser for this type of pencil - something like the Uni-Ball Boxy.

I found out quickly that I like the 0.9mm lead width when taking notes. It feels weird to compare a pencil to a pen, but the output to me is similar to that of the Sharpie Pen. Wide, bold lines, but very sharp and controllable. I don't think I would want to design the next Guggenheim Bilbao with it, but the lead width is great for sketching and wireframes.

Does anyone have much experience with 0.9mm lead widths? I would love to hear what your uses are, so let me know in the comments section.

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.