Kaweco Sketch Up Clutch Lead Holder Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Kaweco Sketch Up Lead Holder is a brass instrument for holding lead between 5.4 and 5.7mm thick. It comes with one 5.6mm 5B graphite lead, so you'll probably want to order refills (see below) along with your lead holder.

The Sketch is a solid instrument with an octagonal barrel. It is 10.3cm in length, 13.8cm in diameter, and weighs 1.5oz. It does not come with a clip, but you can add one if you like for $6.75.

The clutch mechanism looks like something out of Alien or Terminator. In other words, it's pretty cool. You press on the back push button to open the clutch and insert the lead. This is also how you advance or retract the lead.

The push button is removable, and integrated inside is a lead sharpener. This lead holder is like a James Bond gizmo–a removable push button with a secret sharpener, a clutch mechanism that could be used to crush someone's pinky while interrogating them, and a pencil, too!

The Sketch feels comfortable in the hand, and although it is heavy, the weight is balanced. I didn't feel any fatigue using it to sketch. However, JetPens also offers plastic versions if you think the brass might be too heavy (see below).

The lead itself is soft and malleable. You can draw fine lines when the lead is sharp and use the sides for softer, thicker lines. Because the lead is so soft, it smears easily, so keep a good, soft eraser handy.

My daughter is the real artist in the family. She used the Kaweco Sketch to draw this griffin. Pretty impressive, huh? (I'm a wee bit biased).

Here's a closeup of the lead on paper.

The sketchbook used for these drawings is the Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Premium Sketchbook for multimedia. It is an excellent 62-page sketchbook, with a hardback cover and archival 150gsm paper. The pages are sewn and the notebook lies flat if you bend back the binding. These are available at Dick Blick for $15.99.

You can order the Kaweco Sketch Up Clutch Lead Holder from JetPens for $36.00. A brass chrome version is also available as are three plastic versions (3.2mm in gray, black and mint) for $19.00 each. A variety of refills are available, including Kaweco graphite 3-pack ($6.50) and Kaweco colored lead 3 packs (in blue, red, yellow, green) ($6.50). E+M offers a pack of eight colored leads for $10.00.

Uni Mitsubishi 9000 Pencil 3H Review

I would hesitate to call 2015 the year of the pencil for me personally, but dang if I'm not finding myself using them more and more. I have received several sampler packs from the Erasable crew, and of course JetPens keeps bringing in some of the top brands from Japan like this Uni Mitsubishi 9000.

The 9000 is a standard issue wood case pencil with a range of ten different lead grades. I branched out a bit for this review, choosing the 3H instead of a normal middle grade. I hadn't used a lead this hard yet so I was interested to see what it is all about.

My tendencies lead me to firmer, finer pens so my tastes in pencils should be about the same, right? It seems to be that way because this 3H is fantastic. The worry with harder lead grades is that the lines are much lighter, but with the 9000 I found it to be completely acceptable. In fact, it's right on the money. My lines were sharp, consistent, and easily dark enough to read.

When used side by side with more mid-range lead grades like HB it is clearly lighter, but not as much as I thought it would be. And when you add in the slick green paint job and the phrase "Made By Elaborate Process" stamped into the barrel, there is a lot to like about this pencil. The only hangup for some may be the lack of eraser, but this is my preferred style.

At some point I will put together a Top 5 wood case pencil list, and the 9000 will get consideration for the back end of the list. The Tombow Mono and Blackwing 602 are my go to pencils still but I am keeping this Uni on the radar.

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

Sonic Ratchetta Capsule Pencil Sharpener Review

Pencils are a thing, even for a pen addict, and now that I carry wooden pencils with me frequently I need a portable pencil sharpener to keep me company. The Sonic Ratchetta Capsule Pencil Sharpener fits the bill nicely.

I’m all set at home with the desktop Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener, but hauling that around in my backpack doesn’t exactly fly. I’ve also seen many open blade models where the pencil shavings go everywhere you don’t want them to be. I’m a bit of a neat freak - which was part of my pencil hangup in the first place - so having a compartment to hold the shavings until I am able to dump them out fits my needs perfectly.

The Rachetta handles that task well, but what really sets it apart is the way you sharpen the pencil itself. It’s like a socket wrench or ratchet screwdriver in that you don’t have to readjust your grip with each twist. The ratcheting mechanism lets you work your sharpening magic with ease. A little back and forth and a fresh new point is yours.

There are also two point settings on the sharpener: Fine point and broad point. The fine is what you think of with a traditional pencil, and the broad is useful for colored pencils or those who want wider, softer lines.

For someone who is not a traditional pencil person I’m impressed with the Sonic Rachetta. For only $5.50 and your choice of five colors it is a solid addition to your daily carry.

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