TWSBI Precision Mechanical Pencil Review

Most people know TWSBI for their ever-expanding line of fountain pens, but did you know they make ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils too? I found it to be an interesting decision when TWSBI first introduced these items, but as I have come to expect from them they have created a high quality, fairly priced product.

The model I received for review from JetPens is the TWSBI Precision Mechanical Pencil 0.5 mm with retractable tip. It is a full metal body pencil with a nice knurled-style grip, and a tip that retracts when pressing down on it and clicking the mechanism. It's a nice feature, although not one that is make or break for me personally. What is interesting though is that the retractable tip models are the exact same price ($25) as the fixed tip models. That is not something you see from other vendors. The retractable tip usually costs a premium.

Writing with the Precision is a nice experience. It is well balanced, the knurling is tame, and the provided lead of unknown origin is smooth, dark, and not too soft. The eraser is one of the niceset I have used on a mechanical pencil, removing all traces of graphite easily and cleanly. And it is extra long, so it is far more useful than it's competition. TWSBI also ships extra leads and erasers with the pencil, which is a great bonus.

If you are a mechanical pencil fan, the comparisons to the Rotring 600 are inevitable. The TWSBI Precision is less expensive and has the added retractable tip option, but the Rotring 600 is widely considered to be one of the best drafting pencils ever made. There is something about its feel that is solid and dense, yet its light enough to allow you to glide across the page without knowing the pencil is there.

So yes, gun to my head I take the Rotring 600 over the TWSBI Precision, but that's just me. The TWSBI is excellent in its own right, and fits in nicely with its competition in this price range. I look forward to seeing what else TWSBI has up their sleeve in the non-fountain pen realm.

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

Pentel Graph Gear 800 Drafting Pencil Review

Like micro-tip gel ink pens, mechanical pencils are a tool I like to have handy everywhere I may be writing. There is something about their technical design and fine lines that speak to me, and the Pentel Graph Gear 800 is a nice addition to my lineup.

Pentel’s Graph Gear lineup is well known and widely respected. The 1000 model drafting pencil and ballpoint are hugely popular with their aluminum barrel construction, but there is a definite place for the plastic barrel of the 800 lineup. The key is in the grip. It is metal, giving it the proper weight and balance for a drafting pencil, and features the same rubber pads that give other Graph Gear models an excellent feel.

Pentel color codes their barrels to match lead diameters, with black for 0.5 mm, blue for 0.7 mm, and yellow for 0.9 mm (green is 0.4 mm and brown is 0.3 mm for those product lines that use them). This is helpful for professionals who may have a lineup of pencils on their table when having to switch up line widths.

I find using the Graph Gear 800 to be a real pleasure. It is a comfortable writer while retaining the solid feel of the twice as expensive 1000 model. I prefer it over the less expensive Pentel Sharp model as well. The grip alone is worth the added cost.

Overall, this is a quality drafting pencil that I’m happy to have at my desk.

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

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.