Andy Warhol Philosophy Pencils Review

I’ve been an Andy Warhol fan as long as I can remember. His style of art resonates with me, as does the art of younger contemporaries like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Unfortunately, none of these great artists are still with us. I’ve been able to relive some of their lives through diaries, journals, and notebooks, and every now and then a simple reminder like a pencil keeps their memory alive in my head.

The Andy Warhol Philosopy Pencil Set is a reminder of how Warhol was able to get across very simple, and sometimes obvious, points in a way that makes you think. The quotes range from the philosophical, "Art is what you can get away with" , to the cleverly mundane, "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art”, to the wild and fun "Wasting money puts you in a real party mood." I’ve heard these lines dozens of times before but seeing them and reflecting on them while creating with a simple pencil like this is very cool.

The pencils themselves have a clean natural wood look with an HB graphite core. Each of the eight pencils come with their own quote and different colored eraser, which I enjoy. I’m a no eraser or fun eraser guy, and with the range of colors these are definitely fun.

From a writing perspective, the Warhol pencils are what you would expect from a good mid-grade HB pencil. The lead is smooth, leaves a nice line, and has decent tip retention. Basically, your stock HB, which is a good thing.

I didn’t get these pencils with only performance in mind though. I spilt up the 8-pack between my two kids whith the hopes that they will read the quotes and ask about their meaning and who Andy Warhol was. Right now, the color of the eraser is the most important thing to them, but now that homework is back in full swing I have a good feeling we will be able to talk about more than just schoolwork.

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

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.)