Posts filed under Pencil Reviews

Platinum Pro-Use 171 Drafting Pencil 0.9 mm Review

While Platinum may be primarily known in pen addict circles as a manufacturer of fine fountain pens, did you know they also make high-quality drafting pencils as well?

The Platinum Pro-Use 171 is the latest to hit the market, and the best I have tried from a very good Platinum bunch. It is important to get the feel right in a drafting pencil: Weight forward towards the tip, light up top, both working together for ultimate pencil control. Platinum nails the feel with the 171.

The lightly-knurled metal grip section looks, feels, and functions great. It has some weight to it, which it should for proper balance. The knurling provides enough grip without being too aggressive, which would tire out your fingers. It also functions to engage and disengage the pressure-absorbing spring mechanism in the pencil, which helps prevent lead breakage. With a lead as wide as 0.9 mm breakage issues aren’t all that common. I can see this coming into play more with 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm lead widths.

Another feature the 171 has is an adjustable lead pipe sleeve length. This pencil does it differently than other mechanical and drafting pencils I have used with this feature. Instead of twisting to retract or extend the sleeve itself, the nose cone on the Platinum twists up and down to cover the sleeve. Functionally it’s fine, but aesthetically it’s not my favorite look when the sleeve is completely covered. It breaks up the clean lines of the pencil design.

The stock lead the 171 ships with is not noted specifically, but it feels and performs like an stock HB lead. It’s dark and smooth and doesn’t break down too easily. The eraser is shockingly good. I never expect much from small mechanical pencil erasers, but this one takes away the marks completely and cleanly.

I chose the 0.9 mm size to review since I have been enjoying wider lines to sketch with. The Pro-Use 171 also comes in 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm width, each with a different barrel color to denote the tip size. At $19 I can see avid users of drafting pencils buying the full set. The build quality of the pencil is top-notch and should last for years through heavy use. I may have to pick up the 0.3 mm to add to the collection myself. They are that good.

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

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Posted on February 12, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Mechanical Pencil, Drafting Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Pilot Cocoon 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Pilot Cocoon mechanical pencil is a familiar design that was born from the popular Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. I've long been a fan of the Metropolitan, and the Cocoon hits a similar price point and comfort level that makes it easy to love.

Apart from sharing the general shape and feel of the Metropolitan, that's where the similarities stop. This is a pencil after all! Pilot also makes gel pen and other versions of the Metropolitan and Cocoon line, but those all feature a cap system. For the pencil, there is no cap; instead, it looks like a posted Metropolitan or Cocoon all the time.

To advance the lead, just click the cap down a couple of times. The build quality of the pencil is good, which is to be expected for the name. There's a shirt protector built into the tip of the pencil, which prevents the lead from snagging anything when retracted. For my taste, I wish the tip retracted fully into the pencil body, but that's a bit much to ask for the price range. As it works today, I have no real complaints.

0.5mm is the only lead size available in this line of pencils. Pilot could probably sell a few more units if they offered a couple other sizes, but 0.5mm is a good middle ground.

If you remove the cap from the pencil, there's a tiny eraser that closes the lead tube. To refill the lead, just remove the eraser to drop the lead into the tube. Of course, Pilot sell replacement erasers in a set of 5, but I'd recommend picking up a dedicated eraser to use with your pencils.

There's a nice range of colors available for this pencil, from silver, black, white, and several in between. In all, there are eight colors available.

When using the pencil, the Cocoon feels great in the hand. It's not too heavy, but it also offers a great deal of control and stability. I've used it quite a bit and haven't had any complaints on the way the pencil feels. It isn't fair to say that it feels just like the Metropolitan or Cocoon since the overall design and construction is much different. It looks very similar, but feels entirely unique.

All in all, the Cocoon mechanical pencil is a fantastic iteration of a beloved pen lineup from Pilot. It's a solid pencil with a great aesthetic, and also available in a wide variety of fun colors. Students and professionals alike can enjoy this pen, and the price is low enough to make it an easy decision.

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

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Posted on December 27, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pilot, Mechanical Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Sakura Sumo Grip Retractable Eraser Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

When you start delving into the world of pencils, you quickly remember how important erasers are. If you're like me, you probably had an eraser or two in school that looked a little like this:

Pink Pearl erasers

These erasers gave your pencil box a distinctive smell, but I never really thought they were incredibly effective at erasing pencil marks. After working several years at an art supply store, I quickly discovered how varied and focused erasers can be. One of my favorite types of dedicated erasers was the retractable variety, and that's what I'm reviewing today.

The Sakura Sumo Grip retractable eraser is a fantastic design with a soft and efficient eraser core.

On the outside, the Sumo Grip is a long dark gray plastic body with a translucent ruby clip and advancer button. It's understated, but I think it looks pretty cool. It's also pretty sturdy — completely up to the challenge of a messy pencil bag.

Retractable erasers can have some pretty unique eraser advancement mechanisms, but the Sumo Grip is fairly simple. To advance the eraser, simply press the top a couple of times. To use the eraser, just hold the body and wipe away those marks. While some retractable erasers require you to press a button on the side to stay the eraser core, the Sumo Grip has a built in clutch that keeps the eraser from backing into the body. But, if you want to retract the eraser for storage, just press the button on top and push the eraser in for safe keeping.

In use, the Sumo Grip does a great job at erasing pencil marks. I've been trying it with different types of pencils and grades, and I've had fairly consistent results. It performs really well with hard grades, but starts to struggle a bit in the 2B range. It still manages to remove the marks, but it takes a few extra strokes.

According to the information on JetPens, the eraser is made of a micro-porous foam and has certain advantages over other PVC erasers. I don't know much about the different types of eraser materials, but I can vouch for the performance of this particular eraser. With minimal pressure, this eraser can almost completely remove graphite particles from the page with just 3 swipes. In my other tests, going for the complete white out takes just 8 strokes. And, apart from removing the graphite that doesn't belong, it doesn't smear onto the page. It's a clean eraser that does its job well.

The rectangular design (instead of round) gives it a nice edge for making detailed swipes, and the large body gives you plenty of control when making fine adjustments.

Overall, this is a fantastic eraser that I've kept on hand when using pencils. It packs up neatly, does its job well, and doesn't break the bank. At under $4, it's a great deal. You can't order refills, but the entire package is intended to be disposable. You can find other options that offer eraser refills, but this is a great portable option.

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

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