Ink Links

-- Papermates Best Years  (My Supply Room)

-- Kaweco Sport - One Was Not Enough  (Unposted)

-- Review: Pentel EnerGel NV Plus GIVEAWAY!  (Mightier Than The Sword)

-- Yasutomo Niji Roll pencil holder review  (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Pencil and Pen Retail Therapy. A Taste of Conté  (Palimpsest)

-- Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38mm Green Black  (A Penchant for Paper)

-- The Violet Lines  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Nomadic PN-02 Side Pocket Pencil Case – Navy  (Pens'n'Paper)

-- Kum Pencil Sharpeners at the NSS  (Pocket Blonde)

-- Staples Eco Friendly Notebook with Bagasse Paper  (Office Supply Geek)

-- Copic Multiliner SP  (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Graph Paper – Better for Handwriting?  (Rhodia Drive)

-- Let’s Do it Again: Old School Office Supplies  (Does This Pen Write?)

-- Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil – 7  (Pencil Talk)

-- Review: Clairefontaine Twinbook  (Spiritual Evolution of the Bean)

-- it's an obsession  (yiann)

-- I’ve Got Pens!  (Jade Star's Blog)

Nomadic Two Layer Pencil Case & Seed Slendy + Slim Eraser Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Nomadic Two Layer Pencil Case & Seed Slendy + Slim Eraser.  Random.org has come forth with number 194 this morning, making Alyssa the winner:

The streak is over!  The streak is over!  Alyssa has finally won something!  Congrats Alyssa, here is what I need from you:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Send me an email with your mailing address using the email address on the sidebar.

Thanks again to all who entered, and look for another giveaway very soon.

Review: Pentel Smash Q1005 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil

This looks to be the official start of a new, fun, and possibly unhealthy addiction to drafting style mechanical pencils.  As I related a bit in the written review at left, I have always been a fan of this type of pencil, but I haven't had much use for them for over a decade.  But as I dig deeper into the pen and pencil world, the pull of the drafting pencil tractor beam finally has me in its grasp.

The Pentel Smash mechanical pencil ($15.00 at JetPens) spoke to me with its long, clean lines, plus its nearly all black color.  I have been on an all black kick recently, and this pencil fit the bill perfectly.  Another of the big selling points of this pencil is the unique grip area, which is comprised of small rubber squares.  When you grip the pencil there is a slight amount of give in the squares, so they are not really sticking you in your finger pads, but rather providing a nice cushion while you write or draw.  It is a pretty unique feel.

The plunger of the pencil has a pretty cool design as well.  It is kind of a rubber compression looking piece, but it pops on and off easily for access to the eraser.  Right now, I am using the stock 0.5mm HB lead that came with the pencil which seems very nice, and going forward, I am going to work on trying out different leads and erasers.

The Pentel Smash has been a nice find, and I look forward to trying out many more drafting style mechanical pencils.

Click here for the XL review.

See also:

Uni-Ball Kuru Toga High Grade 0.5mm