So, what makes for a good pencil review?
This is the question I kept asking myself as I was doing the written review at left. I know that form, function, and feel are all considerations, but do you care about things like the stock lead? I imagine most avid readers have a favorite lead that they immediately put in most - if not all - of their pencils. Should the lead itself be its own review? What about the eraser? Do most of you use a separate eraser like the Boxy with your pencils? If I was a heavy user, I certainly would. I would love to hear some of the things your are interested in hearing about the pencils I review.
On to the pencil at hand - the Uni-Ball 552 Drafting Pencil 0.3mm. Why 0.3mm? Well, I love the micro tip pens, so starting small with my pencils seems like a no-brainer. I have found that the stock 0.3mm lead that came with this pencil isn't the best for my writing style though. It is a bit fragile - I think I broke it two or three times writing the review. That is easily remedied with a few different, stronger leads on the market though, which I will look into reviewing as well. Otherwise, I like the look of this pencil, but I think I prefer a heavier full metal or aluminum barrel as opposed to the plastic body on this Uni-Ball. But for a lighter weight drafting style pencil, the 522 Series offers several options, such as 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9mm lead sizes. and the $7.50 price point is reasonable for this genre of pencil.
Click here for the XL review.
