Alvin Draft-Matic Drafting Pencil 0.3 mm Review

What is it about the design of drafting pencils that appeals to me so much? There is something about the clean lines, long lead pipe, and knurling found on many of this type of pencil that is so attractive. The Alvin Draft-Matic Drafting Pencil is a recent addition to the lineup at JetPens, and is one of my new favorites.

You would think the banana yellow barrel would blow my design aesthetic theory out of the water, but I find it one of the most attractive things about this pencil. The bright color makes the chrome clip, cap, and knurling really pop. Speaking of the knurling, this is some of the deepest I have used, meaning the grip can be pretty rough on your fingers. It doesn’t bother me, but then again, back in my golf playing days I wanted my grips to feel like sandpaper.

The barrel color sucked me into buying the 0.3mm lead size, but I think I should have chosen 0.5mm instead. For my ink pens, I almost can’t get too small, but the 0.3mm lead width doesn’t suit my writing style as well. I don’t break a lot of leads, but I am overly conscious about it, so the 0.5mm lead would have been better in the long run.

Many people compare this pencil to the Rotring 500 because of the plastic barrel and knurled grip combination, and that is a fair comp. The knurling on the Rotring is not as rough - which some may like - but it is a few dollars more expensive. Either one makes for a great entry level drafting pencil. The Alvin does have four different lead widths available, and you can even save a few bucks by purchasing a two or three pencil set.

Do You Remember Flipbooks?

I don’t know how you were in middle school and high school, but I was COMPLETELY FOCUSED all of the time. But in the rare instances I wasn’t, the corners of my notebooks made for great flipbook art. I remember making some wicked skateboard and BMX flipbooks in my day.

Ian Applegate has taken the flipbook to the next level, and launched the Flipbook Island! Kickstarter campaign. His girlfriend emailed me to give me the heads up, mainly because Ian uses Rhodia Pads and Sakura Pigma Micron Pens, both of which are some of my favorites.

The Kickstarter campaign has 14 days left and a ways to go to be funded. If you are interested, be sure to head over and check out the great flipbook videos he has posted, and consider donating. I did.

Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Marker Pen Ultramarine Blue Review

I have tested and reviewed a lot of pens over the years, but I am always looking for something new to try out. Readers have recommended that I review the Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner for quite some time, and now that JetPens has started to stock them, I finally have easy access to what happens to be a very good pen.

I grabbed two on my initial order - Black and Ultramarine Blue. While I might use black on a more regular basis, I always like to review some of the non-standard colors, and Ultramarine Blue is a winner. According to the color chart on JetPens, this shade falls right in between Turquoise on the light side and Dark Blue on the darker end of the spectrum. If you have ever tried the Uni-Ball Light Blue ink it reminds me of that a little.

Performance wise, there are no issues to speak of. The water-based ink does bleed through the page just a bit, but like I mentioned in the written review, that is the norm for this type of pen, where the Sharpie Pen is the exception. The long barrel is lightweight and easy to hold, and my lines were clean and sharp.

The best part about this pen is that it is only 80 cents, so for less than a buck you can try out one of the 25 colors available. That is a can’t lose proposition in my book.