Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil - 0.5 mm - Carbon Black Review

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil. It is the first quality mechanical pencil I remember using, and was ubiquitous in offices around the world for decades. Remember the time when you had access to decent quality office supplies at work? Me neither.

Pentel has done a nice job of keeping the brand alive, releasing a metallic plastic body last year and the Carbon Black plastic body this year. It actually took me several months to get this one from JetPens because it would keep selling out every time it restocked. Pentel Sharp fans love their pencils!

What has kept the Sharp so popular for all of these years is the simple but highly effective barrel design. Featuring a slight taper from around mid-barrel to the grip area, it fits the hand just right. The taper continues down through the tip section as well, giving users an unrestricted view of their work. No wonder it was so popular with architects and engineers in its heyday.

The Pentel Sharp's heyday is still here in my opinion. Sure, pencils like the Uni-ball Kuru Toga have surpassed it with technological advances, but as with other classic designs there will always be room on the desk for something this great.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Ink Links

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-- Sailor Kiwa Guro Nano Black – Ink Review (Ed Jelley)

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-- Lamy Red ink review (Peninkcillin)

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-- Review of KUM Tip-Top Pop Pencil Cap & Sharpener (Pencil Revolution)

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-- Desk Accessories for Cubicle Hell (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Three New Mechanical Pencils (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)

Ohto Minimo Ballpoint Pen Review

Take any idea of what you think is a tiny pen and throw it out the window. The Ohto Minimo Ballpoint trumps them all, even claiming it is the world's thinnest ballpoint. After using it I have no disagreement with that statement.

This is the first mini pen I have used where I couldn't use my normal tripod-style grip (index finger and thumb on front, backed by my middle finger). It has been close with other pens like the Zebra T3 but I could always get there. With the Ohto Minimo I could only grip it between my thumb and index finger to write with. This was a problem at first but I adjusted quickly and got decent writing performance.

With a pen this small comfort isn't necessarily the priority - vanishing into any notebook, pocket, or purse is. In fact, Ohto packaged this pen with its own credit card sized holder so you can keep tabs on it. That's a hint folks.

The Minimo is too small for me to get any regular use out of. My choices in the mini pen arena are downright gargantuan comparitively, but I'll stick with the Monteverde Poquito or the Pentel Slicci Techo for my mini needs.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)