Zebra DelGuard Type-ER 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.)

Mechanical pencils come in all shapes and sizes, and it seems that most manufacturers try to introduce a unique angle or feature for their pencils to make them stand out from the pack. Some times, the features are pure gimmicks, but other times we benefit from the ingenuity of their design. In the case of the Zebra DelGuard Type-ER, it's the latter.

The DelGuard Type-ER looks like an ordinary mechanical pencil, but it has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. The first one involves the eraser. Many mechanical pencils hide the eraser under the click mechanism cap, which means you have to remove it in order to erase. Unfortunately, this makes the metal cap easy to lose. Other pencils use some sort of twist or push mechanism to show or hide the eraser when you need it. This is good, but the Zebra takes it a step further by relying on gravity and friction.

See, when you're writing with the pencil, the eraser is hidden inside the cap. But, when you turn the pencil upside down to erase, the eraser pops out. Once you apply some pressure to the eraser, the friction between the eraser casing and the pen body cause it to stay put while you erase. Brilliant. The only time this won't work well is if you're trying to erase in a position where the normal assumptions of gravity aren't true (say, upside down or up against a wall).

The other tricks this pencil boasts involve the lead system. We all know that if you press too hard on mechanical pencil pencil lead, it will break. Well, the DelGuard Type-ER has a couple of springs in the body that prevent that from happening. Are you pushing down on the lead too hard? Then the lead pipe will slide down to protect the lead until the pressure eases. Same thing is true if it detects too much sideways pressures on the lead. This is handy if you're tracing a ruler with the pencil at an angle and don't realize you're pressing down too hard. Very nifty indeed.

In my tests, this system works great. I'm more prone to put too much pressure on the lead from the side, so this feature is a lead saver for me. It also serves as a training tool to let me know (without wasting lead) that I'm pressing too hard while writing or drawing.

This pencil doesn't have a fancy click mechanism, a lead rotation device, or any of the other usual niceties, but the two features it does sport are down-right cool.

Apart from that, the grip on this pencil is extremely comfortable. Even without the lead protection system and cool eraser, this is a great pencil.

The Zebra Del-Guard Type-ER only works with 0.5mm lead, but it comes in a variety of colors (with an extra couple of erasers included) at JetPens. It will set you back about $12, but that's a sweet price for a pen with a couple of surprising tricks. I've been pleasantly surprised by it, and I'll be keeping it in my "top five" list of mechanical pencils for a while.

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

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Alvin Draft-Matic Drafting Pencil Mab Graves Limited Edition Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Alvin mechanical pencils are much beloved, and these special Mab Graves Limited Edition colors add a lovely bit of charm to a tried-and-true product. The .3mm lead comes in pink, the .5mm in mint green, and the .7mm in violet. Mab chose the colors to represent herself and her Contemporary Pop-Surrealist art style. She also designed the gorgeous packaging with some of her signature 60's style space fairies. The back of the packaging features Mab's bio and her statement of affection for the Alvin Draft-Matic.

The pencils themselves are paragons of practicality. They have a plastic barrel with knurled metal grip and spinning lead indicator, a metal clip, a top button click to advance the lead, a capped eraser, and a 4mm long lead sleeve for drafting accuracy.

The plastic body helps keep the pencil light, to reduce hand fatigue. The interior threads are all metal, to keep them from wearing out. The pencil is still decently hefty. The knurled grip is pretty intense. You're not likely to drop it--I wonder if it might even stick to the wall. This may lead to some discomfort during long drawing sessions, at least until you and your pencil wear each other in.

The capped eraser is one of the tiny cylinder sort, but it erases very well. You'll definitely need another eraser on hand, though. The eraser plugs the lead chamber, which is quite narrow but holds a few backup sticks. The clip feels nice and sturdy. The lead sleeve is long--but it doesn't retract into the nose, so there's some risk of it being bent if it isn't cared for. The lead grade indicator is a handy accessory--but this one spins a bit too freely. The knurling even seems to help it catch on things and rotate when you don't want it to. I wouldn't consider it a terribly reliable indicator. It gives options for 4H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, and 2B. The pencils came with the indicator set to HB, but the lead it comes with is B. The lead itself was very nice to use. It was smooth and nicely dark, and it never broke as I wrote--even when I scribbled with the miniscule .3mm size.

Overall these are a pleasure to use, and I love the aesthetic of this special edition. The artwork on the packaging is so fun, I almost hated to tear it open. But there were great pencils inside, so I overcame my hesitation. They're of course perfect for drafting, but they're also great for sketching or writing. I think they're a good value for the price, and they feel and perform as well as much more expensive pencils.

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

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Ohto Conception 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 genre of mechanical drafting pencils has always been fascinating to me. They tend to look like industrial tools meant for a precise purpose compared to the grade school pencils I was accustomed to when growing up. It's a great genre, and there's a lot of interesting nuances between the different designs. Some of these pencils have special features that set them apart from the rest, but are those features always welcome? Well, it's likely a matter of preference.

The Ohto Conception Mechanical Pencil is one of these drafting pencils that has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. At $23, it doesn't break the bank compared to other higher-end drafting pencils. It's roughly the same size as a Rotring 600, although the Rotring has more heft due to the materials and better build quality. But, the Rotring 600 doesn't cost $23, either.

Straight from the JetPens product description, here's what the Ohto Conception sets out to do:

This ingenious mechanical pencil features two modes: drafting pencil mode and lead guard mode.

What this really comes down to is the ability to use or retract a guide pipe. In "drafting" mode, the pencil utilizes a 4mm lead guard for use with straightedges and other tools that the drafting trade requires. This is something we're all used to, and something that most drafting pencils have built in.

However, you can also retract the guide pipe, which allows the pipe to protect the lead as it wears down. As you write, the lead becomes shorter and the sleeve continues to retract as needed so you can continue writing. In practice, this means that there is a smaller chance of breaking the lead when writing because it never sticks out far enough to be brittle. The metal guide pipe keeps it stable and protected, but doesn't require you to advance the lead as often.

So, how do you switch between these two modes? Easy: just twist the pencil grip section to enable/disable drafting mode. There's a red section under the grip that is exposed when in "lead guard" mode, and that red section is barely visible in drafting mode.

Pretty neat trick, right? In practice, it works great. And, another great benefit of being able to retract the lead pipe is that the pencil can't poke holes in fabric or get caught on bags. This has happened to me a few times. The tiny lead pipe will either poke a hole in a shirt, or jab my leg through a pants pocket. Needless to say, that's not pleasant. Simple twist the grip section to retract the lead pipe, push the lead back in, and you're ready to go. The tip of the pen is now a round tip that won't cause any problems with clothing or bags.

But wait, there's more! The Conception has another trick. You can dial in the amount of lead is advanced when you click the cap. It ranges from 0.2mm to 2.0mm. Crazy, right? I didn't find myself adjusting this very often, but it was nice to dial it in and find my "sweet spot" for lead advancement so that it only took one click to get my ideal amount of lead out for writing. Very nifty feature.

My main complaint with this feature is that the click mechanism feels cheap and weak. The pencil works great, and I've never had any problems with it. This is purely a complaint about the way it feels. Also, if the lead guard is retracted, there is more distance in the click mechanism, and it makes a little more noise than when the pencil is in drafting mode. Again, this doesn't affect the performance of the pencil, but does detract from the experience.

Apart from that, the pencil works exactly as you'd expect. There's a tiny eraser hidden under the click mechanism, and that's also where you refill the lead.

This model uses 0.3mm lead, which is my favorite mechanical pencil lead size. You can also find the Conception with 0.5mm lead size, though.

The pencil is made up of aluminum, and the grip section is made of brass. This combination of metals give the pencil a great balance and feel.

The grip section is another area of major contention for me. It's way too smooth for me. There's a small amount of texture on the grip, but it's microscopic and offers no real texture for gripping and writing. Practically, it's smooth metal. If there is any moisture on your fingers at all, this pencil starts slipping. This was frustrating, and something to consider if you're looking at this pencil. If you'll be using it outside in the heat, you might want to look for another option that has a better grip!

Apart from those couple of gripes, this is a really cool pencil. It's a hard sell for me because I lean heavily toward the Rotring drafting pencils. At $23, the Conception doesn't make sense when compared to the Rotring 600 or Rapid Pro because they are only 10 or 17 dollars more, respectively. If the ability to retract the lead guard is important, then the Conception is a good choice. The added option to control the amount of lead that advances with each click is also nifty, but I think the Rotring is still a better pencil.

If black isn't your game, then the Ohto Conception also comes in a few other colors.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!