Posts filed under Mechanical Pencil

Lamy 2000 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 Lamy 2000 is a timeless, attractive design that we're all familiar with. The fountain pen is certainly the flagship version of this beautiful design, but there are several other variations to fit the needs of many people. In this case, we're looking at the Lamy 2000 mechanical pencil.

I'm not a connoisseur of mechanical pencils, but I understand if a pencil I'm using is well-made. With the Lamy 2000, it's a sturdy, dependable pencil worthy of the name. The copy I have is of the 0.5mm lead size, but they're also available in 0.7mm.

The lead advancement mechanism is pretty standard — just depress the top of the pen to advance the lead. Under the top, you'll find a small eraser, and beneath that you'll find access to the lead compartment, as well as a handy tool for cleaning out lead jams. Like most mechanical pencils, the eraser included on the pencil is only intended for dire circumstances. A proper eraser is something you should keep close by when using this pencil.

The clip, like all the other Lamy 2000 variations, has a spring and hinge that makes it easy to use. And when you're using the clip to store or transport the pencil, you also don't need to worry about the point damaging your clothes or cases. The Lamy 2000 pencil features a nice blunt cone at the tip that ensures it won't poke through any fabric.

The pencil (of course) has the unique nose cone that sets the Lamy 2000 apart. The rest of the material (Makrolon) has a warm, smooth touch and gives the pencil a distinctive look.

If you need to perform any maintenance, the pencil comes apart about a third of the way up from the tip, giving you access to the inner workings. From here, you can remove the entire pencil mechanism for inspection.

Even though the pencil looks almost identical to the fountain pen, it's a bit slimmer in diameter. Still, it's extremely comfortable to use and hold. It's very light when compared to other premium mechanical pencils since metal is a common material for the genre.

Overall, the Lamy 2000 mechanical pencil is a worthy cousin to the Lamy 2000 fountain pen. It takes a classic, successful design and morphs it into another useful tool. The price might turn some away, but at around $55 it will certainly entice many.

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Posted on November 29, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Mechanical Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Zebra DelGuard Type-Lx 0.3 mm Mechanical Pencil Review

Zebra has been making inroads in the mechanical pencil market over the past couple of years, and the DelGuard model has been the primary vessel.

The DelGuard features an internal mechanism to prevent lead breakage for both vertical and sideways pressure. It works amazingly well in every model we have reviewed on the blog. Never once have I had a lead breakage or writing consistency issue.

Since Zebra has seemingly nailed this technology, they have ramped up the styles and models available in the DelGuard. There are different price points, different materials, and yes, even Hello Kitty. Getting that Sanrio deal is when you know you have made it in the stationery market.

The model I’m reviewing today is the Type-Lx, which is currently the highest priced model at $13.50. It’s the only DelGuard model to feature a metal grip section, which is where much of the price increase lies. It also features a rotating grip section which none of the other models have…and I wish this one didn’t have it either.

I was ready to compare this pencil - at least in barrel style and price point - to the Uni-ball Kuru Toga High Grade and the Uni-ball Shift Pipe Lock. Both are metal section/plastic barrel mechanical pencils in the same price range, each with a different feature set than the DelGuard. But this rotating section threw me for a loop.

Why it is there I can’t fully say. It’s not listed in the product description, and I didn’t even notice it until I slid my fingers down to where the nose cone connects with the section. Have you even been using a pen and feel like the nose cone has started to come unthreaded from the barrel? That’s what I assumed I was feeling. No big deal, I’ll just tighten it back up. What, what? The whole thing rotates 360 degrees?

I don’t like it, and it is unnecessary. I can’t figure out why it was designed this way technically either. If it was an auto-tip rotation pencil like the Kuru Toga I’d understand, but this is a lead protection pencil. Maybe pressure gets displaced slightly as you write, lessening the chance of breakage? If that is the case, the the Type-Lx has better design than all of the other DelGuards, which doesn’t make logical sense.

Traditionally, one rotates the pencil in hand while writing as the lead wears down. Having the section rotate eliminates that on occasion, like if the clip of the pencil is resting in the cusp of your hand in the direction you are rotating. You will attempt to spin the pencil but the clip works against the section rotation, and it gets you nowhere.

Yes, I obsess over these somewhat minor things because there are better choices for you to make. I can’t think of a situation offhand where I would recommend this pencil over any of the lower priced DelGuards.

DelGuard technology is fantastic and the build quality of these pencils is excellent. Just don’t feel like you are getting an upgraded experience buying the upgraded barrel. In fact, it could be a downgrade for you like it was for me.

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

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Posted on October 30, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Zebra, DelGuard, Mechanical Pencil.

Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 Review

Andrew Sanderson, the owner and designer behind Modern Fuel, sent me a prototype of his 1.0 mechanical pencil last year to get feedback on. I liked it, but didn’t love it, and explained to him why. It was too light, and the balance was a bit off. The refinement for a 1.0 release wasn’t there, at least in my book.

With Version 2.0, Andrew has made all the updates I personally was looking for in a quality machined mechanical pencil, and, after getting to test out this prototype, I am happy to back his current Kickstarter project.

The change list from Version 1.0 to Version 2.0 is large, and includes new materials, a retractable tip, and most impressively, a custom built internal mechanism. That last item alone had to be quite an engineering feat.

By designing his own mechanism, Andrew allows you to easily swap out the internals of the pencil and change the lead size. 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm , and 0.9 mm mechanisms are available, and you can even order all three for a single pencil. The retractable tip was a pleasant surprise as well. I didn’t expect that at all, but it is a big bonus for mechanical pencil fans.

My prototype model is made from stainless steel, and is accordingly heavy. Not too heavy, mind you, but I prefer using the 0.9 mm mechanism due to the weight. In general, the heavier or larger the pen or pencil, the wider the tip I prefer. The 0.9 mm delivers a line similar to using a wooden pencil, and allows for a greater range of motion when writing. I’m still surprised at how much I like the width.

One add-on that I haven’t seen offered before is an option for an eraser plug. The standard configuration ships with an eraser, but you can buy an accessory that allows you to remove the eraser and seal the opening. I’m generally a no pencil eraser person, but I think I prefer having the eraser available on this style of pencil. I don’t think the plug adds anything style or functionality wise and likely isn’t worth the additional $12 unless you are really committed to the look.

Like most of our buying decisions, this one comes down to value. Will you get enough usage out of this product to justify the price? The Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil starts at $70 for Stainless Steel, Brass, or Copper, and $130 for Titanium. That’s very expensive, but worth it in my book. The amount of engineering alone justifies the price for me, plus I like supporting people who make cool things. After using this prototype for the past few weeks I decided to back the Stainless Steel model, and am excited to get this in the rotation once the project completes.

My thanks to Modern Fuel for loaning me this prototype for purposes of this review.

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