(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
It's been several months since I've tried a new pencil of any kind, so I was happy to sit down and switch gears for a while with the new Craft Design Technology 038W mechanical pencil. Immediately after opening the box, I knew I had seen the pencil before, but couldn't place where. Then I remembered seeing one on my dad's drafting table from decades ago. And then I remembered that the pencil I remembered was made by Pentel. Interesting. After investigating the box and small card that came with the packaging, it even gives manufacturing credit to Pentel for the pencil. At any rate, the 038W is a re-branded Pentel Sharp Kerry pencil in a unique colorway, and it's still the great mechanical pencil that Pentel has offered for decades.
If you've never tried a Kerry, you really ought to pick one up and give it a go. It's one of only a few mechanical pencils I can think of that features a capping design. All of the mechanical pencils I own are one piece, and you can easily retract the lead into the pipe when not in use. In some cases, the pipe and cone of the pencil retract into the body for safe keeping. But with the Kerry (or 038W), The cap completely covers the front half of the pencil from the grip section to the lead that protrudes out of the pipe. In this case, you can cap the pencil and stow it without remembering to retract the lead first. The lead won't get broken off in your back, pocket, etc. while not in use! This can be a big perk if you like the lead to stay at the same length in between uses.
The design of this pencil reminds me of fountain pens like the Pilot Murex or M90. While those fountain pens are of a higher quality (and price), there's something about the shapes that my brain can't help but compare. Sure, the Fisher Bullet pen or Kaweco Sport is similar in that the posted pen is a normal length while the capped pen is much smaller, but the Kerry just has a similar vibe as the M90 and Murex.
The pencil is fairly lightweight despite the use of metal in most of the parts. The cap is fairly long, but that gives the pencil a perfect balance when posted. You can also use the pencil without the cap, but it's a little too short for my taste.
The middle part of the body between the grip section and the back of the body is a textured metal that offers a subtle grip. For a standard grip, you won't use this metal piece when writing, but it does provide good handling feel when moving the pencil around when not writing.
The section and back part of the pencil body are made of a white plastic. Aside from these two pieces, everything else is metal. But the metal pieces all feature unique finishes that make them stand out. My favorite look is the cone and tip — it has a satin finish that I really enjoy. There are reflective chrome-like finishes on the nock buttons, and some reflective bits on either side of the middle decorative section. Honestly, I think the overall aesthetic could be improved by reducing the various finishes down to one or two.
Let's talk about the clicker, because that's one of the more interesting things about this pencil. The lead advancement button is on the butt of the pencil, just like most mechanical pencils. But, since this is a capped design, the button is covered when the cap is posted. No good! But Pentel provided an elegant fix for this. There's a "dumb" button on the cap as well that sits on top of the real button when the cap is posted. When posted, the lead advance button feels just like any pencil. It's solid and responsive and you'd never guess that it was detachable. I love it.
When writing with the pencil, the plastic grip does a great job of providing solid grip and control. The nose is tapered heavily and the lead pipe is about 2 mm long, giving you great visibility around the area you're focused on drawing or making marks with a straight edge. It feels great in the hand, and I've really enjoyed using it.
In short, I'm a big fan of the Pentel Sharp pencils, Kerry included. It's cool to see companies like Craft Design Technology put their spin on this classic pencil, and I hope it introduces more people to this great product. It is currently sold out at Yoseka Stationery, so if you want to pick up your own, you can find it on the Craft Design Technology website. According to current currency conversions, it costs about $20 before any shipping or other fees for international customs. If you're already in Japan, this is probably an easy thing to grab. Unless you really want the unique colorway featured here, you can pick up a standard Pentel Sharp Kerry in a number of other colors from your local stationery store or preferred online retailer. For the US, JetPens has several color variations for $16. The great thing about this pencil is that it feels like something that costs more than the price tag. It's a great pencil, and one you should try out if it looks even remotely interesting to you!
(This pencil was purchased from Yoseka Stationery at retail price.)
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