Right, time for a quick shufti at a pencil I picked up a few years ago, the Platinum Mistake. I don’t know it’s proper model number, and I believe it was discontinued many years ago. So, it’s just a plain black plastic body, certainly not going to win any awards for originality there.
There are some grooves cut for the grip-zone, but the only unusual visual feature is the rather strange shallow U-bend in the steel pocket clip.
If you twist the upper half of the body one way you push a 0.5mm pencil tip out, which is then operated as a push top ratchet lead advance mechanism.
If you twist the other way you get an eraser tip, utilising a 2.5mm vinyl eraser core. That’s definitely on the fine side of average, makes Mars Plastic look gargantuan. I haven’t actually used the eraser so can't comment on its erasing abilities.
Just so that you don’t feel short-changed, there is also an eraser in the traditional place under the screw-off top-cap!
Internally the mechanism looks a fairly standard multi-pen type system.
So, nothing flash, but something a little unusual and quite interesting none the less. In some ways I am surprised there aren't more of the eraser-pencil multi combinations, but I guess the small diamater eraser limits their usefulness and appeal.
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5 comments:
"Mistake" is a funny name ;-) The pictures are great!
Hello Dave ;)
Really a strange, huh, "thing" for me... I have a lot of MPs and absolutely never use the erasers that come with the pencils, just because there is nothing better than a Mars Plastic (!).
It sometimes happens that I take a mechanical pencil during some travels, with something to write, but even when it is the case, I prefer to keep a traditional Mars Plastic in my pocket, so I really prefer ***not*** to see too much models like this one, since they would have more chances to deceive me for the quality of the eraser than the contrary.
Hi Pascal
Well I'm basically with you on that one. I virtually never use the MP eraser. But still, quite a few people do like a decent eraser on their MP, hence I'm surprised there are aren't a few more attempts at this sort of thing. Maybe the screw out types on top satisfy the need and are miles cheaper than the multi-pen type mechanisms.
Nothing seems to be easier to conceive in a "traditional" mechanical pencil than an eraser at the top, and in my opinion, the screw out types entails an unnecessary problem of finding refills that you never meet when tou only need leads sometimes, since you can use approximately any brand and any type in 99% of the mechanical pencils (except those that have a strange trend to "break" the extrimity of the lead whatever you do with your mp, like the Bic Rondo or the Stabilo Jet) ... Unfortunately, some attempts without any eraser are not always 100% successful, like the "Bic Select" sold in France at this time : the pencil seems to have been conceived to be pleasant to look and use (and it is, but no retractable tip), but for MP that remains cheap (a little more expensive than the basic models), the cap is so much moving when you shake the pen that it becomes a kind of noisy machine that can disturb the user. No comparison with the excellent Silk Metal (example), with an eraser that I never use "and" a rubber I dont't particularly appreciate, but despite this, the Silk Metal remains one of my favourites (smooth mechanism, comfort... lots of qualities in fact). It remains true, anyway, than when you talk of this kind of "cheap" MP (let's say something around $5 -USD-), you are really far from the "feeling" obtained when you write or draw with a Rotring 600 or an "old" GraphGear 500 (the GraphGear 1000 is really a poor attempt compared to a prehistoric Staedtler Retro, almost... full plastic !). I have bought recently an Ohto Promecha SP-505M "for drawing" on eBay, too, and it's a real disaster, I mean compared to what some users say about the brand in general. Don't know the exact words in English, but the cap is moving and so noisy that the MP sounds as if it was going to break as soon as you move your hand (!). You really can see anything ! I will try to buy a Staedtler of the 925 series one of these days to compare, but the choice is difficult between several models that seem beautiful. Hope I won't be deceived.
;)
P.-S. : GRRR, really a bad thing to be such an addict ! Maybe I will open a blog in Frenchsome day to share all I have noted about current, rare models and strange things such as the Pentel Sharplet Fine... Yep, really a bad thing to be an addict like me, but since I never invest in really expensive models, I am never deceived too much. :)
very odd pencil. have another one? :)
Pascal- You must start up a blog. Would love to read your comments on the various pencils. Even you may be wrong sometimes. :)~
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