The Magnificent Seven - Part 3
Tombow Zoom Espana Mechanical Pencil
by Pencil PaulThis has to be one of my all time favorite Japanese pencils, again a 0.5 mechanical pencil. For me 0.5 is almost a default setting for pencils, this stems from my career as a graphic design editor. When I started out people actually used pencils in the work place and a 'tablet' was something one took for a headache. Back to the business in hand, this is a beautifully built and finished push button lead advance pencil, with no other tricks up its sleeve, believe me it doesn't need any. Very light in weight therefore effortless even on the long haul, aluminum construction with some cast metal parts. The grip for instance is cast metal and provides just the right amount of 'holding' power showing what can be achieved without recourse to rubber, which I find always breaks up or melts in your hand like in those chocolate ads. The top button is removed by a gentle tug revealing the lead chamber. This thin end is too slight to carry an eraser. Meanwhile down at the front this could almost qualify as a drafting pencil as it does have a short lead sleeve. Not an easy pencil to carry as there is no clip and the lead has to be persuaded back from whence it came by pressing nose down while pressing the advance button - much more civilized to transport it in its own smart maroon red tin. To sum up a lovely writing/drawing instrument both to use and to admire. If you see one on sale, buy it you will not be disappointed.
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| Tombow Zoom Espana Mechanical Pencil |
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6 comments:
Thanks for the next review...
As you probably know, this pencil is part of Tombows La Nave series (AFAIK La Nave Design is the nema of the Spanish studio responsiblke for the design of these pencils). All pens of the series are interesting: the fish-like Oceanic (there is a review here IIRC, this pencil is easy to find), the flat Espana (more difficult to find), the rocket-like Titan (reviewed here, difficult to find) and the stubby Mano (only pen I think).
Every pencil has a cryptic sign on it (fish for the Oceanic, a hand for the Mano, a grain on the Espana and an alien (?) on the Titan.
In my opinion the La Nave series is one of the most remarkable pen series.
Hi 2nd astronaut, Thanks for the extra info on this range of brilliant writing tools, I do have the Oceanic pen, also very nice in use, tactile surface texture just like a fish! Cheers
Thank you for reviewing this interesting pencil. It is a very clever design, there's something goose quill over it – but what is the ”wheel” at the top end really for? Re the Oceanic – the feeling of writing with a fish? :-)
regards Henrik
Hi Yes it does have the Quill shape you are right, The wheel I think is a matter of balance both in the hand and resting on the desk also an asthetic balance to the heavy nose section and a sort of visual stop point. The Oceanic writing with a very fat dried fish! Cheers
I believe this pen is NOT the Espana but the Titan...
Hey guys! I'm a collector from Belgium and I am used to doing an awfull lot of homework. Normally I don't post anything (the kind of 'Stealthy' collector), but I thought this was important enough :
this pen is, as said by Xaltotun, indeed not the Espana (the Espana has it's name written on the barrel!); this one is the Titan!
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