tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216756082024-03-16T14:09:26.329+13:00DMP - Dave's Mechanical PencilsMy mechanical pencil collection and various related things, thoughts and musings about them, reviews of mechanical pencils and other items, and more. I'm not prejudiced - all forms of pencils and graphite are welcome here, even some ink sneaks in too. You can use the sidebar links to find mechanical pencil reviews and other stuff.Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.comBlogger614125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-83725892239375505812022-02-01T04:00:00.001+13:002022-02-01T04:00:00.174+13:00Lead In The Real WorldI’m sure pretty sure all of us mechanical pencil people have our own favourite lead sizes, grades and brands, but I’ve always been interested in what lead sizes are actually used by the population at large, out there in the real world. Twelve years ago I started making some efforts to actually answer the question, by asking industry sources – retailers, distributors and manufacturers. Some didn’tKiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-25718246196037248382022-01-19T03:00:00.001+13:002022-01-19T03:00:00.181+13:00Faber-Castell Lower Price Range Mechanical PencilsA Comparative Review of Some Faber Castell Low Price Range General Writing Mechanical PencilsGuest Post by TomAbout half a year ago, I discovered Dave’s mechanical pencils blog. As someone who just got into the hobby of collecting woodcase pencils, the blog opened up a whole new world of mechanical pencils to me. I enjoyed reading through the reviews, so I decided to get in touch and offered to Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-19413378696903307942021-12-07T17:15:00.000+13:002021-12-07T17:15:21.838+13:00Oranges and Lemons A little bit of silliness for the end of the year.How many lemons are there in this picture?Pencils, fruit and ...?Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-77191292174784207402021-11-13T09:16:00.000+13:002021-11-13T09:16:55.800+13:00Otto Hutt Design 02 Mechanical Pencil & HallmarksDragged into the 21st Century by Otto Hutt.Sterling Silver. It really is incomparable if you like a lustrous shiny writing instrument, and for an added bonus you often get lovely British hallmarks, those little symbols that reveal so much about who and when your object was made.Otto Hutt Design 02 Mechanical PencilOnce whilst aimlessly wandering the internet I came across Otto Hutt, the German Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-56714285719220059022021-10-28T18:16:00.000+13:002021-10-28T18:16:16.760+13:00Gone and Back Had to take the blog offline for a while, but it's back.Might even post something sometime soon 😉Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-26776722851658761802019-12-31T21:30:00.000+13:002019-12-31T21:30:04.591+13:00Rocky 2020Rocky has been waiting patiently, counting down the decades, the years, the months, the days, the hours and now his time has finally arrived. He's going to party hard tonight, going to shake the lead out and party like it's 1989 all over again :)
Happy 2020 to you all, from Rocky and I.
Hope you have a great year.Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-68732492489611959472019-08-04T07:23:00.000+12:002019-08-04T07:23:45.869+12:00Lamy 2000 Mechanical Pencil - Guest ReviewThe recent Cult Pens Mechanical Pencil Day Giveaway was won by 'Dash Lambda'. Here is his review of the pencil that he chose as his prize.
Hello! I’m not great at introductions, so here’s the gist: I’m the guy that won the Cult Pens giveaway, and here’s a review of what I got, thanks to Cult Pens:
It’s a LAMY 2000 pencil, .5mm flavor. It comes in a rather serious-looking box, probably the Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-86066335839660890672019-07-13T06:04:00.000+12:002019-07-13T06:04:32.580+12:00Winner - Cult Pens Mechanical Pencil Day GiveawayWe have ourselves a winner.
Thanks to Cult Pens for the giveaway of GBP 50. If you haven't already visited their mechanical pencil specials then do so. Some good discounts and other deals are still available.
Good to hear from all of you who entered the contest. I am surprised at how few of you took the opportunity of a second entry by leaving a comment. Only 13 out of 72 entrants. Perhaps I Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-32190990160527469172019-07-05T01:30:00.000+12:002019-07-13T06:05:35.719+12:00Mechanical Pencil Day - 2019 - GiveawayTHIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
Last year Cult Pens had their 05/07 (or 07/05) Mechanical Pencil Day, and it's back again this year. Head on over to Cult Pens to see the specials.
Like last year, they have also generously offered a giveaway for you - a voucher to spend on their website to the value of GBP 50 plus free international shipping. GBP 50 is about US$62. So, how do you enter the contest Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-46890588906541218432019-06-14T11:34:00.000+12:002019-06-14T11:34:46.829+12:00Zebra DelGuard - The Other EndThe Zebra DelGuard range of mechanical pencils has been around for a while, but hasn’t been mentioned on this blog before, so it’s time to put an end to that. The DelGuard system is a very effective anti-“lead breakage” invention. Sure, you can still break the lead if you advance it out a stupidly long way, but for all reasonable intents and purposes, leads in a DelGuard mechanical pencil are Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-20944780832434293292019-05-26T10:05:00.001+12:002019-05-26T10:05:54.976+12:00Scripto KingsmarkHere's a very nice ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil set by Scripto. In original box with instruction sheet / guarantee and price tag. Quite thin and lightweight, but metal construction. Cisele pattern engraved body. The mechanical pencil is a screw mechanism, 0.9mm lead.
I don't know much about Scripto, but I assume this would have been one of their top end products, and I guess it Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-42662205388374040162019-05-17T10:49:00.000+12:002019-05-17T10:49:04.957+12:00Radio SilenceMy apologies for the radio silence. Normal transmission will be resumed soon.
"The Unbroken Vista"
Zebra Hill to Delguard Peak
Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-90631531390296131572019-03-02T08:56:00.001+13:002019-03-02T08:56:12.930+13:00Winner - Jeopardy GiveawaySo, the number is 542, which means "Paul" is the winner.
Paul, please email me - address is in the sidebar About Me, My Profile.
"Hue T", you are second so you might want to contact me too just in case Paul doesn't :)Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-86310111808230422412019-02-26T01:30:00.000+13:002019-02-26T01:30:01.074+13:00The Ohto Uni Returning DuetHere is the latest addition to the collection, the Ohto Piston Sharp SP-5. My birthday present to me :)
I first read of the Ohto Piston Sharp mechanical pencil in a Reddit post by 2nd_Astronaut. It immediately reminded of my Uni Returns M5-318 pencil. Unfortunately the Uni Returns has not fared well over the years. The elastomer grip is a sticky yucky mess. I have to store it wrapped in Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-63150640401236556742019-02-19T01:30:00.000+13:002019-02-19T16:12:12.756+13:00Birthday Giveaway - Jeopardy****UPDATED****
The rules around a tie have changed. You can choose the same number as someone else if you want.
***********
Over in the sidebar is my Jeopardy game.
The number has usually been going down since I started reducing the collection. Here's the monthly numbers
2018
March = 741
April = 711
May = 655
June = 625
July = 625
August = 605
September = 589
October = 544
November = 542
Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-84674824705965796192019-02-12T01:30:00.000+13:002019-02-12T01:30:01.866+13:00Lead DisplayI have accumulated a few kilometers of lead over the years and decided that my leads should have their day in the sun too. So here's a few - some old, some new.
From the back row to the front, left to right.
Pentel blue leads. The first is just 'color leads', the second has a blue band and says blue but the third is black band and says blue. Modern Ain and Ain Stein.
Some old Pilot.Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-65162411437208846702019-02-05T01:30:00.000+13:002019-02-05T01:30:04.501+13:00Diplomat Aero Mechanical Pencil Review
Diplomat Aero Mechanical Pencil Review
I very much enjoy reading Pencil Ponder blog by Martha. One of the things I especially like is how many of her posts have some personal family connection to the subject pencil at hand, and I have long envied that. I am currently in thirteenth birthday mode, surely an auspicious time for a personal connection post, so with that in mind, here’s my recently Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-59264249083724658652019-02-01T01:30:00.000+13:002019-02-03T05:19:16.185+13:0013th Birthday GiveawayHmmm, it's my birthday and I'm giving you presents? It's an upside down world :)
13 is a bit of a strange number, so for this Giveaway I have two mechanical pencils which are a little bit strange. Both of them are new and unused (apart from opening up for this photoshoot), and were sent to me by Cult Pens quite a long time ago. So even though they don't know it, they are helping the birthday Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-16914914001944245992019-01-30T00:30:00.000+13:002019-01-30T00:30:02.431+13:00Thirteenth BirthdayToday the blog turns 13.
A teenager.
Pimples, messy room, thoughts about... ummm… moving right along...
I know there were a few years of fairly little activity, and a few of none, but I'm still here, so I'll celebrate that.
I have some giveaways and other things planned for a month long "Welcome to the Teens" celebration, so check back soon.
A special thanks to all of you who read this blog Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-89875421532690924762019-01-22T01:30:00.000+13:002019-01-22T01:30:01.338+13:00Some Less Common OnesThis week on the desk stand we have some less common brands of mechanical pencils, and a pen! Of course when I say less common I mean that in a general international sense, as some of them are very common in their home market.
Lets take the left hand stand first.
From top to bottom
Cello ballpoint pen. Cello, a leading Indian manufacturer. Don't worry, that's the only pen, the rest are Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-75037789385238233002019-01-16T01:30:00.000+13:002019-01-16T01:30:08.470+13:00Pentel Excalibur and SG Series
Excalibur and SG Mechanical Pencils
Crossed Swords - Black Excalibur and Gold SG
In the early days of this blog, the Pentel Excalibur was much sought after, a Grail mechanical pencil for many readers. Back in November 2009, Germ of Pencils11 blog wrote a post on his now deleted blog detailing some information about Excaliburs, and with his permission I now reprint a part of that, with a few Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-54472583170102785712019-01-07T10:00:00.001+13:002019-01-07T10:37:30.449+13:00Return QuantechSummer and blog holiday is over. Back to reality.
I hope you all have had a good start to 2019, and that it will be a good year for us all.
So, just a few bits and pieces to kick off 2019 with.
If you are looking for something new(ish) to read you might want to check out Pen Museum blog. It's a good read.
My best holiday photo. Took it with my phone camera so it turned out pretty good. An oi Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-20428965935226739492018-12-18T18:14:00.003+13:002018-12-18T18:15:30.169+13:00Farewell 2018Christmas and summer holiday silly season is upon me, so time to officially put blog things on hold.
I hope you all have a happy end to 2018 and a good start to 2019.
Thanks for reading, see you in mid-January or so.Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-25419582888078564842018-12-11T01:30:00.000+13:002018-12-11T01:30:08.821+13:00A Few FabersOn my desk display this week, a few from Faber-Castell
Ambition
Twice multi pen (1 x BP, 1 x MP tip)
Basic
TK Fine Vario L
TK Fine Executive
I often think that the TK Fine Executive and Vario L are the "Forgotten Fabers". They have been around for so long and never seem to get the hype, advertising, acknowledgement or attention of their constantly changing array of Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21675608.post-15138128375311092082018-12-04T01:30:00.000+13:002018-12-04T17:05:36.902+13:00Rhodia scRipt Mechanical Pencil Review
Rhodia scRipt Mechanical Pencil Review
Rhodia are well known for their orange covered paper products, and have had their own-brand woodcase pencil for many years so it is no real surprise that one day they decided to introduce a mechanical pencil to their range. I have seen it advertised in black, brown and silver but I am showcasing the scRipt in Rhodia’s signature colour, orange. Now when I Kiwi-dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092604091185842213noreply@blogger.com6