Faber-Castell Lower Price Range Mechanical Pencils

A Comparative Review of Some Faber Castell Low Price Range General Writing Mechanical Pencils

Guest Post by Tom

About 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 contribute one.

In this review, I will talk primarily about the Faber Castell Grip 1345/1347, which, at the time of writing this, is still missing from the review list. However, I will also compare it to the GripMatic and the TK-Fine Exectutive (which have already been reviewed on the blog), since these are also general writing pencils in a similar price range.

Top to Bottom: GripMatic, Grip 1347, TK-Fine Executive

The Faber-Castell Grip 1345/1347 (the last digit tells the lead diameter) is one of Faber-Castell’s entry level general writing pencils. Depending on where you buy it, you can get this pencil for 3 to 6 € (I don’t know details about prices in the US, but I assume it is a similar amount in $). Although made of plastic, the pencil has a nice finish for its price point. It also has a relatively sturdy metal clip. The writing tip features a conical, retractable lead sleeve, making the pencil fully pocket-safe. On the other end of the pencil, you can find a eraser that comes out if you twist it (which is a common feature of most Faber-Castell mechanical pencils). According to the sticker on the pencil, it is made in Japan (the higher-price Faber-Castell stuff is made in Germany, but “Made in Japan” is also an indicator of quality, at least in my experience with stationery). The pencil is available for 0.5mm and 0.7mm lead and comes in the typical Faber-Castell color range (dark green, burgundy red, dark blue, and black). The name “Grip” comes – presumably – from the rubber grip section at the front of the pencil. Although the grip section is decently made, I personally don’t like it, because I tend to rotate the pencil, which does not work as good with the molded grip indentations (although I have seen that apparently, newer models of the pencil feature a round grip without indentations).

The GripMatic is very similar to the Grip 1345/47, but the price point is one step lower (between 1,50 and 4 €). The overall build quality seems to be a little bit lower. The pencil is made in China, the finish is not as nice and the clip is made of plastic. Interestingly, the Gripmatic features an automatic lead advance mechanism, which the more expensive Grip 1345/-47 does not have. However, the lead advance mechanism does have its problems. In particular, I noticed that sometimes the mechanism tends to advance the lead due to friction when you carry the pencil in your pocket, making the pencil technically non-pocket safe.

Finally, the TK-Fine Executive is one price step above the Grip 1345/47 and can be found between 5 and 8€. From a technical standpoint, the TK-Fine Executive has the same features as the Grip 1345/47 (same mechanism, same eraser, metal pocket clip, also made in Japan). The differences are mainly stylistic. In my opinion, the TK-fine executive looks more elegant and the plastic body has a nicer finish. Also, I like the grip section more. Although it is non-rubberized, it has simple circumferential grooves instead of indentations, which does not impede the rotation in the hand. The only disadvantage compared to the Grip 1345/47 is the metal clip, which is only kept on by friction and could theoretically slide off if you pulled hard enough (although, in fairness, this has never happened to me by accident, only when I tried it deliberately).

Among the three pencils, the Grip 1345/47 clearly strikes the best balance between price and quality. The GripMatic is inferior in terms of quality, and the automatic lead advance has not convinced me. It would definitively be worth it to spend one or two euros more to get the Grip 1345/47. The TK-Fine Executive, on the other hand, is not necessarily worth the higher price point as it is not superior to the Grip 1345/47 in terms of technology or quality. Personally, I prefer the TK-Fine executive and I don’t mind the slightly higher price, but this has merely stylistic reasons.

Lamy 2000 Mechanical Pencil - Guest Review

The 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 fanciest packaging I’ve ever dug a pencil out of. The 800 just came in a triangular tube, and the Nero’s box was big and stylized but still just a normal cardboard box. Ultimately packaging is just packaging, but they certainly did put some effort into it.

Picking the pencil up, the first thing I noticed was the weight. I like heavy pencils, and while this is probably relatively heavy, that’s not really what we feel: We feel density. Like that demonstration a lot of you probably had in some science class where you hold a 1” ball bearing and a ball probably twice the diameter of a baseball and try to say which one is heavier; it’s a trick question, they weigh the same. This thing is not the ball bearing. But, after using it a while, I find it’s dense enough.
The second thing I noticed was the rattle. Exactly the same as the Nero’s rattle, the lead reservoir is held at the clutch end and there’s enough of a gap at the eraser end for the button to move slightly. Also like the Nero, this can be eliminated by wrapping packing tape around the metal tube on the button cap.

The clutch end is held quite securely, so no problems there. The tip is not retractable, but it’s short and conical so it doesn’t really pose a problem.

I feel that pictures are a bit deceptive about this thing’s size (not that the perspective in the one above does anything to help the matter). It’s actually shorter than an extended 800, about the same length as the Nero. It’s fatter than them all, though really not as fat as it looks.
Before getting on to build quality, this has to happen to everything I own:

Everything.

Notice how the body separates about ¾” up from the steel end, rather than at the steel end. This may seem like an odd choice, but in my experience plastic-on-plastic threading lasts considerably longer than metal-on-plastic. Maybe I’m wrong, but to me this says an engineer somewhere at LAMY decided to sacrifice cost for longevity, and I applaud that.

Speaking of cost vs longevity, look at that lead reservoir. And that clutch housing. As far as I can tell, the only plastic parts on this pencil are the body and button knob. That ring on the clutch housing is rubber, it appears to be a cushion for the mechanism. This pencil is very well engineered and manufactured, it doesn’t creak or bend and it all fits together perfectly. A testament to the build quality is the fact that if you weren’t familiar with the L2K family, you probably thought it separated at the metal, because the seam is almost invisible… Except for here, at least. In my pictures it’s more visible than it is in person. Odd.

As for the mechanism, I like it. There’s a lot of travel with a rather definite knock point, not as clicky as a P205, but not as mushy as an 800. It spits out 8mm of lead for ten clicks, I found two clicks to get you what you need to write. Not as precise as a lot of drafting pencils, but this isn’t a drafting pencil.

The clip is awesome. This thing isn’t gonna bend like a Rotring’s, it easily slides over thick pockets, and it holds on securely. It has a very slight side-to-side play, but that’s hardly even noticeable.
I’m not sure why you would want to, but you can indeed take the clip off just fine.

If you’ll be taking the clip off and putting it back on regularly, you’ll notice a ring start to develop on the body where the clip touches it. It would do that even if it were metal.
You can see a brass flap in the mounting point for the clip; that’s the wear point where the clip’s spring lands. That flap is actually part of a brass tube lining the whole end piece, accompanied by a brass ring on the mating end of the body:

That one took me a bit to figure out, but it’s another structural wear point. The lip on the clip pushes against the inside of that brass ring, and that can amount to a lot of force. LAMY went through this thing carefully addressing every wear point they could find.
As for balance…

Rotrings, at least 600/800s, are balanced perfectly on the “O” in “rOtring,” and taking the clip off shifts the balance point to the “r.” There’s no signage on the L2K’s body to point to, but it’s normally slightly bottom heavy and removing the clip shifts the balance point about ¼” further downward. So it’s a heavy clip.

I appreciate evenly balanced pencils, but after getting the Nero I found an equal appreciation for bottom-heaviness. The balance, the material, the size, the weight, the shape, everything about this pencil is just comfortable. I’ve never found Rotrings uncomfortable, but they still feel like heavy chunks of brass whose existence doesn’t depend on this meager reality. The L2K feels like a finely crafted instrument that recognizes you’re a human, with squishy human hands.

So what’s bad about it? Well, a couple things.

First of all, the conical tip isn’t as blunt as one might expect for a non-retractable pencil. You’re certainly not going to bend it or poke holes in things, but it’s a tiny bit sharp in that edge-of-a-soda-can way, and likes to grab onto fabric if you’re trying to push it into a crumpled pocket or something. The Nero had that problem too (the sleeve pokes out just a tiny bit when retracted), but because the mechanism of that pencil relies on the sleeve touching the paper it smoothed out quickly.

The worst part, though, is the eraser. I’m one of those freaks that actually uses the integrated eraser, in fact I use it more often than my block eraser. With the Nero I was disappointed that the cap was so tight that putting it back on meant clicking out lead, but even then the eraser itself was fine. This thing? This thing is pathetic. The cap is just as tight as the Nero, it erases like a super-ball, the length of a new eraser is such that you’re in danger of breaking it when you use it, and the first time I took the cap off I didn’t even know it had an eraser because it stayed in the cap. Every time I take the cap off I have to push the eraser back down, it’s just not secure.

Anyway… One surprising thing was the lead it came with. Stock lead is really hit-or-miss. Rotrings come with Tikky lead (which is by most accounts the smoothest lead on the market), Pentels I think usually come with Hi-Poly, and everything else is a lottery. But one thing you can be certain of is that they all come with HB. Yeah. This thing comes with 3B. Maybe a soft 2B. I don’t normally like soft leads, but I also usually use drafting pencils; it actually feels right for this one. International shipping wasn’t kind to it, though; every single stick had about 1cm broken off the end. Either way, that’s another thing that someone actually thought about, they didn’t just throw in the same thing everyone else does.

I think this is a great pencil. I actually think I’ll start carrying this one in my pocket and my Rotring in my bag, because I’ve had to re-bend the Rotring’s clip a few times now and it’s already not touching the barrel again. This clip won’t do that; it just won’t. Small details like the full metal lead reservoir and mid-body separation say LAMY wasn’t pinching pennies when they built it, and that certainly shows. The eraser is a travesty, but I do also carry a Boxy anyway.

In the story I shared for the giveaway, I said I didn’t have much of a collection because I hated not using tools. The three I had before this have specific purposes: A Rotring 800 I know from experience I can take through hell and back, a Nero for when my handwriting gets microscopic (I’m a math major, it’s a problem), and a P205 for lending. Now I have the pencil that can live clipped to my pocket without regular clip-maintenance, and I enjoy using it.

I partly chose the L2K to test the waters before getting the fountain pen. When a company takes a well-loved pen or pencil and expands it into a series the results aren’t always up to the standard of the original; for example, the 800 ballpoint is nice, but a couple parts from the function-over-form pencil are left in as vestigial decorations to make it look like the pencil, a couple little details are just missing, and you can just tell it’s not the 800. The L2K does not give me that feeling. It feels like LAMY put honest and practical thought into making a good pencil. I’m still a little disappointed it doesn’t retain the cap, but at the same time that’s one of the differences between a fountain pen and a pencil: A pencil doesn’t need a cap. And unlike the Kaweco Sport, the cap isn’t an integral part of the design. Kaweco…

So to me this feels like a product from a company that understands not only how to make a good tool, but also what is and isn’t important when making a family of products. It’s a good sign for the rest of their lineup.

Thanks Dashy. That's a very detailed review. Also of course, thanks again to Cult Pens for the giveaway and their Mechanical Pencil Day.
My Lamy 2000 has been, and still is, my everyday pencil used in the office at work, and was one of the earlier mechanical pencils that I reviewed on this blog. Here's some links to older Lamy 2000 content on this blog. From many, many years ago...
My 2000 review
2000 and Scribble

Mascot to Yard-O-Led Perfecta

I am very pleased to be able to publish the following guest article by blog reader George Clements from England. So, over to George.

From Edward Baker 'The Mascot' to Yard-O-Led 'Perfecta': Evolution of a Classic Mechanical Pencil

Our blog host, Dave, has already written elsewhere on this site a description of his 1960 Edward Baker 'The Mascot' pencil, with some excellent photographs and a little history about the Edward Baker company, including how it came to be taken over by the Yard-O-Led company in the mid-1950s. I do not intend to duplicate what he has already covered, but aim, through a selection of photographs of pencils from my collection, to show how the essential design has survived and developed over a period of almost a hundred years so that it is still with us today as, what I consider to be, one of the classic mechanical pencils. I cannot claim that what follows is comprehensive, or painstakingly researched, but I hope that it will provide some useful information for fellow collectors, and others may be able to follow up with examples from their collections, or add further factual information.

Edward Baker silversmiths were making high quality products in the 19th century, and I have a beautifully engraved combined slide pencil and nib holder from that period, but that falls outside the scope of the present topic. A letter-heading from Yard-O-Led dated 1959 states that the company incorporated Edward Baker and Son which was founded in 1837, and Dave's article on his 1960 'Mascot' mentions the type of 'fancy goods' or luxury items that the company produced and exhibited at major fairs. The earliest example of 'The Mascot' that I have dates from 1926, but I do not know exactly when the model first appeared. Like all the early pencils described, it has a propel only mechanism: that is to say, the lead must be pushed back manually after retracting the propelling pin if the user wishes to get the lead back inside the body of the pencil. The overall length of the pencil is roughly 123mm, and the main body diameter is approximately 7.9mm.

This pencil has no pocket clip, and it is apparent that, for many years, Baker's offered the pencil either with or without a clip. The next example shown dates from 1928, and has a soldered-on pocket clip. In other respects, it is identical to the 1926 one. I do regard pocket clips as something of a mixed blessing, especially when they are permanently fixed, as they are very prone to breakage and distortion and can be extremely difficult, or impossible, to mend.

At this point, it might be useful to mention some features that are common to all the 'Mascot' pencils I currently own. First, they all use 1.18 mm leads (unlike some other models made by the company). Secondly, they were all hallmarked at the Birmingham Assay Office. Thirdly, they all have a chamber at the blunt end for spare lead storage, which is accessed by a screw-on end.
Moving on to 1933, the next pencil is 9ct gold and is much shorter, at only 94.7mm., but the diameter remains the same. Once again, this pencil has no pocket clip. It is in lovely condition although, sadly, from my point of view, it has a personalised engraving. I know that this is a contentious issue, and some collectors regard such engraving as just part of the object's history, but my preference is for examples that are free of inscriptions or, at least, have only promotional trade markings.

The next pencil to show dates from 1937. Its length is approximately 120.7mm, so a little shorter than the 1926 pencils, but has put on a little weight, with a body diameter of 8.1mm. It has a soldered-on pocket clip, and, unlike the pencils already mentioned, which are plain, it has a barley impressed finish to the barrel, and an escutcheon area for engraving, should the buyer so wish. I think that this pencil has a particularly nice feel to it: the weight and balance make it a joy to hold and use.

Another 9ct. gold pencil comes next. This time, the length is 121.35mm, and the diameter 8.00mm. It has a soldered-on pocket clip, but it is a different shape from the earlier ones, having a ball end. The major change however, is that it now has a propel and retract mechanism. The pencil is hallmarked for 1955, so it dates from around the time that Edward Baker and Son was taken over by Yard-O-Led. Interestingly, when I purchased the pencil, it was in a Yard-O-Led box, and I have no reason to believe that it was not originally sold in the box. There were no instructions.
I assumed that, after taking over Baker's, Yard-O-Led merely sold off remaining stock and just supplied their own brand boxes to retailers, but the 1960 example described by Dave clearly indicates that Yard-O-Led were continuing to send 'Mascot' cases for assay and hallmarking some five years or so after the takeover. Hopefully, the photograph will show that this pencil also has a plain barrel.

My next pencil dates from 1957, and is just like the one described in Dave's article. The Yard-O-Led influence is beginning to show itself in the style of the pocket clip, which is separate and held down by the lead chamber cover. Although it is clearly the Yard-O-Led shape, it does not have any name on it. The barrel of the pencil has the impressed barley decoration. When I bought it, it was, once again, in a Yard-O-Led box, but this time there was an instruction leaflet, and if it was supplied with the pencil when new, it could have seriously confused the purchaser as it describes the Yard-O-Led mechanism and not the Baker type.

Presumably, at some stage, someone at Yard-O-Led decided that it was time to discontinue the use of the Baker's type mechanism and rationalise production on the well-established Yard-O-Led pattern, which had been successful and reliable since 1934. At the same time, it would have been apparent that the shape and dimensions of the 'Mascot' pencil were popular, and still had market appeal. It must also have been apparent that the Yard-O-Led mechanism could be fitted into a similar case with minimal adaptation, and hence the Perfecta was born. Again, I do not know the exact date when the model was first marketed, and, also, whether it was called the Perfecta from the outset. My first datable example is hallmarked for 1973, and continues to bear the Edward Baker maker's mark, which Yard-O-Led carried on using for a considerable time. (I have another identical model but, unfortunately, the date letter in the hallmark is unreadable).

While the style of the Perfecta is, undeniably, developed from the 'Mascot', the change in mechanism makes it a rather different animal. The lead diameter is the same at 1.18 mm, but it now uses 3" lengths, and, although spare leads continue to be stored in the barrel of the pencil, the arrangement is different and follows the practice of other Yard-O-Led models. There is no separate removable end cap over the lead storage provision, but the propelling mechanism is removed by turning the tulip shaped end and withdrawing it from the pencil body. A small round nut then holds the pocket clip, which also covers the spare leads that are accommodated in separate chambers within the case of the pencil. Although this is an elegant design feature, leads often become stuck in the chambers and are difficult to extract. While the tulip shaped end is engraved or stamped Yard-O-Led, Made in England, the pocket clip bears no name. The length of the pencil is 123.7 mm and the diameter 8.2 mm.

My next example is hallmarked for 1977, and requires little comment. It is very similar to the 1973 model, the main difference being that the pocket clip is now riveted on and bears the Yard-O-Led name. It is slightly longer, at 125.7 mm, but it should be noted that there are small variations in the lengths of Yard-O-Led pencils, even within the same model and date. Each pencil is individually produced, assembled and finished, so minor differences are normal.
Although the model shown here has the familiar barley pattern, I do have a plain bodied example from 1989, and other patterns may have been available. The body diameter appears to have also increased to approximately 9 mm.

As times have changed, the use of pencils has declined dramatically. Even quite sophisticated mechanical pencils were produced by a multitude of manufacturers and sold in their hundreds of thousands, or millions. In more recent times, the market for propelling pencils has become more specialised, and manufacturers like Yard-O-Led have increasingly concentrated on high-end luxury products, no longer offering pencils in less expensive materials, such as rolled gold, rolled silver, rhodium plating or platinine. Yard-O-Led also diversified to offer not only pencils, but ballpens, rollerball pens and fountain pens, as well as various luxury accessories. Fortunately, so far, pencils have not been phased out, and, along with other models, the Perfecta remains available today. It is not cheap, but it is still traditionally produced by craftsman in Birmingham. Alongside the traditional barley finish, the Perfecta is now also available in the beautiful Victorian design. The Victorian features a hand applied design covering the body of the pencil, each one requiring hundreds of individually hammered elements so, once again, every single pencil is unique. Like all current models of Yard-O-Led pencil, each one now carries an individual serial number and the Yard-O-Led name. Also, Yard-O-Led now has its own registered maker's mark at the London Assay Office, so, for a number of years, the hallmarks on the company's products have read YOL. As previously mentioned, the company now also produce ballpens, and the Perfecta is available in that form.

I truly regard 'The Mascot' and its successor the Perfecta as classics of mechanical pencil design. I would also like to add a postscript to this story: the title refers to evolution, and one of the things about evolution is that it continues in ways that are not always predictable. This year, Britain's Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in the chapel at Windsor Castle. To mark the event, Yard-O-Led produced a limited edition set of ballpoint and pencil. The first numbered pair of the edition of one hundred sets was sent to the couple themselves: the ballpoint engraved H for Harry, and the pencil M for Meghan. The set are not Perfecta models, but they have distinct similarities. The case of the pencil, for instance, resembles the Victorian model, and the top is similar except that the end is flat (like the Regent and Edwardian models) to carry the engraved initial. The hand-hammered design on the pencil refers symbolically to the bride's heritage. I hope she enjoys using her pencil as much as I enjoy mine.

"The Meghan Pencil", Limited Edition No. 063

Thanks George. Your collection is a wonderous thing.

All text and images were supplied by George and he retains copyright.

Faber-Castell Alpha-matic and TK-Matic Mechanical Pencils

The Magnificent Seven - The Final Showdown

Faber-Castell Alpha-matic and TK-matic

by Pencil Paul

Well I have left the best till last, these are my all time favorites. I wanted to show the alpha range, so here we have I feel the finest mechanical pencils available. The sheer quality of manufacture becomes immediately apparent as soon as you handle these pencils.

The silver TK-matic shown was purchased in 1980, the year of inception to the German market and it has worked flawlessly for me throughout all the years of sweated  magazine print deadlines, rattling around in the bottom of a brief case, running for the train in rush hour, bomb threats, 3 day weeks, power outs, being dropped and borrowed! In fact the whole gamut of working life in a busy London studio. It has never missed a beat or fluffed a line, this pencil deserves a medal for outstanding devotion to duty!  It is the only true draughting pencil in The Magnificent Seven, having a lead sleeve for use with rulers etc, and was often used with blue 0.5 lead for print proof marking up, a job that is now of course done on screen. The pencil itself is a solid, reliable heavyweight, that is made from stainless steel with the cunning auto lead advance feature, which is shared by all pencils shown here. As you write/draw the lead advances according to usage, you don't have to worry about leads till fitting a new one, which is just a question of pumping the cap button till one appears at the point. The cap is removable to access the small eraser with cleaning wire which I have never had to use, and the lead store below within the body. The knurled grip is superbly positioned and I feel the whole mass and ample weight of the pencils 26gams improves accuracy and control.

The other pencils shown here have been acquired along the way from various sources. These are all general use mechanical pencils in the alpha-matic range, lacking the drafting sleeve. Again the build quality is top class and they range in finish from the maroon red plastic, to the charmingly named 'Bronce' and to the most expensive 'Titanium' almost black finish. All are equally fine and able pencils. I would recommend anyone wanting the best in an 0.5mm pencil to seek out any one of these superb examples of German excellence. Was it Oscar Wilde who sated that "one never regrets purchasing quality"?

Faber-Castell Alpha-matic and TK-matic Mechanical Pencils

Paul - Thanks very much for showing these fantastic pencils from your collection. Perhaps after some rest at the saloon and bunk house 'The Magnificent Seven' may ride again?
Dave.

Parker Itala Mechanical Pencil

The Magnificent Seven - Part 6

Parker Itala Mechanical Pencil

by Pencil Paul

The Parker Itala - a wasted opportunity.
The pencil and matching pens were designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Parker in 1983, as prototypes. There was an absolute meltdown by Mr Parker Sr himself when he discovered that the pens were designed to be disposable, a disposable Parker... Blasphemy! So the president of the writing instruments group who was developing these items was fired, and the pen versions never went into production, and the pencil is quite a rare item. If you find one for sale buy it. The pencil shown here is by far the lightest in all my pencil reviews, at around 7g in weight. It consists of a very simple set of 4 plastic castings - nose/body, top/clip, plug with eraser, and a cap with a hole in to show the top of eraser, all in textured easy-grip with polished highlights. There is also a tiny metal lead sleeve so its technically a drafting pencil. This must have been a very cheap item to manufacture and assemble, yet it possesses all the grace of its Italian lineage and is a superb shape in the hand. Coupled with the extreme light weight this makes for perfectly tireless writing/drawing. Sporting 0.5mm leads filled from the plug opening and push button lead advance this has to be rated as a superb first design for Giorgetto Giugiaro. Apart from the Parker Itala molded branding on the pencil there is also the very clever graphic device printed in white referencing the original Parker fountain pen arrow clip design. On seeing this one immediately thinks Parker. To sum up, a great design for a whole writing set, ballpoint pen, felt tip, and pencil range abandoned by backward thinking on the part of senior management. This is a design as fresh and strong now as it was in the 1980's. Warranting re-introduction this time around with proper support and encouragement.


Parker Itala Mechanical Pencil

Social Slencil Mechanical Pencil

The Magnificent Seven - Part 5

The Social Slencil Mechanical Pencil

by Pencil Paul

The SOCIAL SLENCIL, mechanical pencil invention and lifelong work of Carl C Harris.

The pencil shown is a recent introduction to the Slencil line for me. I could not resist the central lead advance wheel coupled with the slightly Buck Rogers styling. The first models were introduced in 1933 and named the Stag, my pencil as shown is the later Social Slencil, copyright shows 1945 on the paperwork. Running alongside the pencil range were companion slim notepads also produced by The Slencil Company of Orange, Mass, U.S.A, and when you consider the bulk and fuss of carrying a fountain pen and address book of the period it all makes very good sense - a place to record the date of the Pony Club Diner & Dance or a swift note home to the folks from the front line. The super little Social Slencil, the way to take notes long before the advent of the personal electronic PA, barely 115mm long and approx. 2mm thick! The pencil is loaded by inserting 1mm lead into the nose point and pressing it into the clutch mechanism, then it can be adjusted by means of the centre wheel. The eraser is inside the end removable cap along with storage space for spare leads. That this tiny item of engineering was a success is born out by the fact that the company is still going strong producing new plastic versions of TOMORROW'S PENCIL.


Social Slencil Mechanical Pencil

Tropen Mechanical Pencil

The Magnificent Seven - Part 4

Tropen Mechanical Pencil

by Pencil Paul

Despite the ravages and destruction of war, the German pen industry of the early 1950's still boasted many many pen makers both large and small, and among them was a company called 'Tropen'. They produced an huge selection of items from fountain pens and stylographs, to the humble mechanical pencil. The post 1930s offerings all seem to share a common Art Deco design theme, which is what attracted me initially to this company. I have a couple of the 1.2mm lead pencils, they are loaded by unscrewing the barrel halves and filling the bottom half with short leads, advancing the lead is achieved by rotating the nose. Finish is a plain colour usually gloss black with gold plated/washed trim, the nose being brass. Top of the line fountain pens had GF trim, plus excellent solid gold nibs. The grey pencil shown is inscribed 'Made in Germany' suggesting that it is of pre-war manufacture. As with most things German and mechanical they have an innate sense of quality about them and work simply and flawlessly, that aspect along with the sharp deco looks offer a very affordable and usable collectable. A large number of vintage Tropen items are still available on certain websites today. The Tropen company along with many other German manufacturers disappeared in the mid 1950s victims of changing times and taste, and the rise of that ultra modern invention the ballpoint pen.


Tropen Mechanical Pencil

Tombow Zoom Espana

The Magnificent Seven - Part 3

Tombow Zoom Espana Mechanical Pencil

by Pencil Paul

This 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.


Tombow Zoom Espana Mechanical Pencil

Pelikan No 1 Mechanical Pencil

The Magnificent Seven - Part 2

Pelikan No 1 Mechanical Pencil

By Pencil Paul

The Pelikan No.1 pencil designed by Luigi Colani, a brave move by Pelikan at the time of its introduction in the 1980s. Produced in collaboration with the Swiss born designer Professor Luigi Colani, the pencil and pen share the same molded one piece body with integrated clip, a very clever and practical item in use. The side button in black advances the 0.5 lead, is very comfortable in the hand, and easy to pocket clip. Unusually the leads are fed into the open nozzle end as the rest of the pencil is a sealed unit The pencil is shown with its usual black plastic packaging, from which it is 'hatching'. Packaging also by Colani. The 'bone' white colour is the most common, however there are several others and if you have a spare arm and a leg they can still be purchased from some online sites. I would strongly encourage all interested in this design to visit the online Colani Design Museum. In his career spanning over 50 years, and still going strong, he has designed over 5,000 industrial and consumer products. I also show the pen variant to illustrate the 'Shark in a tank' packaging. I wonder if this influenced Damien Hurst?

Pelikan No. 1 Mechanical Pencil