It appears that mechanical pencils have been around a long time. Apparently an early example was found amongst the wreckage of HMS Pandora. The Worther Shorty definitely belongs in the 21st century. This clutch pencil holds a 3.15mm lead & the plastic hexagonal design sits comfortably in my hand. The lead retracts easily at the push of the button on the top.
Pencil Reviews
Review: Pentel Jolt Automatic Pencil
I confess, pencils don’t get much use around my home. Most of them go to a friend who works as a professional drafter. But there is one mechanical pencil I like to keep around because, all other things being equal, I like the way it looks.
Which?
The Pentel Jolt.
A review of the classic Pilot H-1010 ‘The Shaker’ pencil
I have had a variety of vintage pencils in the locker but have refrained from using any of these at the office as I do not want to lose them or they are getting a little fragile. As a result, over the past couple of years, my workplace pen has been the standard HB pencil or a disposable plastic make. About a year ago, the manager came back from New York with a fistful of Pilot H1010 ‘The Shaker’ pencils that he had picked up at a very reasonable price. Dropping one on each desk with the instruction “Use these, they are great” he walked away leaving us all a bit bemused.
Uni-Ball – Kuru Toga
The World’s First Self-Sharpening Pencil
The trouble with using a mechanical pencil is that the tip of the lead changes shape as you write, thickening from a fine point to a chisel edge. Words lose their crisp shape and lines get thicker, which is particularly problematic for engineers and others that need uniform lines. The Kuru Toga by Uni-ball is the first mechanical pencil to offer a solution.