For general writing, I would not usually consider using a pencil. I’ve only ever used one when I thought that I may need to erase something. I wonder if the Pentel Twist – Erase Mechanical Pencil will change my mind.
I can see the obvious benefits a mechanical pencil has to offer over its a standard wooden cousin. No more hassle looking for a sharpener, or trimming with a sharp knife, as I often used to see my granddad do (not recommended, especially if there are any young readers out there).
The Pentel Twist-Erase can be pressed gently at the end of the barrel & the lead is revealed. There is a large eraser at the end, this should last even the most frequent users for some time. It can be hidden away & protected when not in use by turning the moving section of the barrel away from you. Simply reverse the process & the lead will be visible again.
You will find this pencil with 0.5, 0.7 & 0.9mm leads, I am reviewing the 0.7mm with a black barrel, blue is the alternative.
I have read some reports stating that the eraser was not the best quality, my test didn’t show this. I was able to erase & rewrite a sentence over it & also left a line with text erased, all that remained was a very faint outline.
The only negative I could find was the clip, it didn’t attach to my notepad easily, in fact it caused it to come off in my hand, revealing the case holding 2 spare leads. Nevertheless, it was easy to put back together & just snapped closed.
As I started of by saying I am not a regular user of pencils, the Twist-Erase is one of Pentels popular pencils, I can see why. My experience was positive, the chunky soft rubberised grip made it comfortable to hold & I found it easy to use.
If you are one of those owners that like to have attractive writing utensils to show of in public you may want to go for something at the luxury end of the market, or even pick yourself up an antique.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a pencil to take notes, or complete any of the other tasks that regular users do, from students, teachers & various professions, I’d say the Twist-Erase provides value for money option whatever the use.
As far as changing my mind goes, I like to see the dark text on the page & I can’t imagine a pencil ever doing that, but I’ll keep it close by, I’ve heard they can improve your writing.
