Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Mechanical Pencils

At my office we can order whatever we want from Staples. Most people go for those really expensive computer screen things that prevents other people from seeing what you are doing. And granted I could probably use that because I spend a good amount of time shitting around on the internet. But what I really like from Staples is mechanical pencils. Here is just a small sample of pencils to choose from:



This is a cheap mechanical pencil. Lots of lead breakage, so so eraser. Would be a possible purchse if you were spending your own money. In this case, I am not, so we can just skip right over this one.






This is a step above the cheapest. I personally don't like the texture of the stem of the pencil. The eraser on is still not great. And to be honest, I like something a little more expensive, but that's my personal taste. This is a great started pencil.







This is a uber artsy pencil. The good thing about this pencil is that it's hard for people to steal because its so distinct. I don't like my pencils out doing me, which is one reason I would pass. Another is that I don't actually enjoy too wide of a grip.










These pencils are nice. They are light for their size, their grips are plump. However, the lead extends by twisting them. Now that's just annoying.







Now we are getting into some real fancy pencils. These babies cost like $6 or $7 each. Unless you are an i-banker I suggest you stay away, your office will not be happy with you if you are ordering 6 or 7 dollar pens willie nillie. And for what it's worth the grip on these aren't great. And just look at that eraser, pathetic!







This beaut, right here, it costs $24. There's no way we can have. There's just no way. But that's what goals are for.








Now, this is actually what I have gone with in the past, and I have really enjoyed it. It's BIC, which is a nice solid brand, nothing to flashy but has a good history of strong well made products. The grip is small but effective. Lead breakage is down unless of course you don't know how to use a mechanical pencil and you shoot the lead out too far, but then it would break on any pencil. It is not too wide, but still has a good solid heft to it. I also really enjoy the eraser cap. True, most people would find this annoying, but for me it prevents squishing the eraser in too much when extending the lead. And when I lose the cap the pencil is ruined and I get to take it home. It's a little system I have set up.



This post took like half an hour.
Bookmark and Share

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

what feature you don't mention is on some the eraser can be twisted out for those folks who make a lot of mistakes

1:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think you made a wise decision in the whole scheme of the buying a new mechanical pencil world....and on that note, i will make popcorn to celebrate your accomplishment (mostly because i really just wanna eat popcorn ONLY for lunch, but also because it's a good food to eat in celebration)

4:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

as a mechanical pencil user, i really appreciate this roundup. i look forward to seeing one on really good erasers.

1:18 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

HTML Hit Counters
Web Site Hit Counters