Reviews Written by betolung

   It was love at first..., October 6, 2012

It was love at first sight when I first spotted this neat pencil accessory in a Pencil Talk post a few years back, so I was quite pleased to finally find it stateside. In addition to working both as a pencil stub extender and a pencil point protector, it features an extendable twist-advance cap eraser, pocket clip, and lead degree indicator (covering the range from from 2H to 4B including F). Users of premium and vintage wooden pencils would likely find this stylish tool quite pleasing to hold and effective in handling stubs 3-4" in length. It features a matte silver finish, and its brand and degree markings are subtly etched in a glossy shinier finish. The pencil stub is easily secured by tightening the lightly textured grip around it. Its tooth provides a firm grip without being excessively abrasive like the knurled metal grips of many leadholders. Highly recommended.

  I can not think of any..., August 15, 2012

I can not think of any 3.0 mm lead holder options (not including the 3.15 mm clutch pencil size) other than the Caran D'Ache Fixpencil 3 as readily available in the market these days. Thus I couldn't pass the opportunity to try this Maruzen Art pencil, and add it to my collection of sketching tools. Given the greater resistance against breakage of wider leads, 3.0 mm is a good choice for heavy handed users that tend to snap off pieces from 2 mm and smaller diameter leads. Since I usually remove them, I do not mind the absence of a pocket clip. Yet with its compact dimensions, it can fit easily within most pockets or pencil case. Just be careful with it since it has a tendency to roll off inclined surfaces. Sleek and comfortable, I have enjoyed doodling and shading with it for the past couple of days during classroom demonstrations. It is easy to lay down thick strokes and large areas of tone quickly with it. The integrated lead pointer works adequately and it is quite convenient when using it as part of a minimalist sketching kit.

  While it lacks the flawless..., July 4, 2012

While it lacks the flawless performance that I have come to expect from this brand, this light weight hand crank sharpener for wooden pencils can quickly and efficiently restore functional long points for entire sets of blunt colored pencils in pretty short periods of time making it ideal for classroom use and the studios of heavy pencil-users. Make sure to sharpen a graphite lead between batches of colored pencils to keep it well-lubricated and running smoothly. Recommended.

  Fun pencil accessory..., June 28, 2012

Fun pencil accessory to round up your stationery fix. The caps naturally protect pencil points from breaking or accidentally stabbing you. Their interlocking feature proved useful for grouping pencils of similar height together and keeping a large pencil case well-organized. Joining 16 caps together in a 3X4 or 4X4 grid created a pretty stable and unique-looking pencil stand. The caps can also work as pencil extenders. My first impression is that these interlocking pencil caps are a pretty fun, useful, and versatile pencil accessory for kids and wooden pencil enthusiasts.

  This is an excellent..., November 11, 2011

This is an excellent value packaged in a neat compact card stock tube. Keep in mind that the actual leads bear no markings indicating its brand, origin, and graphite grade. Thus they would be a good choice for users that rely on a single grade in their sketching kits. Alternatively to avoid confusion, you should use them in leadholders with degree indicators or custom mark them yourself.

  Ok if you haven't tried..., November 11, 2011

Ok if you haven't tried any of the other graphite grades in the Uni 2 mm range, rest assured this is an awesome product. Flawless performance for sketching while remaining fairly smudge-resistant. Sharpened lead smoothly glides on card stock leaving rich dark black marks. It's like having a nice gel pen that you can easily erase. If you already use other Uni leads, these softer leads will expand the expressive range of your sketching kit by allowing you to lay down wider strokes and shading faster. The 3B grade simply wears down a tad faster than the 2B, and is a pretty effective shading tool. Highly recommended.

  Ok if you haven't tried..., November 11, 2011

Ok if you haven't tried any of the other graphite grades in the Uni 2 mm range, rest assured this is an awesome product. Flawless performance for sketching while remaining quite smudge-resistant. Sharpened lead smoothly glides on card stock leaving rich dark black marks. It's like having a nice gel pen that you can easily erase. If you already use other Uni leads, these softer leads will expand the expressive range of your sketching kit by allowing you to lay down wider strokes and shading faster. Highly recommended.

  Quite a nice original..., November 11, 2011

Quite a nice original addition to a 2 mm leadholder collection. Both the push advance wooden leadholder and its leadpointer are unique looking and function reasonably well. Personally I found the section where the conical metal tip and the hexagonal barrel meet to be a bit uncomfortable, for the wooden corners stick a bit beyond the metal piece. Slipping a plastic pencil grip over the area easily solves that problem. There was a slight rattling of the interior lead chamber when shaking this pencil. I tried taking it apart to see if I could tighten it, but the metal components just kept rotating within its wooden sheath. If you are a fan of this type of sketching tool, it is certainly worth a try and getting on its looks alone.

  Very compact, elegant..., August 5, 2011

Very compact, elegant looking, and efficiently restores sharp points on 5.5 and 5.6 mm leads. Word of advice: I would recommend to use it exclusively for graphite leads to maximize the useful life of the sharp blades. I have prematurely clogged and dulled built-in lead pointers sharpening dry sanguine and charcoal drawing leads.

  Very comfortable and..., August 5, 2011

Very comfortable and easy to spot with its bright red barrel. Also accepts 5.6 mm Cretacolor drawing leads, so it can be loaded with softer 4B and 6B for more expressive sketching or the more smudge-resistant Nero and Sanguine oil leads. Shorter barrel makes it easier to carry on any pocket to sketch anywhere. Since it lacks a built-in lead pointer make sure you to pick one of the available 5.5 mm lead sharpeners to go with it. Great addition to any leadholder collection.