We Have A winner!

We have a winner of the JetPens and Pens and Pencils Giveaway!  Congratulations to Jenny Mabee of Milton, MA for being the winner of a brand new Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A 0.3 mm drafting pencil!  Jenny has been contacted by JetPens and will receive her new pencil directly from JetPens via snail mail!  So from all of us here at Pens and Pencils, and I am sure form JetPens as well, congratulations Jenny on winning your new Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A 0.3 mm drafting pencil!  We hope that you will enjoy using it for years to come!

Remember the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500 A, as well as all the Platinum Pro Use models in lead sizes 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm, are available from our friends at JetPens.

JetPens & Pens and Pencils Giveaway

 

 

Geezer: Jet-Do and Jet-Da!  What are you two pixies doing here!?  Aren't you a long way from home?

 

Jet-Do: Hello, Geezer!  We're here to help you give away a Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A 0.3 mm drafting pencil just like the one you reviewed recently!

 

Geezer: Get out!  Really?

 

Jet-Da: Really, Geezer!  We're going to give away a Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A to one of your readers!  The Giveaway is only open to readers of your blog, no one else can enter!

 

Geezer: Cool!  How does the Giveaway work?

 

Jet-Do: It's easy, Geezer.  All your readers have to do is click on the link below and follow the instructions on signing up for the JetPens news letter.  They have to sign up to receive the news letter in order to enter.  All you need is a valid e-mail address to enter.

 

Geezer:  That's great!  How long do they have and how will they get their pencil if they win?

 

Jet-Da: The contest is open from Friday, October the 4th at 10:00 AM through Friday, October the 11th at noon when it will close!

 

Jet-Do: The winner will be picked at random and contacted by e-mail for a mailing address so a brand new pencil can be mailed to them directly from JetPens!  And you get to announce the winner on your blog!

 

Geezer:  Guys!  That's just great!  Wow!  I'm stoked (eh, do they still say "stoked" any more?)  And Let me guess, the "link" is like, right below me!?

 

LINK

 

Jet-Da: Oh, Geezer you're so clever.

 

Geezer: Thanks, Jet-Da.  And thanks for the 2 of you stopping by and helping me set up this Giveaway and for giving away such a beautiful pencil to my readers!

 

So faithful readers here is your chance to win a brand new Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A 0.3 mm drafting pencil just like the one I reviewed recently (the previous post) directly from JetPens!  Help spread the word about the Giveaway by telling all your friends to read my review of the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A 0.3 mm drafting pencil and then to enter the Giveaway!  It's free and it's easy!  "My the pen force be with you" (JetPens).

 

Jet-Do and Jet-Da are trade marks of and are the sole property of JetPens.com.  Used here without permission (I sure hope they don't mind or I'm in deep do-do).

 

Platinum Pro Use MSD 1500A

The Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A is the Pentacle of my Platinum Pro Use collection.  With the gifting of this pencil I now own all 4 Platinum Pro Use Drafting pencils, in 0.3 mm. I have only blogged (so far) about the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1000A.  As I get back into the swing of things I will review the other 2, which are on the lower end of Platinum's line.

I was struck by the pencils odd hypodermicesk look it has about it.  In that I mean that it has a rather bulbous grip that suddenly and sharply becomes the tip and lead sleeve!  The gradual narrowing of the body at the pocket clip does nothing to belie this mental image!  Neither does it's lack of stature!  Yes my readers, the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A is a shorty!  At 128 mm  it falls shot of it's cousins stature of 143.3 mm!  It is also larger in girth being 11 mm in diameter at the widest point on the grip.  It's also heavier than the MSD-1000A, coming in a t21.9 grams compared to the MSD-1000A's mere 16.1 grams. The chubby pencil's balance point (from lead sleeve) is 62 mm making it 4 mm's  top heavy, but you'd never know it!  There!  I've gotten the stats out of the way!  Important as they may be, they are still stats and still boring (well, to some they're boring).

While being fat and stubby (honestly, it's the shortest drafting pencil in my collection) it is far from being ugly!  In fact, I find the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A  rather attractive.  If you take a real good look at the MSD-1500A, I man an in depth look, then you see the true beauty of the design.  First, like the other high end Platinum, the MSD-1000A this pencil has had quite a bit of thought put into it.  It's form is really elegant and sensual!  It's not only pleasing to the eye but to the touch as well.  The anodized satin finish is high tech and a pleasure for the fingers and hand.  Unlike many drafting pencils it has no rough edges or sharp corners.  Nothing to cause an unpleasant sensation to the skin.  I just keep running my fingers over the surface as I'm typing!

Despite the almost teflonest surface the MSD-1500A is surprisingly easy to hold mostly due to the design of the grip.  It has 8 rings that are approximately 4 mm apart.  The base of each ring (pointing downward) is larger than the top.  This gives the appearance of trapezoidal rings stacked atop one another.  The edges are nicely curved and for me the grip provides a surprising nice surface to hold onto!  The slimming of the upper body at the pocket clip has a unique function in that the curve falls right at the web of my hand and helps nestle the pencil in my hand thus keeping it in place while I write.  Due to it's light weight (it is made mostly of aluminum, not brass) and it's near center-of-pencil balance point the MSD-1500A is a pleasure to hold and to write or draw with.

 

Something else that enhances the pleasure of writing with the MSD-1500A is the fact that the protruding lead has very little movement within the stainless steel lead sleeve.  This helps give the pencil a more solid feel when in use.  The pencils rock solid construction is another factor in giving the user such an in control feel when using the pencil.  The tip body, grip, lead grade indicator ring, upper body, pocket clip retainer and push button are made of aluminum while the lead sleeve is made of stainless steel and the pocket clip is made of spring steel.  The tolerances are such that the pencil fits together very well and all the parts seat solidly and stay that way.  Dear readers, this is a very well constructed pencil.  Impressed yet?  I am!

The Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A breaks down into 8 separate components/sub assemblies.  The are (A) the tip/lead sleeve, (B) the lead indicator ring, (C) the grip/clutch assembly/lead reservoir, (D) the main body sleeve, (E) the pocket clip, (F) the pocket clip retainer, (G) the eraser and (H) the push button. The tip/lead sleeve unscrews and the lead grade indicator slips off it.  The  push button is removed then the upper body sleeve can be unscrewed and removed.  The pocket clip retainer can be unscrewed and the pocket clip removed and the eraser can be removed.  In order to fill the lead reservoir simply remove the push button and the eraser.  In order to clear a lead jam it is necessary to remove the tip and the lead grade indicator ring, which can easily be lost as it is a simple ring with indication notch.  It is not threaded.

However, the MSD-1500A DOES NOT come with a clean out rod!  This is one of my pet peeves and it, to me, is a mar on an otherwise excellent pencil.  I'm also not a fan of the erasers that come with drafting pencils.  Originally the first mechanical drafting pencils did not come with an eraser at all!  However there is a solution to  both problems.  JetPens.com sells erasers for the MSD-1500A and they sell some thing unique in the world of drafting pencils.  Pilot makes 3 different packets of 5 erasers for some of their pencils that also contain 2 stand alone clean out rods.  One for 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm and one for 0.5 mm to 0.9mm lead sizes.  The HERFS-10 set contains 5 erasers that will fit the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A as well as the 2 aforementioned clean out rods.  This is a better buy in my opinion.  For detailed instructions on how to clear a lead jam from the tip of a drafting pencil see the link "All Jammed Up" at the top left of this blog.

One feature of the MSD-1500A is it's uniquely designed and placed Lead Grade Indicator.  The LGI is located on the tip of the pencil.  The grades are impressed on the body of the tip and the open base of a triangular notch in the LGI ring is set to the lead grade being used. The LGI is not easily set with fingers such as mine while trying to screw the tip back on the pencil while holding the notch base on the lead grade in use.  So what I ended up having to do is use a wooden toothpick as a sort of pry tool.  By placing it in the "V" shaped notch  in the LGI ring at an angle perpendicular to the pencil, I maneuvered the notch into position above the selected lead grade.  To me this is a minor annoyance but it does detract from the pencils overall grade.  But then again, how often does one change the grade of lead one uses?

Let's see, have I missed anything?  Oh yeah!  It takes only 2 pushes of the button to advance enough lead to write/draw with which is nice.  The mechanism is a little noisy and has a definite metallic sound.  The lead reservoir is cavernous but like most mechanical pencils of it's type the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500Afeeds best with a half dozen pieces of lead or fewer.  The pencil is available in one color/finish, satin Aluminum and 3 lead sizes, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm.  It and all the linked items in this review are available from out friends at JetPens.com.


Over all I am impressed with the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500A.  It is a unique, good looking design, attractively finished, well designed and constructed.  The 2 issues I have with the pencil are minor and do not detract from the pencils over all appeal.  In fact, I believe that the pencil would make a fine addition to any collection of fine mechanical/drafting pencils.  It would also be an excellent choice as a writing/drawing instrument.  So if you are in the market for a high end, but not terribly expensive mechanical/drafting pencil then you should consider the Platinum Pro Use MSD-1500 series of pencils.  Thanks for reading.

Sometimes...

Recently I did a review of the Hi-Tec-C Coleto Lumio 4 Multi pen.  One of the inserts that I put in mine was a 0.3 mm pencil.  Avid readers of this blog are well aware of my fondness for 0.3 mm drafting pencils, so I was stoked to have a 0.3 mm pencil in a multi pen.  My write up was rather glowing, and perhaps a bit premature!  As you can see it proved to be a bit fragile!  The pencil refused to advance lead when I tried to use it the other day so I removed it from the Coleto body to see if I could find the problem.  my investigation proved fatal for the poor fragile pencil.  It broke at the swivel point where the plastic push button meets the metal body.

Now as to why the pencil stopped working I'm not 100% sure, but my guess is static electricity!  0.3 mm pencils often have this problem, probably due to the fact that the lead is so small in diameter that there is not enough weight to break the lead free of the adjoining pieces.  It could be any number of problems, but the fact is I have had quite a few 0.3 mm pencils fail to feed over the years and I have had to tear them down and clean them out before they will feed again.  I guess it's the nature of the beast.

I wrote to jetpens.com to inform them of the breakage and to say that I should have bought a 0.5 mm pencil instead, believing them to be less susceptible to feeding problems.  Lo and Behold, I received and email informing me that I was being sent, free of charge a 0.5 mm insert as a replacement for the broken 0.3 mm insert!  Wow!  That was unexpected!  But I guess I really should have expected something like that to happen considering my past dealings with JetPens.

Sometimes it's not about the sales, or the product being sold, sometimes it's all about the service after the sale.  Sometimes it's all about the Customer Service.  If JetPens is about nothing else it's about customer service!  Not lip service, but real, honest, "the customer is always right" Customer Service!  I have dealt with all kinds of customer service personal with all kinds of companies, both small and giant, both via phone and email but I can count on one hand how many of them have been as customer oriented as the people at JetPens!  Everyone I have dealt with at JetPens, from employee to co-owner has treated me with the utmost kindness and respect!  They treat me as if I matter to them, and I believe that I do, as all their customers do to them, I'm sure!

It's not that I received a freebie from JetPens (which is a heck of a lot more than I've often got from companies 10 to 1000 times their fiscal size), instead it's about how I was treated, how I am genuinely thought of as an important customer to JetPens, even though I am sure I am not one of their most prolific customers!  But I am treated as one!  As if I buy high ticket items in quantity all the time!  It's the type of customer service lots of companies reserve for such "important" clients!  But JetPens gives out such customer service to each and every customer they have!

Sometimes it's not about what you buy, it's about who you buy it from!  Sometimes it's all about the people behind the counter, or in this case across cyberspace, that matter.  If all Customer Services personnel across the world were like the Customer Service personnel at JetPens then this would be a much nicer world.  So guys and gals at JetPens, take a bow, you've earned it!

Attention Readers.  I would very much like to read about your experiences with JetPens customer service.  So please leave a comment or drop me an email about your experience with JetPens customer service.  I'll pass along the comments I get to JetPen.

Please check out all the latest items JetPens has to offer by visiting jetpens.com.

Pacific Arc DP-03 0.3 mm Drafting Pencil

The regular readers of my blog know that I have a fondness for 0.3 mm drafting pencils.  I have a particularly keenness for the Pentel 0.3 mm P203, which some years back I discovered was discontinued... "Discontinue!  No discontinue, Stephenie!".  Pardon my "Short Circuit" parody, bit I just couldn't help it!...  Well I could help it, I just didn't!  When I inquired about why the response from Pentel was that it was being discontinued due to a lack of sales!  What?  A lack of sales?  I did not believe it then and I do not believe it now!  The pencil sold for about $4.00back then, now they are $10.00, when you can find them!  As far as I am concerned Pentel made one of the biggest mistakes the company has ever made when they discontinued the P203!  The P200 series pencils have been one of the most copied and cloned and modified mechanical pencils in history!  Case in point the Pacific Arc DP-03, 0.3 mm Mechanical Pencil.

When I saw the pencil I was intrigued.  A P203 clone or copy (clone - all parts are interchangeable with a Pentel P200 series pencil.  Copy - they are not all interchangeable, though some might).  The DP-03 0.3 mm mechanical is a copy.  I discovered this when I disassembled the pencil, along with a P203 and tried to interchange some of the parts! The tips, erasers and push buttons exchange but the non-tapered Pentel mechanism would not fit into the Pacific Arc body, though the Pacific Arc mechanism did fit the Pentel body.  The parts look similar but there are subtle differences such as the shape of the metal tip.

The 2 pencils are very close in size and balance, but the Pentel is slightly heavier at 11 grams verses 9 grams for the Pacific Arc.  The feel of the Pacific Arc is also different due to the slight difference and slightly more forward balance.  It also sounds less solid, more clunky when the push button is used to advance lead.  Lockup of the lead is as solid as with any such pencil but there were 2 things I didn't like about the Pacific Arc DP-03.  One is that a single 'click' does not quite advance enough lead to write with, for me any way, but a second advances too much!  With the Pentel the advancements are in very small increments which means it takes at least 3 'clicks' to advance enough lead to write with.

The second is that the the lead protruding from the tip of the Pacific Arc pencil has considerable lead shake.  That means that the interior of the lead sleeve is slightly over sized inside the tube.  Thus the lead does not fight as tightly in the tube as does the Pentel!  This, along with the over extended lead meant that there was considerable lead breakage when I used the pencil.  Now I was using the Pacific Arc lead at the time, so I replaced it with Pentel lead and got about the same amount of breakage!  The Pacific Arc lead is a high polymer and comes 24 pieces per tube. 2 tubes per package, for only $2.00 as of Saturday, February 1, 2011, from Hobby Lobby.  While I like the price what I don't like is that the pour spout is recessed into the mouth of the cap so it has to be removed by hand and inserted into the lead reservoir.  No direct pouring of lead into the lead reservoir from the container!

I had high hopes for the Pacific Arc DP-03.  I was hoping that I had found a low cost ($3) alternative  to the Pentel P203.  While I did find a bargain in the lead, the pencil is another matter.  Aside from the lead breakage/enlarged lead sleeve the product seems to be more cheaply made than I thought!  As I was disassembling the pencil for photographic reasons, the lead retainer fell out of the tip!  This is never good!  Now I have some experience replacing lead retainers so I tried to replace it.  Dang if I somehow didn't loose it!  I don't know how, but when I went to see if it was in the tip, it wasn't!

For most people this would be a lost cause and no matter how little or how much (I've had a similar problem with an $80.00 pencil) the pencil cost, it would now be rendered useless.  Without a lead retainer the lead falls straight through the pencil when you try and advance the lead!  But for me, it proved a challenge, nothing more.  After some searching I found a piece of small gage wire where the sheath was an adequate substitute.  With some work I got the pencil to function properly once more.  Hooray for me!

But the bottom line is, while I really like the shape and feel of the pencil, I can not and do not recommend the pencil for any reason.  Yeah, it's only $3.00, but one can do better by buying a different style pencil from jetpens.com.  Or if you must have a Pentel P203, than $10.00 on the net.  So my advice is to avoid the Pacific Arc DP-03 0.3 mm pencil, at least for now.  However the lead is another story.  It seems of good quality and the price is unbeatable.

Pilot S20, Elegance In Wood

 

The first experience that I had with the Pilot S series was a pleasant surprise!  I really enjoyed my experience with the Pilot S10.  I liked it so much that I ended up buying an S3 and an S5 in 0.3 mm and an S3 in 0.4 mm.  But circumstances would not allow me to buy an S20.  But recently I was gifted an S20, the only one in the series made of wood.  There is no material more naturally elegant than wood.  And the Pilot S20 is nothing if not elegant! 

 

The other pencils in the series are made of plastic with either a plastic grip (S3), rubber grip (S5), or a metal grip (S10) and have a straight grip where the grip of the S20 is nicely curved near the tip.  The over all look of the shape of the pencil adds to it's elegance.  With the satin finish metal components the dark wood with it's satin finish gives the S20 a very sleek and elegant appearance.

 

But appearances alone do not make the pilot S20 such an elegant pencil.  The feel of the pencil is also elegant.  The shape along with the satin finish allows for a good grip and a good feel.  Writing with the S20 is a pleasant experience in part due to it's satiny smooth finish and shape, but the balance point is approximately 65 mm from the tip, just 6 mm shy from center.  This combination for me makes for a nice writing experience.  The pencil is not hard to hold and the wood feels so good in my fingers.

 

But enough gushing over the appearance and feel of elegant wood, let's get down to some stats.  Over all the S20 is approximately 146 mm long and 11 mm in diameter at it's widest.  it weighs 17.5 grams making it a semi heavyweight.  But I like a  weighty pencil, but then again I like a lightweight pencil as well.  Come to think of it, I like drafting pencils of all kinds and weights. Each delivers it's own experience.

 

 

Unlike the rest of the series, with the exception of the S3, the S20 breaks down into only 5 major components, the grip/body along with the metal pocket clip, the tip/end cap, the eraser with clean out rod and the lead indicator/push button.  I am sure that the pencil can be broken down further, but probably at the cost of breaking the pencil.  Besides there is no need to break the pencil down further in order to clear a lead jam.

 

The S20 is a ratcheting/clutch pencil which takes just two presses of the push button to advance enough to write with.  The mechanism is not loud enough to be a bother and the the mechanism is tight.  The lead reservoir is  cavernous enough to hold a tube of lead or more but works best with a tube or less.  To change the lead grade in the lead grade indicator window the push button must be removed so the tube can be held as the top is turned to the desired lead grade.  The pocket clip is removable but I would never do so for fear of damaging the wood. 

 

Weather you use the S20 at home or at the office, it will defiantly make a statement.  It's design, It's juxtaposition of wood and bright metal, both satin finish make the S20 the most elegant of the Pilot S series drafting pencils.  The entire series is available from our friends at JetPens.com.

Pentel Graph PG2 0.2mm Drafting Pencil

When is small too small?  I am a big fan of 0.3 mm drafting pencils and I own a few!  I like the very thin line that the lead produces, albeit at a cost - lead breakage!  So in order to use a 03. mm pencil I have had to train myself to write with a light hand.  If, like now, I use some other lead size, like a 0.5 mm lead sized pencil, such as the Kuru Toga Rouletta, then I have to retrain my self when I go back to a 0.3 mm lead size!  I like the Kuru Toga because I can use a pencil with the stronger 0.5 mm lead size yet get a near 0.3 mm line.  Lately I have been using a 0.3 mm Kuru Toga because it produces a sum 0.3 mm line!  But lead breakage is still a problem.

Then comes the Pentel Graph PG2 0.2 mm Drafting Pencil.  No, it's not a typo!  Not 2 mm but 0.2 mm!  Now that's a thin line (for a pencil)!  The pencils has been around for a while, since the late 70's, but I didn't notice it until a few years ago.  With my propensity for thin line lead pencils had I known of it's existence back then, I would have had several by now!  Or would!?

The lead grade indicator has 2 readings, HB and B and that's all the lead grades the 0.2 mm currently comes in!  Oddly enough the lead is also made by Pentel.  The Pentel Graph PG2 may be the only 0.2mm pencil made!  A quick search of the Internet provided some proof of my claim as the only 0.2 mm pencil that came up was indeed the Pentel Garph PG2!  And there may be good reason for this!

But before I get into this  lets dive into some stats!  Now who doesn't like to read about the stats of a fine drafting pencil (not a word out of you, Tommy Turquoise)?  All the mumblers tossed out at this point have been rounded to the nearest whole digit.  The PG2 is approximately 146 mm long making it of average length.  it is approximately 8 mm in diameter making it a slim pencil.  It's balance point is approximately 68 mm from the tip making it a little top heavy but you'd hardly notice and it weighs approximately 10 grams making it a feather weight!  It almost feels like there is nothing in my hand!

The grip area of the pencil is a set of concentric close set rings approximately 14 mm long.  They are smooth to the touch, probably rounded instead of square, providing a good non-slip grip with out a sharp bite.  The chromed metal pocket grip appear to be of the same type if not the same one used on the P200 series Pentel drafting pencils.  The good grip area along with the light weight and good balance would make the PG2 easy to control and fatigue free, except for one fact.  More on that later.

The construction of the PG2 is as what would be expected from Pentel, a leader in the world of fine and affordable drafting pencils.  It's solid, well made and easily torn down.  The body is plastic, along with the lead reservoir retainer/ lead grade indicator body and clean out rod handle.  The pocket clip, tip of the pencil, entire clutch and lead reservoir assembly and the but stock are metal.

The pencil can be torn down into 7 major pieces/ submersibles.  The body and removable pocket clip, the tip, the clutch/reservoir assembly, the clutch/reservoir retainer/lead indicator body, the lead indicator window, the clean out rod and holder/push button assembly and the tail stock.

 

To disassemble the PG2 into it's major components first unscrew the tip, which screws to the clutch assembly.  Unscrew the tail stock, lead grade indicator window and the clutch/reservoir retainer then pull the clutch/reservoir free from the pencil then pull the clean-out-rod holder/push button free. Reassembly is just the opposite.  due to the potential of losing an important part of the pencil, I recommend the average user do not break down the PG2 this far.  In order to clear a led jam all you have to do is remove the tip, tail stock and clean out rod/push button assembly.

The PG2 is a sliding sleeve retracts with the lead as it is used up, but only about 1/2 the distance to the base of the tip.  In my humble opinion the pencil would have been better if the sliding sleeve would have retracted all the way to the tip!  This would have given the pencil a little more versatility.

Now at the beginning of this review I ask the question, "When is small too small?"  The answer to that question, in this bloggerss mind, is when small become impracticable.  To me a 0.2 mm lead size is impracticable, which is maybe why there is only one pencil made in that lead size.  An extremely light hand must be used in conjunction with a slow, fluid writing style in order to prevent lead breakage.  But a light hand, even with HB lead, produces a light line.  This lightness combined with sheer 0.2 mm line width makes the writing/drawing produced with such a fine width extremely hard to discern by many people.  Even with the sliding sleeve the instrument is impracticable because the tip of the lead sleeve contacting the paper scratches and drags and one day will wear out.

While I do not recommend this pencil to anyone with out who does not have the lightest of hands and the keenest eyesight, does not mean that I don't like the pencil!  I do like it.  I like it's looks, light weight, balance, etc.  I just don't like using it.  A softer lead, like grade 'B' would be more practical, offering a dark line with less lead breakage.

Bottom line, for all practical purposes the Pentel PG2 is not for every one and certainly not for every day use.  It even has limited use as a drafting pencil.   It is however an elegant and beautiful pencil and it looks good in my pencil case.