Pentel P203: A Review

What follows is a review of the Pentel P203 that I originally did for Associated Content.

Review: Pentel 200 P203 0.3mm Automatic Pencil
Style: Drafting

Technical Data:
Length: 142.8
Diameter (Body): 9.3mm
Diameter (grip): N/A
Balance Point (From Push Button): 73mm
Weight: 11.3 grams
Lead Sleeve: 4mm, fixed
Lead size: 0.3mm


Major Components: End cap/Lead sleeve, body, clutch assembly/lead reservoir, push button, eraser with clean out rod.

Construction Type: Independent body, integral lead reservoir/clutch assembly.

Construction Materials: Plastic body, lead reservoir, metal end cap/lead sleeve, push button, clutch assembly.

Colors: Brown body, black lead reservoir, chrome pocket clip, end cap/lead sleeve, push button.

Mode Of Operation: Ratcheting push button lead advance, 3-jawed brass clutch with brass over-sleeve.

Appearance: With its tapering brown body the PG203 looks more like a typical writing pencil than a drafting pencil, but looks can be deceiving as the PG203 is a true drafting pencil. White lettering stands out on the multi-side body, which has an indentation for the pocket clip, which is set down a short distance from the top of the body. The chromed push button is the over the sleeve type and is a simple closed tube. The chrome end cap continues the pencil's taper to the lead sleeve. There is a small ringed rib at the end of the body where it contacts the end cap. Less than a centimeter up from the rib is a set of 11 equally spaced rings that makes up the grip. Simple elegance.

Disassembly: To disassemble the P203 first remove the end cap/lead sleeve. Next remove the clutch assembly/lead reservoir from in side the body. Remove the push button then the eraser with the clean out rod. Finally remove the pocket clip. Reassembly is the reverse of assembly. Note that the end cap screws onto the extended clutch assembly. The clutch assembly locks into the body via a hex nut.

Clearing A Lead Jam: Refer to this article, Clearing A Lead Jam, should clearing a lead jam be necessary.

My Opinion: The P203 feels great in my hand and writes remarkably well, feeling so well balanced in my hand. Two or 3 clicks produces enough lead to write with, about 1mm's worth. The lead advance mechanism has a distinct metallic sound and is semi loud. The P203 was my first 0.3mm drafting pencil and the one by which I hold all others up to. It is an old design but old does not mean out-of-date. While the P203 is no longer made (but still available) the design is so good that it is not only carried on in the Sharp line it has been copied by several different companies. The P203 is a rugged pencil; I've had one for over 25 years.

Last Words: While the P203 has been discontinued by the manufacturer (declining sales says the Pentel of America rep.) I fail to see why the other 3 pencils are still available. It really makes no scene to me and probably never will. Despite the fact that it has been left by the wayside by Pentel it remains one of the best drafting pencils ever made. The P203 is a pencil that should be in any collection so I suggest that you get one while you can.

March Giveaway!

In July of 2009 I did a follow up review of the Staedtler Liquid Point 7 rollerball liquid ink pens.  They have been sitting around in a drawer ever since!  So I've decided to give them away as it looks like I'll never use them!  Way too many pens to try and use them all!  So some Pens And Pencils blog reader will win these beautiful German made rollerballs simply by sending me an email with something in the header about Staedtler Liquid Point 7's!  That way I can tell who entered the giveaway and who didn't!  Rules are simple: One entry per reader; must be an email, comments on the blog will not count (though you can leave all the comments that you wish); must be received before or on somewhere around March 31st.  At some point I'll close the giveaway and let the RIG pick the winning number that corresponds to one of the entries.  After that I'll contact the winner and ask for a mailing addy so I can ship them out!  Simple, no?

So Pens And Pencils readers get those emails in!  You never know just what number the RIG will pick!

BTW, just incase you can't find my email addy in the sidebar, in my profile, it'smailto:theoldgeezer@live.com.

The Giveaway is now closed.  No more emails please!  Thank you.

Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 5633 0.3mm Automatic Pencil

Hello Pen And Pencils Blog Fans... and other assorted strangers!  Welcome to my humble blog and another riveting review!... OK, so maybe not so riveting, but a review none the less!  I did this one for Associated Content a couple of years ago.  It's in a style I no longer use, but, hey, it's a valid review no matter what Tommy Turquoise says!  I've altered it here for my blog.  Enjoy!


Technical Data:
Length: 142.1mm
Diameter (Body) 9.1mm
Diameter (Grip): 8.1mm
Balance Point (From Bush Button): 74.6mm
Weight: 17 grams
Lead Sleeve: 4mm, fixed
Lead Size: 0.3mm

Major Components: End cap/lead sleeve/grip, body with lead grade indicator, pocket clip, clutch assembly/lead reservoir, push button and eraser with clean out rod.

Construction Type: Independent body and clutch/lead reservoir.

Construction Materials: Plastic body, metal end cap/lead sleeve/grip, pocket clip, push button, clutch assembly and lead reservoir.

Colors: Red, body, bright chrome pocket clip, lead grade indicator, push button, end cap/lead sleeve/grip, lead reservoir.

Mode Of Operation: Ratcheting push button lead advance, 3-jawed brass clutch with brass over-sleeve.

Appearance: The bright red color of the hexagonal body with its white lettering makes a striking contrast against the bright chrome of the other components. The chrome lead grade indicator rests at the top of the body and is finely knurled. The silver lead grade characters are set against a gloss black background and include the grades H, 2H, 4H, 2B, B, HB and F. The chrome pocket clip sets just below the lead grade indicator and is embossed with the brand name and country of origin, Japan. The chrome push button is the full over-sleeve type completely covering the lead reservoir and has the lead size nicely embossed on the top. The chrome grip is nicely knurled in a diamond pattern and steps down twice to form the integral end cap, squaring off before becoming the lead sleeve.

Disassembly: To completely disassemble the 5633 first remove the grip. The clutch assembly and lead reservoir will probably come along with it. Remove the clutch assembly from the end cap. Remove the pushbutton to expose the eraser. Remove the eraser to access the clean out rod. This completes the disassembly of the 5633. Reassembly is the opposite of disassembly.

Clearing A Lead Jam: Refer to this article, "All Jammed Up?", should clearing a lead jam be necessary.

My Opinion: The Koh-I-Noor was designed as a professionals tool but it's equally at home on the desk of the average homeowner. It is a well designed and built, being a highly sought after pencil brand for years. The lead is rock solid in the lead sleeve with very little if any wobble. Three clicks of the push button produce 1 mm of lead, quite enough lead to write with. Any more and there is a risk of breakage. The chrome lead reservoir is cavernous enough to hold several tubes of lead and still have room to spare. This is a feature that I like as I like to fill the lead reservoir with as much lead as possible. The balance point of the pencil is almost at the midpoint so the pencil is only slightly bottom heavy but it doesn't feel like it. The finely knurled diamond pattern on the grip makes a good surface to hold onto and helps guide the pencil across the paper. The only thing I don't like is the lead grade indicator. I'm not fond of the top of the body type of lead grade indicators. The one on the Koh-I-Noor started out tight but after years of use it has loosened up. Also the silver characters are set against a gloss black background making them hard to read due to glare. However the 5633 is a great pencil to write with being finely crafted and well built. I like the Koh-I-Noor, it feels good in my hand and is an easily guided across the paper despite its 17 gram weight, or maybe because of it. Either way I like this German designed pencil and wish that I had more.

Last Words: The above review was of a pencil that I've had for years. It was made in Japan and is a very well built pencil, possibly as well built as the original Koh-I-Noors made in Germany. Unfortunately the line is now made in China. The Chinese version of the pencils are not quite up to the standard of the Japanese or German versions. It's for this reason that I can not recommend buying a Koh-I-Noor 5633 unless you can find one in new or good condition that was made in Japan or Germany.

Picture courtesy of... wait!  I took that one!  Nice pic, huh?

February Giveaway

Hello blog readers, Web surfers, and passers by!  Welcome to my humble blog!  Take your shoes off, set a spell... on second thought, leave your shoes on!... This month I'm giving away a Pilot 2020 Super Grip 0.5mm shaker mechanical pencil in Aqua.  Apparently the solid colored versions are becoming hard to find, at least a search of the Web only turned up one place that showed the solid color pencil in Aqua, and they are no longer selling them!  The version that I'm giving away differs from the photo only in that the eraser cap is totally clear, there is no color at the top of the cap.

This is a cute (yes, I did say "cute") mechanical pencil and from my observation a sturdy one as compared to some other mechanical pencils.  It is made mostly of plastic and rubber with a few metal parts, namely the 3 jawed lead clutch system, the lead sleeve and the shaker weight, which appears to be a tightly wound spring!  The 2mm lead sleeve is of the retractable type with the lead retainer being plastic, but internal, as it should be!  It is integrated with the lead sleeve.  This little gem has a 3 jawed brass clutch, not a plastic 2 jawed clutch as so many mechanical pencils in it's price range have!  This speaks of quality.  In fact, I'm impressed with many of the features of the Pilot 2020.  It has a soft rubber grip, not the squishy silicone grip the other versions have!  But I personally am not a fan of rubber grips.  However over all the pencil, for what it is, is a nice pencil!  It has features found on much more expensive pencils!

The Pilot 2020 is 148mm long, 11mm wide at the grip, weighs a scant 11 grams.  The balance point is approximately 74mm from the tip of the pencil making it almost perfectly balanced!  It feels nice in the hand and is easy to use. The grip affords plenty of gripping power, but gets dirty easily!  There is a usable (almost) eraser under the clear cap that serves as a push button.  It does not come with a clean out rod, but I've provided one under the eraser.  The lead reservoir is small, holding about a 1/2 dozen leads max!  It comes with 2 leads, but I made it an even 1/2 dozen.

To operate the pencil one can use the push button, or just shake the pencil a couple of times in order to advance the lead.  But be careful when shaking the pencil to advance the lead as it is easy to advance too much lead!

Well, there you have it.  An impromptu review of the Pilot 2020 Super Grip Shaker mechanical pencil.  So if I have whet your appetite for the Pilot 2020 and you would like a chance to win this one then just drop me an email (theoldgeezer@live.com) with the words, Pilot 2020 Giveaway, in the subject line.  That's all there is to it!  Please just one email per person!  The giveaway will remain open until sometime Saturday the 26th of this month.  At that time I'll pick a winner using the RIG at the bottom of this blog.  So get your emails in!  Times a wastin'!

The photo is courtesy of our friends at Jetpens.

Stop the presses!  We have a winner!

January Giveaway

"Good morning America, how are ya!  Don't cha ya know me I'm your native son..."  Arlo Guthrie!  How did you get on my blog!?  Well, the nerve of some people!...  Anyway it's time for my January giveaway.

This month up for grabs is a brand new set of uni-ball Signo Erasable gel pens in 0.5 mm point size.  They come in 8 colors, black, red, orange, green, blue, violet, pink and aqua and come in their own handy carry case.  These are similar to the uni-ball Signo UM-100 gel pens only they are erasable.  They each have their own color coordinated eraser atop the cap.  They are one of the smoothest erasable gel pens available.

If you would like a chance to win this nicely packaged set of erasable gel pens then all you have to do is send me an email.  In the subject line of the email write Pens And Pencils January Giveaway and if you wish you can put some nice comment about how great an old geezer I am for giving away such nice things... or not!  Hey!  So what!  I'm soliciting compliments!... I mean, it's not like a get a lot of them from friends and family, ya know!  Yeah!  I have feelings!  I like to be appreciated!  I'd feel a lot better about myself if a certain few individuals would pay a bit more attention to me from time to time... Eh, oh my!  A-hum!  Please excuse me!  I've... I've been sick, yeah, that's it!  I've been sick!...

At any rate get your email in because you can't win if you don't enter!  I'll give you until sometime Monday, the 31st.  Just exactly when on Saturday I don't know.  I don't keep a regular schedule and I'm up at odd hours, asleep during the day and night, so I'll close the giveaway at my whim!  But not before I've collected all the emails and posted that the giveaway is closed!  Once closed I'll use the Random Integer Generator at the bottom of my blog to generate a number between 1 and the total number of eligible emails received.  Emails are numbered in the order in which they are received, earliest first.

So, ladies and germs (I told you I've been sick) get those emails in!  Just in case you can't find my email addy on my blog there on the left as part of my profile, it's theoldgeezer@live.com. 

The giveaway is and has been officially closed!

Pentel Graphgear 500 PG523 Drafting Pencil: A Review

What follows is my review of the Pentel GraphGear PG523 0.3mm drafting pencil.  This review was original published at Assocciated Content.

Review: Pentel GraphGear 500 PG523 0.3mm Automatic Pencil
Style: Drafting
Technical Data
Length: 141mm
Diameter (Body): 8.3mm across points of hex
Diameter (Grip): 9.2mm
Balance Point (From Push Button): 82.5mm
Weight: 14.2grams
Lead Sleeve: 4mm, fixed
Lead Size: 0.3mm

Major Components: Integral end cap/lead sleeve/grip, push button, pocket clip, eraser, integral body/lead reservoir/clutch assembly.

Construction Type: Integral body/lead reservoir/clutch assembly.

Construction Materials: Plastic body. Metal end cap/lead sleeve/grip, push button, pocket clip, lead reservoir and clutch assembly.

Colors: Brown body, bright chrome end cap/lead sleeve/grip, pocket clip, push button and lead reservoir.

Mode Of Operation: Ratcheting push button lead advance, 3-jawed brass clutch with brass over-sleeve.

Appearance: The PG-523 appears odd to me in that the grip is much larger than the body and takes up almost 1/3rd of the pencils length. The grip is finely knurled in a diamond pattern with 4 evenly spaced parallel rings on the lower part of the grip. There is a deep grove, then a short, tapered un-knurled portion before a long tapering section that steps down in a short taper to the lead sleeve. The body is hexagonal with white lettering along one side. The pocket clip is removable and has the Company name and country of origin stamped on to the rim of the clip. It rests at the top of the pencil. The push button is the full over-sleeve type completely covering the lead reservoir. It is odd in appearance it that it is flared out at the top as if it has been pounded upon.

Disassembly: To take down the PG523 first unscrew the grip and remove it. Next remove the push button by sliding it off the lead reservoir. Pull the eraser free from inside the mouth of the lead reservoir (note that there is no clean out rod). The pocket clip is removed by pushing up on it until it is free of the body. This is as far as the user can disassemble the pencil. Reassembly is the opposite of disassembly.

Clearing A Lead Jam: Refer to this article, Clearing A Lead Jam, should clearing a lead jam be necessary.

My Opinion: Despite its ungainly appearance the PG-523 is an excellent writing instrument. Its large and heavy grip sleeve makes the pencil bottom heavy. This along with the pencils weigh makes it a pleasure to write with. It seems to glide across the paper effortlessly, almost doing the writing for me. The finely knurled grip offers a good surface on which to hold the pencil while writing being neither too sharp nor too dull. Four clicks of the push button will produce 1mm of lead, enough to write with comfortably. The mechanism is on the quiet side and requires only a short stroke to produce lead. The lead reservoir is cavernous enough to hold several tubes of lead and still have room for more, a feature that I like. While functional I have never been fond of the integral lead sleeve/end cap/grip as it is too much to have to remove in order to clear a lead jam.

Last Words: The PG-523 was designed as a fine drafting tool and serves this purpose well. But it also makes a fine writing instrument as well. It's a rugged pencil that will probably outlast newer models. If you are in need of a quality drafting pencil or just want a good all around writing pencil then consider buying a Pentel GraphfGear 500 PG-523. You won't be sorry.

Due to a glitch comments were not enabled on this post.  If you would like to leave a comment please do so at my Guest Book.  Just mention the pencil by name.

Last Minute Giveaway

Hello faithful readrs and passers-by!  I have a last minute give away for you!  I have up for grabs 23 tubes of Pentel Super Polymer grade B lead!  That's 132 pieces of lead, folks!  132 pieces!  Wow!... OK, so maybe it's not such a great giveaway!  Especially if you don't have a 0.9mm pencil!... Anyway... If you want to have a chance to win this bountyful supply of lead, then just send me an email at theoldgeezer@live.com with the words Last Minute Giveaway in the headder!  That's it!  Please note posting a comment to this posting WILL NOT ENTER YOU INTO THE CONTEST!  I must have an e-mail so I can notify the winner and ask for a mailing addy!  Contestants have until midnight, Thersday, the 16th of Decenber to shoot me an e-mail.  After that I'll pick a winner in the usual way and notify them via e-mail.  So hurry up and send in those e-mails.