The Pilot BP-S is a ballpoint pen that has been around for a long time. Although it doesn't look very spectacular, it is not as cheap as some people think. I picked it up, hoping that it would cost 60 cents or so, but it actually costs closer to a dollar. The pen is just a capped pen which means I would usually lose the cap. It is a simple pen. With a plastic body, which, to me, reeks of the familiar "Red Leaf" pens that I used a lot during my childhood days.
When it comes to performance, the BP-S does not disappoint too. I would rate the smoothness as A-. Other than the occassional blotting and line split, there is nothing worth grumbling or praising about the pen. I do have one comment about the pen though. In my opinion, after long usage, the pen does not write as well as before. The ink tends to blot a lot more than initial.
Specifications:
Length: 15.6cm (capped) 14.5cm (uncapped)
Balance point: 6.5cm from tip
Available in many colours. Black, red, blue, pink, purple.
Materials: plastic body & cap, metal tip, standard inerts.
My opinions on the pen:
1. The pen is boring. Everything about it reeks of Budget but the price isn't. There is nothing too spectacular about its performance too.
2. Middle range pen, but you can easily find cheaper pens that gets the job done just as well and for just a little more, you can get something a lot more interesting.
Verdict:
Get this pen only if you are a hardcore Pilot fan. It won't disappoint.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Staedtler 422
This is a review of the Staedtler 422 ballpoint pen. It is an economic range of ballpoint pens from Staedlter. I got a pack of 5 from Popular for $1.80. It looks simple with a standard mechanism – you press the button at the back to extend the pen tip, and push the pocket clip down to retract it. However, one drawback about this mechanism is that after long usage, the plastic clip usually falls off. The whole pen is a tad too boring as it looks, feels and operates too similarly as many other types of ballpoint pens. There is hardly any effort in trying to differentiate then pen from others, apart from having their logo and “STAEDTLER 422” printed in white on the plastic body of the pen. However, I feel that it is quite ineffective. I only bought it because I thought I would do a comparison or review on it. If I were a regular customer just looking around for some budget pens, I would not even consider the Staedlter 422. Truthfully, they are a little pricey and even the design of Popular’s house-brand pen look more interesting. Moreover, Staedtler are well known for their pencils rather than pens.
That’s the marketing side. But is the 422 better than others in terms of functionality? Firstly, other than all the fancy sales gimmicks, a budget pen’s most important goal is to provide a good writing experience. All other functions count for naught. The Staedtler 422 does that well, perhaps too well in my opinion. There are no leaks, no sudden stop of ink and it can be considered as moderately smooth in writing (Grade B). It does get addictive after a while. Very rarely there were some ink blots and line splits. Such incidents are only few and far between.
In conclusion, the pen is alright, but I feel that they should try to differentiate their products a bit more. As for the functionality, although it does the job well, many others also do the job alright. Although other budget ballpoint pens perform not as well as the 422, they certainly cost much cheaper. After all, the main considerations for a budget pen are probably more on price and an acceptable performance. No one would really take too much care about the functionality as long it is acceptable and it is the cheapest. Unlike me, hardly anyone would do a comparison or a review on a budget pen.
Specifications
Length: 14cm when retracted, 13.8cm when extended.
Balance Point: 7.5 cm from tip when extended
0.7mm ball (from my experience)
Materials: Transparent plastic body, plastic mechanism, metal spring, typical ballpoint pen inerts (rubber tube with ink, metal point)
Get it if:
1. You are going budget, but there is nothing cheaper.
2. The Steadtler brand means something to you in the pen market
3. You want something cheap that provides just a little better writing experience (almost negligible in terms of smoothness but a better in terms in number of times the ink blots and have split lines), but you are willing to pay a bit more.
That’s the marketing side. But is the 422 better than others in terms of functionality? Firstly, other than all the fancy sales gimmicks, a budget pen’s most important goal is to provide a good writing experience. All other functions count for naught. The Staedtler 422 does that well, perhaps too well in my opinion. There are no leaks, no sudden stop of ink and it can be considered as moderately smooth in writing (Grade B). It does get addictive after a while. Very rarely there were some ink blots and line splits. Such incidents are only few and far between.
In conclusion, the pen is alright, but I feel that they should try to differentiate their products a bit more. As for the functionality, although it does the job well, many others also do the job alright. Although other budget ballpoint pens perform not as well as the 422, they certainly cost much cheaper. After all, the main considerations for a budget pen are probably more on price and an acceptable performance. No one would really take too much care about the functionality as long it is acceptable and it is the cheapest. Unlike me, hardly anyone would do a comparison or a review on a budget pen.
Specifications
Length: 14cm when retracted, 13.8cm when extended.
Balance Point: 7.5 cm from tip when extended
0.7mm ball (from my experience)
Materials: Transparent plastic body, plastic mechanism, metal spring, typical ballpoint pen inerts (rubber tube with ink, metal point)
Get it if:
1. You are going budget, but there is nothing cheaper.
2. The Steadtler brand means something to you in the pen market
3. You want something cheap that provides just a little better writing experience (almost negligible in terms of smoothness but a better in terms in number of times the ink blots and have split lines), but you are willing to pay a bit more.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Pentel Champ AL15 0.5mm
Today, Sitting temporary at a desk of my colleague who is on leave, I came across this mechanical pencil, the Pentel Champ AL15. I have seldom seen this mechanical pencil around, hence I picked it up and meddled with it for a while. It is definitely interesting enough for it to warrent a review by me.
The Pentel Champ could be classified under economic in Pentel's mechanical pencil range. With a full plastic body, a simple rubber grip, a plastic clip and uncapped eraser at the end; the only characteristic that bears similarity with Pentel's more expensive mechanical pencils is the long unretractable metal sleeve. The mechanism sounds sturdy, hence I unscrewed the tip to examine the mechanism inside. Surprisingly, it is made of metal. Now I am a little apprehensive about the Pentel Champ being an economic line. I will go to some stationery shops later to hunt down this pencil to check out how much it costs and get one myself to allow myself to do a proper review.
Specifications:
length: 14.5cm
balance point: 8cm from tip
UPDATE:
An update for the Pentel Champ. I could not locate this piece of fine instrument even though I went to many different stores. Did anyone come across anywhere that sells the Pentel Champ?
While I am waiting from replies from the multiple stores I sent emails to, let me just add on to my prior review.
The Pentel Champ is a line from Pentel USA. You can clearly see Pentel USA inscribed at the side of the pen clip/eraser component. The eraser is uncapped; inviting you to rub out any mistakes you made using it. The simple rubber grip has a series of 3 grooves in it along the entire width of the pencil. Assuming it is an economic mechanical pencil, it works reasonably well compared to others. The plastic clip seems to be sturdy. The plastic body is glossy, but the plastic of the tip cap holding the metal sleeve is matt. Perhaps the plastic materials used to make the two different parts are different. Other than being a bit of an aesthetic eyesore, this inconsistency is more or less redundant. Another flaw about this pencil is the amount of lead that is wasted in the event that you drop the pencil and the lead inside the tip cap breaks. Due to the long tip and sleeve, a lot of lead breaks off from the metal jaws inside the tip cap whenever I drop the pencil.
The Pentel Champ is indeed another fine mechanical pencil manufactured by the Champion of Mechanical Pencils, Pentel.
I would not give any other comments or whether you should get this as the availability of the Pentel Champ is uncertain. Popular finally replied on 25 May 2011. They do not carry it anymore. As such the review will stop here.
The Pentel Champ could be classified under economic in Pentel's mechanical pencil range. With a full plastic body, a simple rubber grip, a plastic clip and uncapped eraser at the end; the only characteristic that bears similarity with Pentel's more expensive mechanical pencils is the long unretractable metal sleeve. The mechanism sounds sturdy, hence I unscrewed the tip to examine the mechanism inside. Surprisingly, it is made of metal. Now I am a little apprehensive about the Pentel Champ being an economic line. I will go to some stationery shops later to hunt down this pencil to check out how much it costs and get one myself to allow myself to do a proper review.
Specifications:
length: 14.5cm
balance point: 8cm from tip
UPDATE:
An update for the Pentel Champ. I could not locate this piece of fine instrument even though I went to many different stores. Did anyone come across anywhere that sells the Pentel Champ?
While I am waiting from replies from the multiple stores I sent emails to, let me just add on to my prior review.
The Pentel Champ is a line from Pentel USA. You can clearly see Pentel USA inscribed at the side of the pen clip/eraser component. The eraser is uncapped; inviting you to rub out any mistakes you made using it. The simple rubber grip has a series of 3 grooves in it along the entire width of the pencil. Assuming it is an economic mechanical pencil, it works reasonably well compared to others. The plastic clip seems to be sturdy. The plastic body is glossy, but the plastic of the tip cap holding the metal sleeve is matt. Perhaps the plastic materials used to make the two different parts are different. Other than being a bit of an aesthetic eyesore, this inconsistency is more or less redundant. Another flaw about this pencil is the amount of lead that is wasted in the event that you drop the pencil and the lead inside the tip cap breaks. Due to the long tip and sleeve, a lot of lead breaks off from the metal jaws inside the tip cap whenever I drop the pencil.
The Pentel Champ is indeed another fine mechanical pencil manufactured by the Champion of Mechanical Pencils, Pentel.
I would not give any other comments or whether you should get this as the availability of the Pentel Champ is uncertain. Popular finally replied on 25 May 2011. They do not carry it anymore. As such the review will stop here.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
POP bazic MPP1587 Mechanical Pencil 0.5
As a follow up to my previous post, I will do a review, so as to not write off the qualities this pencil has (if any) due to an unfortunate manufacturing defect.
The POP bazic is a line of products manufactured by Popular. They offer cheap, affordable but questionable quality stationery. Not surprisingly, the MMP1587 is no different. For $2.50 for a pair (I gave the other one to my colleague. Hopefully it works well), I would expect some decent quality checks to detect any manufacturing defects. However, immediately I realized there were 2 defects on the same pencil. I would tell you more about them but I would like to save it for later.
The MPP1587 is not supposed to be an economic line, despite its cheap price. How can I tell? There is evidence of it having many features that resembles a higher-end mechanical pencil. Let me show you this with some specification.
Specifications and features:
Length: 14.1 cm
Balance point: about 6.2 cm from tip
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Rubber Grip
3mm non-retractable metal sleeve
Metal clip
Lead hardness indicator above rubber grip (HB, B, 2B, 3B)
Twist out eraser
Materials: plastic body, tip including sleeve is made of metal
One thing I liked about this pencil is that it is front heavy. It is comfortable to write with. The sleeve is not retractable making it unsafe to stick it into your pocket anywhere that a protruding tip would cause damage, pain and injury. The lead advancing mechanism is made out of metal which is another sign it is not an economic range pencil, however, the mechanism does not seem very sturdy. It did not work when I got it. If you read the previous post, it was due to the retainer, but furthermore, the mechanism is faulty. I had to dismantle and reassemble it, pressing a plastic part together to make sure it grips the mechanism tighter. I don’t know how long what I did would last, but so far it had worked quite well for the 2 days I have been
working with it. This led me to the conclusion that the mechanism might not be very good. 10 clicks give about 8.5mm of lead. For me, 1 click gives just a little than enough lead to start writing with and 2 clicks gives too much.
Next, I dislike the rubber grip. It is practically useless. As Dave (davesmechanicalpencil.blogspot.com) would put it, why do they even try? My personal take on this is that if you want to do something, do it properly. And this would sum up what this pencil is about, overpromising and under delivering, as you would see why later. I wondered why they included a rubber grip that is more slippery than a plastic grip. They could have just include some grooves on the plastic body and do away with the rubber grip. Not only it saves them the trouble to fit each pencil with the rubber grip, it also saves them the cost used to make the
rubber grip.
The lead indicator is alright if you ask me - just a simple plastic ring that clicks into position. Simple, easy and fuss free, as compared to other more complicated ones. However, here lies the other defect I found. The lead indicator’s sticker, which has the hardness grades printed on it, is misaligned. I had to peel it off and stick it back on again to make the grade display correctly.
The metal clip is simple, but it is somewhat flimsy and some of you who prefer clips with a tight grip would mind. Personally, I find it alright and useable. It is not slanted, hence unsightly like some other mechanical pencils I possess.
Lastly, the twist-out eraser is not a rip off. It really does move up and down when you twist the eraser cap. Some of you that have read Dave’s blog would come across some that are a rip off as only the plastic covering moves when you twist the eraser mechanism. This is not the case with the MPP1587. I have to give the designer some credit to use a black eraser, as it is more stylish. However, like I said, this pencil overpromises and under delivers. I was so excited about the twist out eraser, but I was disappointed with the quality of the eraser. It smudges pencil markings instead of erasing them. Furthermore, it leaves behind a faint blank marking, probably from the black eraser dye. I tried to erase the black markings with a Pentel eraser, but it doesn't come off. Again, probably they saw that other higher-end mechanical pencils have the
feature, therefore they want it. Instead of so many features, I would prefer that they drop some of these features that they would obviously do a bad job with and focus on quality control and making sure their fundamental features work well.
In conclusion, as usual, who would I recommend the MPP1587 to:
1) Not many. I would rather you get something cheaper with lesser functions that performs better, or get something more expensive but worth your time.
2) Those who are on a budget and want their mechanical pencils to have as many functions as possible, not giving a hoot if the functions really work well at all. Just to be clear, the functions do work, but not up to my satisfaction.
3) Anyone who is really good at tinkering. Perhaps change the eraser, swap the grip, do something to the lead indicator to include more grades. I don't know. Some people I know are really good as such things.
The POP bazic is a line of products manufactured by Popular. They offer cheap, affordable but questionable quality stationery. Not surprisingly, the MMP1587 is no different. For $2.50 for a pair (I gave the other one to my colleague. Hopefully it works well), I would expect some decent quality checks to detect any manufacturing defects. However, immediately I realized there were 2 defects on the same pencil. I would tell you more about them but I would like to save it for later.
The MPP1587 is not supposed to be an economic line, despite its cheap price. How can I tell? There is evidence of it having many features that resembles a higher-end mechanical pencil. Let me show you this with some specification.
Specifications and features:
Length: 14.1 cm
Balance point: about 6.2 cm from tip
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Rubber Grip
3mm non-retractable metal sleeve
Metal clip
Lead hardness indicator above rubber grip (HB, B, 2B, 3B)
Twist out eraser
Materials: plastic body, tip including sleeve is made of metal
One thing I liked about this pencil is that it is front heavy. It is comfortable to write with. The sleeve is not retractable making it unsafe to stick it into your pocket anywhere that a protruding tip would cause damage, pain and injury. The lead advancing mechanism is made out of metal which is another sign it is not an economic range pencil, however, the mechanism does not seem very sturdy. It did not work when I got it. If you read the previous post, it was due to the retainer, but furthermore, the mechanism is faulty. I had to dismantle and reassemble it, pressing a plastic part together to make sure it grips the mechanism tighter. I don’t know how long what I did would last, but so far it had worked quite well for the 2 days I have been
working with it. This led me to the conclusion that the mechanism might not be very good. 10 clicks give about 8.5mm of lead. For me, 1 click gives just a little than enough lead to start writing with and 2 clicks gives too much.
Next, I dislike the rubber grip. It is practically useless. As Dave (davesmechanicalpencil.blogspot.com) would put it, why do they even try? My personal take on this is that if you want to do something, do it properly. And this would sum up what this pencil is about, overpromising and under delivering, as you would see why later. I wondered why they included a rubber grip that is more slippery than a plastic grip. They could have just include some grooves on the plastic body and do away with the rubber grip. Not only it saves them the trouble to fit each pencil with the rubber grip, it also saves them the cost used to make the
rubber grip.
The lead indicator is alright if you ask me - just a simple plastic ring that clicks into position. Simple, easy and fuss free, as compared to other more complicated ones. However, here lies the other defect I found. The lead indicator’s sticker, which has the hardness grades printed on it, is misaligned. I had to peel it off and stick it back on again to make the grade display correctly.
The metal clip is simple, but it is somewhat flimsy and some of you who prefer clips with a tight grip would mind. Personally, I find it alright and useable. It is not slanted, hence unsightly like some other mechanical pencils I possess.
Lastly, the twist-out eraser is not a rip off. It really does move up and down when you twist the eraser cap. Some of you that have read Dave’s blog would come across some that are a rip off as only the plastic covering moves when you twist the eraser mechanism. This is not the case with the MPP1587. I have to give the designer some credit to use a black eraser, as it is more stylish. However, like I said, this pencil overpromises and under delivers. I was so excited about the twist out eraser, but I was disappointed with the quality of the eraser. It smudges pencil markings instead of erasing them. Furthermore, it leaves behind a faint blank marking, probably from the black eraser dye. I tried to erase the black markings with a Pentel eraser, but it doesn't come off. Again, probably they saw that other higher-end mechanical pencils have the
feature, therefore they want it. Instead of so many features, I would prefer that they drop some of these features that they would obviously do a bad job with and focus on quality control and making sure their fundamental features work well.
In conclusion, as usual, who would I recommend the MPP1587 to:
1) Not many. I would rather you get something cheaper with lesser functions that performs better, or get something more expensive but worth your time.
2) Those who are on a budget and want their mechanical pencils to have as many functions as possible, not giving a hoot if the functions really work well at all. Just to be clear, the functions do work, but not up to my satisfaction.
3) Anyone who is really good at tinkering. Perhaps change the eraser, swap the grip, do something to the lead indicator to include more grades. I don't know. Some people I know are really good as such things.
Fixing spoilt mechanical pencils - Retainer is missing
I came across this new mechanical line by POP bazic. It looks interesting so I decided to buy it for a review. As the pencil was encased in a bag, I could not test it to see if it is working before buying. To my horror, when I got home and opened my newest collection, the mechanism was spoilt. The entire lead practically dropped out when I activated the mechanism. I thought to myself, is this how this particular mechanical pencil is supposed to work or is it a manufacturing defect? Hence, I searched google for some answers.
What I found out was that it was actually a manufacturing defect and that my pencil came without a retainer. The retainer is a integral part of a mechanical pencil's lead advancing mechanism, located in side the tip cap, just before/within the thin sleeve of a mechanical pencil. It has a loose grip on the lead to prevent the entire lead from falling out when you push the lead advance button. Apparently it is usually are made out of rubber or plastic.
As I lost my purchase receipt, I had no choice but to choose between two options. Throw the pen away or try to repair it. I decided with the latter. It was a success, and that is why this post exist. I decided to share my method with everyone in case anyone end up in a situation like me - losing their retainer or purchasing a defective pencil.
Anyway, the first thing that came into my mind was that I needed something to be grippy, small and able to fit into a small area. I have tried many things - blue tack, eraser dust, tissue paper, but they didn't seem to work for long. After some experimentation, I finally found something that works quite well. By the way, this method only works for mechanical pencils that you are able to unscrew the tip to access the sleeve from inside. It involves trying to coat the inside of the sleeve with some substance to provide some grip that a rubber retainer would otherwise provide.
This is what you will need:
1) Glue gun
2) Glue sticks (the plastic glue bars that you feed into the glue gun)
3) A needle that has roughly the same diameter as your lead. 0.5/0.7mm.
4) 1 or 2 pieces of lead (you won't be able to use them anymore)
5) A lighter
What to do:
1) Heat up your glue gun. Press the trigger a few times to feed the glue sticks into the glue gun. Wait for the glue sticks to completely melt. This would take some time. For me, it took about 10 mins. Go take a bath or something.
2) Unscrew the tip of the mechanical pencil. If your mechanical pencil has a unretractable sleeve, you are ready to begin. If your mechanical pencil has a retractable sleeve, try to remove the sleeve from the tip by using a piece of wire or a sharp point. Poke the sharp point where the sleeve would come out from. This should disengage the sleeve, causing it to fall out from the other side.
3) Using the needle, dab some of the hot melted glue from the tip of your gun. Make sure it is just a little bit!
4) This requires steady hands. Slowly and steadily, push the needle into the sleeve. It would get stuck. I pushed the needle into the sleeve in the same direction as how the lead would advance. If you are unable to push it through and the needle is stuck, it is alright. Now pull the needle out from the opposite direction. Now you should have a sleeve that is choked with gooey substance from the inside.
5) Using the lighter, heat the sharp tip of the needle. You might need to hold the needle using gloves or something to prevent your finger from getting burnt. Now from the opposite direction, push the needle through the sleeve. Why I push it from the opposite direction is because, the sleeve would guide my needle into the correct path my lead would take. The gooey substance should be melted by the hot needle. Push it all the way through and pull out. The needle would have some hardened glue on it. Heat the needle using the lighter again. Using tissue paper, clean the needle. Repeat this step until the needle is able to pass through the sleeve without a hard push. I repeated this step 3 times.
6) Now is the trial and error stage. Try to fit a lead through it. If it breaks, there is too much grip. Without heating the needle, place it into the sleeve again and using a hard surface, push the needle to and fro in the sleeve, in attempt to "file" glue that is able to fit the lead.
7) After a few attempts, there should be sufficient grip to allow your mechanical pencil function normally again!
Hope this helps!
What I found out was that it was actually a manufacturing defect and that my pencil came without a retainer. The retainer is a integral part of a mechanical pencil's lead advancing mechanism, located in side the tip cap, just before/within the thin sleeve of a mechanical pencil. It has a loose grip on the lead to prevent the entire lead from falling out when you push the lead advance button. Apparently it is usually are made out of rubber or plastic.
As I lost my purchase receipt, I had no choice but to choose between two options. Throw the pen away or try to repair it. I decided with the latter. It was a success, and that is why this post exist. I decided to share my method with everyone in case anyone end up in a situation like me - losing their retainer or purchasing a defective pencil.
Anyway, the first thing that came into my mind was that I needed something to be grippy, small and able to fit into a small area. I have tried many things - blue tack, eraser dust, tissue paper, but they didn't seem to work for long. After some experimentation, I finally found something that works quite well. By the way, this method only works for mechanical pencils that you are able to unscrew the tip to access the sleeve from inside. It involves trying to coat the inside of the sleeve with some substance to provide some grip that a rubber retainer would otherwise provide.
This is what you will need:
1) Glue gun
2) Glue sticks (the plastic glue bars that you feed into the glue gun)
3) A needle that has roughly the same diameter as your lead. 0.5/0.7mm.
4) 1 or 2 pieces of lead (you won't be able to use them anymore)
5) A lighter
What to do:
1) Heat up your glue gun. Press the trigger a few times to feed the glue sticks into the glue gun. Wait for the glue sticks to completely melt. This would take some time. For me, it took about 10 mins. Go take a bath or something.
2) Unscrew the tip of the mechanical pencil. If your mechanical pencil has a unretractable sleeve, you are ready to begin. If your mechanical pencil has a retractable sleeve, try to remove the sleeve from the tip by using a piece of wire or a sharp point. Poke the sharp point where the sleeve would come out from. This should disengage the sleeve, causing it to fall out from the other side.
3) Using the needle, dab some of the hot melted glue from the tip of your gun. Make sure it is just a little bit!
4) This requires steady hands. Slowly and steadily, push the needle into the sleeve. It would get stuck. I pushed the needle into the sleeve in the same direction as how the lead would advance. If you are unable to push it through and the needle is stuck, it is alright. Now pull the needle out from the opposite direction. Now you should have a sleeve that is choked with gooey substance from the inside.
5) Using the lighter, heat the sharp tip of the needle. You might need to hold the needle using gloves or something to prevent your finger from getting burnt. Now from the opposite direction, push the needle through the sleeve. Why I push it from the opposite direction is because, the sleeve would guide my needle into the correct path my lead would take. The gooey substance should be melted by the hot needle. Push it all the way through and pull out. The needle would have some hardened glue on it. Heat the needle using the lighter again. Using tissue paper, clean the needle. Repeat this step until the needle is able to pass through the sleeve without a hard push. I repeated this step 3 times.
6) Now is the trial and error stage. Try to fit a lead through it. If it breaks, there is too much grip. Without heating the needle, place it into the sleeve again and using a hard surface, push the needle to and fro in the sleeve, in attempt to "file" glue that is able to fit the lead.
7) After a few attempts, there should be sufficient grip to allow your mechanical pencil function normally again!
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Graphite 777 vs. Noris 763
Greetings to all,
In my first entry, I will do a direct comparison between two of Staedtler's lower-end mechanical pencils, the Graphite 777 and the Noris 763. Both are available at leading bookshops nationwide. I got both from Popular, the Graphite 777 costs $1.55 and the Noris 763 costs $1.30. On first glance, the Graphite 777 looks nicer aesthetically, and the Noris 763 is designed to match the Staedtler Noris pencil line, with the familiar black and yellow strips. For these two pencils, there are other colours available and you can view them here -> Graphite 777 / Noris 763. One thing I noticed about the Noris 763 is that rather than the same model, the different colour versions are given different model names. The red version is called the Tradition 763 and the other colours are labelled as Graphite 763. Not sure what this means but if they are the same thing but just different colour, it only serves to confuse.
Specifications
Graphite 777:
Available in 0.5mm only
Length: 14.5 cm
Balance point is about 9cm from tip.
Non-retractable sleeve
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Materials: All plastic, mechanism may be made of plastic too given the price (unable to determine as I am unable to dismantle to examine)
Noris 763:
Available in 0.5mm only
Length: roughly 14.3cm
Balance point is just below 8cm from tip.
Retractable sleeve
Triangular barrel
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Materials: All plastic, mechanism may be made of plastic too given the price (unable to determine as I am unable to dismantle to examine)
About Graphite 777,
The eraser is uncapped. Staedtler provided a big piece of eraser. Lead chamber is accessed by pulling out the entire clip and eraser component. The lead chamber is quite thin, and can only hold about 8 leads comfortably. The lead advancing mechanism sounds quite reliable and so far I have not had any lead jams. 10 clicks give about slightly more than 7mm of lead and 2 clicks is required to advance enough lead for usage. The body of the Graphite 777 has this rubbery feel about it. While I like it initially when it looks and feels nice, after a while it seems to become sticky. I am not quite sure what is the reason behind it, but when I just left the Graphite 777 in my pencil case to use the Noris 763 for about 2 weeks, it became sticky. However, it returned to the way it was with increased usage.
About Noris 763,
The eraser is also uncapped but it is white in colour. I like white erasers as to me they seem to be able to erase better. However, this was not the case with the Noris 763. The eraser provided poor erasing power and smearing when applied to pencil markings. Again the lead refilling is done by pulling out the entire clip and eraser component. The lead tube inside is similar to the Graphite 777. Lead advancing mechanism is good so far with no lead jams. 10 clicks give 7mm of lead and 2 clicks is required to advance the sleeve as well as enough lead to start writing with. What I liked about the Noris 763 is the retractable lead sleeve and the sustainability of the eraser provided. It is replaceable. Staedtler does not sell the erasers (I'm not sure if you would want to buy the eraser they provide anyway), but they can be easily replaced by erasers refill like the Omni frozen eraser and the Pentel clic-eraser refills. Both are easily available at bookstores nationwide. I bought one and just used a razor blade to cut off a small portion and it fits perfectly into the eraser holder, as shown here.
Comparison:
1) Noris has a retractable sleeve which I appreciated.
2) The coloured erasers provided by the Graphite 777 erased pencil markings better.
3) The Graphite 777 was equiped with a larger piece of eraser than the Noris 763. However, Noris eraser could be replaced with some slight modifications, which I really liked. Currently, I replaced mine with the Omni Frozen Eraser Blue refill and it not only looks better, but erases much better than the Graphite 777.
4) Rather than a round barrel, the Noris had a Triangular Barrel which is more comfortable to hold.
I would prefer the Noris 763 to the Graphite 777. Not only it is cheaper it is more fun to use :)
Other comments:
1) Being budget mechanical pencils, I have some concerns about the quality of the pencil. I am unsure how long the pencils would last, but so far using the two pencils for about a month, they are still in top condition.
2) The pencils are light. I don't really mind this but some of us dislike this. They feel much lighter than the standard Pilot Super Grip pencils, but the plastic feels more flimsy than Pilot, as the plastic would bend when I clutch the pencil too tightly.
3) The pencil is slightly unbalanced towards the top, due to the large pieces of erasers. Because of the lightweight, it didn't really pose much of a hinderence to me.
Get these Staedtler pencils if:
1) You don't want to follow the crowd using Pilot mechanical pencils.
2) You use the eraser provided with the mechanical pencil extensively as other brands don't provide a eraser as big.
In my first entry, I will do a direct comparison between two of Staedtler's lower-end mechanical pencils, the Graphite 777 and the Noris 763. Both are available at leading bookshops nationwide. I got both from Popular, the Graphite 777 costs $1.55 and the Noris 763 costs $1.30. On first glance, the Graphite 777 looks nicer aesthetically, and the Noris 763 is designed to match the Staedtler Noris pencil line, with the familiar black and yellow strips. For these two pencils, there are other colours available and you can view them here -> Graphite 777 / Noris 763. One thing I noticed about the Noris 763 is that rather than the same model, the different colour versions are given different model names. The red version is called the Tradition 763 and the other colours are labelled as Graphite 763. Not sure what this means but if they are the same thing but just different colour, it only serves to confuse.
Specifications
Graphite 777:
Available in 0.5mm only
Length: 14.5 cm
Balance point is about 9cm from tip.
Non-retractable sleeve
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Materials: All plastic, mechanism may be made of plastic too given the price (unable to determine as I am unable to dismantle to examine)
Noris 763:
Available in 0.5mm only
Length: roughly 14.3cm
Balance point is just below 8cm from tip.
Retractable sleeve
Triangular barrel
Lead advance mechanism: Ratchet (push top)
Materials: All plastic, mechanism may be made of plastic too given the price (unable to determine as I am unable to dismantle to examine)
About Graphite 777,
The eraser is uncapped. Staedtler provided a big piece of eraser. Lead chamber is accessed by pulling out the entire clip and eraser component. The lead chamber is quite thin, and can only hold about 8 leads comfortably. The lead advancing mechanism sounds quite reliable and so far I have not had any lead jams. 10 clicks give about slightly more than 7mm of lead and 2 clicks is required to advance enough lead for usage. The body of the Graphite 777 has this rubbery feel about it. While I like it initially when it looks and feels nice, after a while it seems to become sticky. I am not quite sure what is the reason behind it, but when I just left the Graphite 777 in my pencil case to use the Noris 763 for about 2 weeks, it became sticky. However, it returned to the way it was with increased usage.
About Noris 763,
The eraser is also uncapped but it is white in colour. I like white erasers as to me they seem to be able to erase better. However, this was not the case with the Noris 763. The eraser provided poor erasing power and smearing when applied to pencil markings. Again the lead refilling is done by pulling out the entire clip and eraser component. The lead tube inside is similar to the Graphite 777. Lead advancing mechanism is good so far with no lead jams. 10 clicks give 7mm of lead and 2 clicks is required to advance the sleeve as well as enough lead to start writing with. What I liked about the Noris 763 is the retractable lead sleeve and the sustainability of the eraser provided. It is replaceable. Staedtler does not sell the erasers (I'm not sure if you would want to buy the eraser they provide anyway), but they can be easily replaced by erasers refill like the Omni frozen eraser and the Pentel clic-eraser refills. Both are easily available at bookstores nationwide. I bought one and just used a razor blade to cut off a small portion and it fits perfectly into the eraser holder, as shown here.
Comparison:
1) Noris has a retractable sleeve which I appreciated.
2) The coloured erasers provided by the Graphite 777 erased pencil markings better.
3) The Graphite 777 was equiped with a larger piece of eraser than the Noris 763. However, Noris eraser could be replaced with some slight modifications, which I really liked. Currently, I replaced mine with the Omni Frozen Eraser Blue refill and it not only looks better, but erases much better than the Graphite 777.
4) Rather than a round barrel, the Noris had a Triangular Barrel which is more comfortable to hold.
I would prefer the Noris 763 to the Graphite 777. Not only it is cheaper it is more fun to use :)
Other comments:
1) Being budget mechanical pencils, I have some concerns about the quality of the pencil. I am unsure how long the pencils would last, but so far using the two pencils for about a month, they are still in top condition.
2) The pencils are light. I don't really mind this but some of us dislike this. They feel much lighter than the standard Pilot Super Grip pencils, but the plastic feels more flimsy than Pilot, as the plastic would bend when I clutch the pencil too tightly.
3) The pencil is slightly unbalanced towards the top, due to the large pieces of erasers. Because of the lightweight, it didn't really pose much of a hinderence to me.
Get these Staedtler pencils if:
1) You don't want to follow the crowd using Pilot mechanical pencils.
2) You use the eraser provided with the mechanical pencil extensively as other brands don't provide a eraser as big.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)