First, let me confess – I have terrible writing. Any of my friends will attest to this. It’s fine if I’m taking my time and being deliberate, but how often do I do that? Yeah, not often. Anyway, one of the things I’ve noticed is that I have better general writing when using a .5mm mechanical pencil; VERY specific conditions, I know.
I stopped using #2 pencils in Jr. High when I discovered mechanical pencils. I hate writing with anything less than a very sharp point. With a #2, that’s about two words.
However, with a .5mm pencil, the point always seems sharp enough. I have friends who won’t use anything less than a .7mm, but that feels like a sharpened pencil that lost its point to me. (Don’t worry, this pencil comes in .5, .7. and .9mm.) Soooo from Jr. High to present day (I won’t tell you how many years that is), I’ve only used .5mm mechanical pencils.
As you can imagine, I’ve used my fair share of these. For years, I was in search of the perfect pencil. I found one in college that I’ve been faithful to since: the Paper Mate® Clearpoint™! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve bought these pencils.
Why this Pencil?
One of the first features you’ll notice is that the button to advance the lead is just above where your thumb rests while writing. If you need more lead, just move your thumb up a little and press. There are some other mechanical pencils that have this feature, but far too many still use the top of the pencil. WHY?! You have to remove the pencil from where you’re writing. Then either you use your other hand to advance the lead, or you tap the pencil end against your body or the writing surface. That is so inefficient.
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The advance button is right above your thumb.
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All That Eraser!
The next feature I like is the abundance of an eraser! My goodness. Most mechanical pencils come with maybe half an inch. This one comes with at least two full inches. The eraser twists up to provide more. Furthermore, you can replace a depleted eraser with a new one. How many other pencils offer that option?
In my opinion, the implication is that the pencil will last long enough that you will need to replace the already generous eraser. This is fact. I honestly don’t remember when I bought the one I have now because it’s been that long. Of course, I don’t write with a pencil often (because of the weird way I write, I end up with lead smudge all the way down the edge of my hand).
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Look at all that available eraser!
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More Lead, too.
The barrel also seems to hold more leads than most other mechanical pencils. I could be imagining this because of my bias, but I stand by it. The barrel is clear, which makes it easy to see how many leads you have left. This was very helpful going into an essay exam. I could easily see if I needed to add more before starting. I also like the rubberized grip. It really helps to keep a good hold on the pencil. I mean, that’s the purpose, right?
There are only two negatives I’ve ever found with this pencil, and they’re minor. The eraser advances by twisting it up. The first negative (for me at least) is that when you erase, you have to hold the twisting part or the eraser will twist back down.
It would be nice if there were a locking mechanism or if it didn’t twist so easily so the level of eraser would stay constant. The second is that because this pencil lasts so long, I could hardly ever include “pencil” on my yearly list of school supplies.