Shopping spree in HK - part 1

Earlier this month I was in Hong Kong to visit my aunt and cousin. Most of the folks I know associate one thing with Hong Kong - and that's shopping. I could not disagree. But my shoppinhg list looks different from them. Instead of clothes and shoes, mine was a list of pens and pencils. I was on a mission to get my hands on all the pens and pencils I could not find back home.

The day I arrived, I went straight to the mall and headed straight to the stationery store. I could not believe what I saw. A whole line of shelves stuffed with pens! It was at least 20 feet from end to end. I never felt excitement and anticipation such as this as I worked my way down the aisle. Gel pens, roller balls, mechanical pencils from all makes were there for my taking!

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints I had to hold back some of the purchases. But here's batch 1 of what I got.


From left to right:
- Pentel P205
- Pentel Graph600
- Pentel Energize
- Pentel Technica X <---- my favorite
- Pentel Twist Erase
- not included in the photo is Pentel Ergonomix Winggrip

One might think these aren't that uncommon, but in my part of the world, these are as extinct as a dodo. I'll review some of them as I go along. More to come...

Rotring collection

My Rotring collection

From top to bottom:
- Rotring Newton matt black
- Rotring Newton Esprit
- Rotring Newton Lava
- Rotring Trio (black ball point, 0.7 mechanical pencil, red highlighter)

And this is my favorite - Rotring Newton (both matt black and Lava)

I carry this around with me most of the time. It's a seriously good looking pencil. It is not too classy or formal, but rather its beauty lies in it's minimalistic design. Industrial is likely how I will describe it.

The barrel is made of brass, the top part is hexagonal and the bottom part is round. Although it is rather heavy, but I find the weight to be evenly distributed so it's very well balanced. The tip is retractable and you do this by pushing the lead advance mechanism all the way. One interesting feature is the cushioned tip. I know this not the most uncommon of features but it is one that I appreciate most in a pencil as it helps with lead breakage - and I have never broken a lead with this.

One thing I don't understand though is that in some places it's called a Newton, while in other it's a 600. So if anyone can enlighten me regarding this it would be very much appreciated.


Nate

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Pilot "The Shaker" H-1010 review

Pilot The Shaker H-1010

The Pilot H-1010 has been around for at least 20 years and for something that was designed decades ago, it still looks modern and trendy. Everything about this pencil is right, the feel of the barrel, the material its made of, the action of the lead advance mechanism. Even the clip looks good with the etched logo.

Made more for general writing than technical drawing, the H-1010 feels great in the hand. I tried writing a few pages on my medium sized notebook and I find it comfortable to write with. Thankfully, no rubber grip here or it would totally ruin this beauty. To advance the lead, you either shake it twice or if you opt for a more conventional method, the push top ratchet mechanism works just fine. Just 2 clicks and you're ready to go. The tip is retractable so it's pocket friendly.

To nit pick, here are some things I'm not too fond of:
1. Lead advance does not seem to work upside down although I don't really see myself doing that.
2. The clip gets in the way when you rotate the pencil while writing. Not a big deal though.

These are just some minor issues which I think can be overlooked when choosing this pencil. Overall, it's a great pencil.

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I'm Black Lead Nate

Welcome to my very first blog. This diary is dedicated to my love of pencils - both mechanical and woodcase pencils. I know I'm not the only one out there who is into these graphite-core writing utensils, but people in my part of the world don't think much of them anymore. A pencil is just a pencil... as they say.

But pencils are not just pencils. They have their own personalities and character, they make you feel a certain way, they make you write a certain way. The joy of writing with these are just down right simple yet satisfying.

Over the course of 3 months since I started this hobby, I have collected over 30 mechs and 20 woodcase. Some are nice to write with, some are nice to hold, some are nice to look at, and some are just nice to own. I will dedicate this blog to the sharing of information about pencils, and you readers, are most welcome to share your thoughts.

See you around.

Nate.