Pentel Clarius Mechanical Pencil: Dr. Lecter Would Love To Get His Hands on This
Written: Jul 05 '07 (Updated Jul 05 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smooth writing, refillable, click advance, .5mm lead, rubber comfort grip.
Cons: Can be extremely hard to find in retail stores.
The Bottom Line: I swear, that's the last of the "Silence of The Lambs" puns I will make!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Pentel Clarius Mechanical Pencil Emerald Barrel ... |
When I received the Pentel Calrius Retractable Ball Point Pen, the companion to this mechanical pencil, I didn't think that I would have much use for the pencil. Sure, it looked nice but I am pretty picky about the type of pencil that I use and that goes double when it comes to mechanical pencils. The Pentel Clarius is an extremely smooth writing pencil with generous .5mm lead. It advances nicely from the barrel and has a click component instead of the twist ones that can be rather bothersome to deal with. This pencil impressed me so much that I ordered a dozen of them in a variety of colors to give out this holiday season. Yes, I have friends who are also pen and pencil junkies and the holidays usually consist of us swapping office supply gift bags.
Pentel Clarius Emerald Green .5mm Mechanical Pencil
As I said in my review of the companion pen, this is a sweet looking writing tool. You can't call it a pencil without insulting it and that is something that you will only be able to understand once you see it and write with it. A pen or pencil might look great but that doesn't mean that it is going to perform perfectly or even average. When you come across something like this, when you find that rare combination of aesthetics and functionality it's a wonderful thing. Advancing the lead is effortless, for once Pentel made the clicking element a little quieter than normal so it doesn't annoy people. In a lot of ways this looks like the wide body pens and pencils that were first introduced by Bic but they last longer and have a much better barrel construction.
One of the nicest things about the Clarius pencil is the rubber comfort grip area. It isn't a straight cut so it contours a little better than most of the others in the Pentel family. One thing that I can't stand about rubber comfort grips on pens and pencils is that your fingers can start to sweat. You won't have that happen with this, writing with it is a complete breeze and the lead is strong. The sleeve that houses the lead is well made so even if you are a heavy writer, you will have a hard time destroying this. Why are there metal sleeves on automatic and mechanical pencils? To protect the lead that is being advanced through the barrel and prevent snapping. As with all Pentel product, this comes with an awesome guarantee that you will be satisfied with it and it will be free of manufacturing defects or they will replace it or refund your purchase price.
This is refillable and the inserts for it cost about $1.39 per package; this is an economical way of handling things but you have to check the barrel from time to time and make sure there aren't any cracks in it. The average selling price for this is in the five to seven dollar range but you can find it for less if you look online. If you want to get it retail you will have to go to one of the large office supply stores like Office Depot or Staples, smaller places just don't seem to have space to stock every single pen and pencil. If you don't like the emerald color you can also get this in onyx, sapphire and ruby. Matching pens are also available but at this time, Pentel doesn't offer this in a set so you will have to seek them out individually.
Is there anything I would change about this product? No. Well, it could use a larger eraser but it is hidden under the cap so they can't have one that is standard size. The pocket clip doesn’t stick out too far, the clicking element is quiet, the color is beautiful, it writes perfectly and getting the lead refills into it doesn't require a degree in physics. I won't say that this is the best mechanical pencil I have ever written with but it certainly is in my top five. If you are hunting for something that looks nice and works perfectly, the Calrius is a nice thing to keep and eye out for.
The Bottom Line
This makes for a great gift for anyone that is into automatic or mechanical pencils. It writes perfectly and so far I think I have snapped the lead two or three times and that says a lot considering I have a heavy hand and press hard when using automatic and mechanical pencils. This doesn’t have a cheap feel to it either; some feel hollow or too light, this one is weighted perfectly. If you aren’t too hard on the barrel and it doesn't end up getting stepped on or rolled over with the wheels of your office chair, you should be able to have this around for a long time and just buy the lead refills. I like the idea of having companion pieces but I wish that Pentel would offer them as a set instead of just individually.
As always, thanks for the visit…
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2007 Freak369
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Please note: The image for this mechanical pencil is incorrect. The one shown is ruby, not emerald.
Recommended:
Yes
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