I don’t know what it is about them, the e+m pencils just all look good. New ones appear to be available rather frequently. They even have a 0.7mm model. At this point I wasn’t surprised to find that it uses a (seemingly unbranded) Schmidt mechanism. This of course means that the advance is accomplished with a ratcheting twist of the knurled metal finial. Likewise, it means you can get it in 0.5mm if you choose to replace it.

I hate the shape of the body. I mean it looks great, I simply cannot hold it in my usual grip. If you have a grip where your thumb actually touches the pencil, it’ll probably work for you. All the tripod and probably most of the related positions should be comfortable. If you grip with your fingers and the thenar eminence, good luck. It’s not possible to hold it comfortably that way. That’s good if you’re keen to abandon your unorthodox grip, bad if you’re married to it the way I am.

The weight and balance of the thing is pleasant. As is the case with the shape of the body forcing you into a “good” grip the short length and weight at the top will encourage holding it close to the point. No, there will be no dinner fork grip here. I think maybe this is the sort of pencil writer would like, this thought could be down to my feelings on holding it. The lack of any eraser may turn some off. I think no one uses the erasers in mechanical pencils anyway, I don’t.

I have a canvas notebook cover. It’s pretty and I like it. The outside is very brown for a green. The inside is on the yellow side of orange. I like it because I can toss the cheapest A5 notebooks in it without worrying about them getting mangled or having to find something to support the back of the softcover. It has a pen-loop, and it’s elastic, but it’s really meant for pens, nothing the diameter of a round or hexagonal U.S. pencil. Enter ZenZoi. The pencil I got from them is a very compelling yellow.

They make pens as well, and the pencils are made to look like a posted pen. This is nice because it looks good, nice diameter, but it’s still a pencil. I’m no expert, I just enjoy a good pencil, and I feel I can say there’s much more variety if you don’t mind a narrow bodied pencil. This is true of the disposables and the fancy, name-brand, pen-companion pencils as well. That’s either true, or I’m sheltered.

A pencil that looks like a posted pen is interesting. Will it push to advance? No. It uses a standard Schmidt brand mechanism and you can choose from 0.5mm to 0.7mm. The “cap” turns slightly clockwise to advance the lead. I think maybe the pencil is too robust for the mechanism, or maybe it lacks finer quality engineering or some sort of lubrication. I say that because the twist doesn’t feel snappy. I don’t know why I think I’d prefer it to be snappy, but here we are.

Where was I? It looks nice unless you look to close. I half expect the chrome to wear off and the finish to chip. It doesn’t scream cheap, and it’s certainly not junk. Rather, I get the impression sacrifices were made to keep it under forty U.S. dollars. It’s a shame they didn’t spend a little more, in a better quality I think it could be a popular in the seventy-five too a hundred range. Maybe things will go that way, I hope they do. I’d buy another one then, for now it’s strange. It’s not anything special but it has potential.

It can be bought from the manufacturers website, which I always like. It’s not any cheaper there than it is on Amazon. That’s odd.

Honestly, I knew they made notebooks, turns out they make pens and pencils as well. The Drehgriffel Nr. 2, Pencil uses a Leuchtturm1917 branded Schmidt mechanical pencil mechanism. This means that if you so desired you could replace the original 0.7mm mechanism with a 0.5mm mechanism. That might be worth doing if you’re so inclined. And I should mention you can buy both sizes of Schmidt mechanism on their own directly from Jet Pens.

Anyway, Leuchtturm1917 has made a very nice pencil. It looks good, which would be hard not to considering it’s available in every color. It feels premium. The weight is nice with lovely balance. Even the mechanism is easy to adapt to after a bit of practice. It’s a clicky pencil, but that click is achieved by a twist of the finial, rather than a press.

It hasn’t got a clip, and that was probably and esthetic choice, but it’s the size of a standard hexagonal U.S. pencil so it wouldn’t be impossible to find one to add on if required. The standard body size also means it fits in any loop intended for a pencil. There’s a lot to be said in favor of standard dimensions that I’ll spare you from here.

If you’re going to buy, you can get it directly from Leuchtturm1917, which is nice. Direct purchase from the manufacturer is underrated.

I don’t know why I tried another stumpy Kaweco 0.7mm pencil. No, that’s inaccurate. Being brass it should age noticeably, and that’s appealing. It’s heavier too, for a pencil it’s size, and that feels better in use. It’s still short though, and with such fine lead It’s hard to work large enough for it to not get in the way.

I think these are writing pencils, and I should learn to accept that. That my own habits are such I’ll never enjoy using them. It’s a shame though, it’s pretty, and feels reassuring in the hand.

Here it is from Jet Pens, if you’re interested. And you should buy it there, they’re very pleasant. Shipping is speedy and free for orders of thirty-five dollars or more.

Kaweco makes a whole lineup of writing implements that are the same body with different guts. The fountain pen is a departure, being a two-part, screw-cap affair with a nib, but you can still see the family resemblance. The rest are basically the same. Short chunky bodies with a button and a faceted body. They sell clips separately and that’s nice I suppose if you’re the sort of person to have opinions on clips.

I picked one up after finishing a couple A4 sketchbooks in pencils with leads from three through 6 millimeters. I found I quite liked the short and fat bodies. I expected to like the same sort of body in a 0.7 millimeter lead. I didn’t. Thin lead made me want to work small which made me want to do more with details which made me very aware of how much paper a stub and hand blocked out. I couldn’t hold it farther from the tip because there was only a few inches to work with anyway.

If you gotta have a thin lead, a thick lead, a ballpoint, a fountain, and a kitchen sink all in the same color way, then sure. I can see the appeal. They have some very attractive opaque and translucent plastic options, along side various metals. I expected to like it, and honestly I think I do, or as much as you can like something without ever wanting to use it. Maybe if you’re a writer? I don’t know who it’s for though.

Here’s three color families of the pencil from Jet Pens.

Skyline. Classic. Frosted.