The Sakura Sumo Grip II 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil
This week’s review is the Sakura Sumo Grip II 0.5mm mechanical pencil. It is the companion to the Sumo Grip II Gel Pen I wrote up last week. This one is the match, with the blue clip and the accents. I also bought this one at Asel Art Supply.
The Sumo Grip II pencil –just like it’s companion– is 5.75 inches long both retracted and point out. It’s neither too wide nor too narrow, and there’s enough cushion in the ergonomic grip to be comfortable without being in the way. It also has an oversized pocket clip that lets you hang the pen securely to almost anything – it actually reminds me more of a clothes pin than a binder clip (as the website calls it).
There are things I like about this pencil. The grip is comfortable. The mechanism is smooth and seems to protect the lead from breaking often. The advancing mechanism is solid. But for all of that, the thing that makes me want to hurl the pencil across the room is the cap over the eraser (which also leads to the lead refill) is so very tight it almost takes the HULK to get it off in order to put more lead in or even access the eraser. This makes the pencil completely untenable for me.
You see, I know I make mistakes. I need access to the eraser. I’m glad the cap is secure, I don’t want to lose that, but to have to use every bit of upper body strength? And it’s not just the one I bought, I tried others, they’re just as tight. Even my husband had to yank really, really hard to get the cap off. That’s not a good endorsement for a pencil.
The Sumo Grip II comes in, I think, three colors–blue, orange, and black–and take a typical 0.5mm lead. They only run about $2 a piece, so they’re still in a decent price range, but with the effort they take to refill, they may as well be disposable.
Now to the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 – the pencil lead part works fine. It’s a comfortable writing experience–as long as you don’t have to put more lead in the pencil or erase.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – I do like the grip and the feel. It’s comfortable for long term use.
3. Material – 0.5 This is an inexpensive mechanical pencil that is a good workhorse pencil.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 -Again, a good, solidly built, but has some interesting accents, like the blue bits and the clip — but the inability to get to the eraser and the refill part easily just gives it a design flaw.
5. Price Point – 1 – This pencil is going to be found online or probably at your local art supply store –I got mine at Asel Art Supply. I’ve seen them run about $2–give or take 30¢, which makes it a decent price.
I give it 3.5 out 5 bronze pencils.
