[Pen/Pencil Review] PaperMate ClearPoint Customizable 0.7mm Mechanical Pencil
I picked this interesting mechanical pencil at Office Depot on that binge shopping trip. It intrigued me – and I totally got it wrong, but it’s still kinda cool. It’s the PaperMate Clear Point Customizable Mechanical pencil in 0.7mm lead.
There won’t be a writing sample – because well, mechanical pencil. 0.7mm #2 HB Lead all looks the same. It’s the rest of the piece that’s important. I, of course chose the barrel which has the green grip and side clicker. I have to admit, side clickers frustrate me – but it’s not them, it’s me. I’m so used to top clickers that I have to overcome muscle memory. Also, I tend to rotate my writing instruments while I’m using them, which, occasionally means advancing lead when I don’t mean to.
The Clear Points have contoured grips with rubber inlay for traction and some semblance of comfort. It does have a good diameter. And I’m a HUGE, huge fan of the long(ish) twist eraser. Love having oversized erasers that you can adjust the height on and replace. That makes the whole thing totally worthwhile. The pencil doesn’t become obsolete when the eraser is gone – nor do you have to have an “extra” external eraser for MORE THINGS. The twist erasers are the best/
What makes this fun (and a bit of a challenge) is the “customizable”. The pencil comes with five top caps and five erasers. The standard matching green cap and white eraser come on the pencil. Erasers in green, pink, orange, and blue are added to the package along with yellow, orange, pink, and purple caps. The caps include the clip, which is pretty sturdy plastic – and shouldn’t break easily and cover the lead reservoir. The erasers fit snuggly in the cap. Mix and match to your heart’s content – but the basic barrel is clear with green accents. You can’t change out anything but the cap – but that can (and will) make your pencil … YOURS if anyone tries to steal it.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works like it’s supposed to. The lead advances and retracts. The grip is grippy. And the lead is sturdy. The only mechanical issue is me dealing with side clicks.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – They make a concerted effort for ergonomics. I find the diameter comfortable and with enough texture to give good purchase without tiring quickly.
3. Material – 1 – It’s actually fairly solid. The rubberized grip is part of the whole barrel. The lead is sturdy. The whole piece is plastic but it still feels like a solid pencil for long term use.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – There are fiddly bits that can get lost. When I pulled the cap off to change it out, it was secure enough that I scattered lead across my desk. That’s an issue. I’ve used it some, but not extensively and already feel that I should put more lead in the reservoir.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These are completely inexpensive. Single Clear Point pencils fun about $3.50. This – with the more stuff ran closer to a 2 pack price of $6.75. I may have gotten it on sale for about $4.50. It’s not dirt cheap, but it’s not prohibitive for a solid pencil with some novelty stuff.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
