Stationewryyyyy (Part One)

Man, I love that word. It's sad though that sometimes when I ask for stationery at bookstores and office supplies stores the employee doesn't know what it means. I don't know, last time I checked, this was America, where people spoke English.
Anyway, I wanted to do a comprehensive review on all of the pencils and desk paraphernalia. Since I am by no means a dedicated blogger nor am I a snooty pencil expert, I'll just review every darn pencil I've used in my years in school - all the ones worth mentioning, at least. That way people won't have to scour the web for information on a certain pencil. These are my honest opinions and I don't sell any of these pencils.

Pentel Side FX 0.5 mm

Ah, the nostalgia. These were my favorite pencils in middle school. Too we only had 3 or so color options to choose from in the States. I always got the navy model. Not only were they relatively good compared to the 99 cent pencils, they were so freaking common that no one ever stole my pencils! You can't say that about alpha gels. It's hard to get the initial release dates on most of the pencils in my list but I'm sure these have been around for at least ten years already. This pencil just looks plain old and boring.

Features: Retractable eraser

So there are not many special features for this pencil, but you don't really need those fancy mechanical pencils, anyway (if you are a middle school student who never receives allowance). Actually, I hated the eraser on this thing. Not only was it smudgy, it was annoying to have to buy special refills just for this pencil. It makes much more sense to just use a block eraser. Despite being relatively lightweight to some other pencils, the Side FX is comfortable without feeling too flimsy. I liked how the click button is located at the middle of the body rather than the top as it's more convenient when you're trying to finish a assignment at the last second.  The only gripe I have with this pencil is its lack of durability. Of course, most of the pencils I have on this list aren't going to survive repeated dives to the floor but this pencil just finds ways to break itself. I've broken numerous Side FX's just due to jamming the lead. Due to the old fashioned, or maybe just cheap-A design of the lead feeder, there is no way for you to retrieve a lead once it has been stuck inside the body. If anyone's ever fixed a jammed Pentel Side FX, please help a brother out. Actually, I do not plan on buying this pencil again, not only because it's a bit on the dated side, but also because of its lack of durability. The entire logo on my last Side FX rubbed off in less than a year. I couldn't even identify this thing had not been for Google.

The Rundown:
Estimated price: $3.00
Design/appearance: ★★
Comfort: ★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★
Durability/quality: ★
Overall: ★★½
I would recommend this pencil if you are just looking for a cheap writing instrument that is easy to find.

Pentel Stein P315 0.5mm

One of my favorite pencils, the Pentel Stein P315, P313 in the 0.3mm version, is a sleek yet affordable pencil reminiscent of their Graph series drafting pencils. 

Features: 
None unless you consider the metal grip 

I really like this pencil; for one thing, it feels very durable and solid compared to the similar Zebra Color Flight in the same price range. The body is mainly plastic with some metal accents. The clip does its job pretty well. I this pencil because of its resemblance to the drafting pencils by Pentel. The plastic bodies of the pencil have a nice, polished look. Due to its metal components, this pencil is not too light and flimsy. In fact, this pencil is heavier than the popular Pentel Graph 1000. It also has a long lead pipe for precision writing. Despite its lack of a grip, I found this pencil to be pretty comfortable, although it can get a bit slippery if you have sweaty hands. When I hold this pencil, I tend to regress to holding it with four fingers, though. This could definitely use some rubber in the grip. The lead advances with a solid "click" sound. This pencil doesn't dispense much lead with a single lead, which is good for getting the exact amount of lead you'd like.The metal can get dirty or scratched to reveal a lighter color, but the plastic body of this pencil so far has been good.

The Rundown:
Estimated price: $3.00
Design: ★★★★★
Comfort: ★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★
Overall: ★★★½
I don't have much else to say except that this is a good pencil for its cheap price. Also, it's available in 0.3mm, which has the same colors. There's a limited edition of both the 0.3 and 0.5mm versions with constellations and a matching lead pack and erasers. It's really pretty and I suggest getting it if you can.

Zebra Color Flight 0.5 mm

Excuse me for the picture, I was trying to find one that had an exact picture of the one I purchased, which was a limited edition Color Flight with a ribbon charm. I got the blue and orange one and totally regret it. It looks cute among the other colors, but by itself the colors are really drab. But enough about the limited edition, I'm reviewing this for its functionality as a mechanical pencil, not as part of my pen stand bouquet.

Features: Retractable eraser (the eraser had a knob at the bottom if you remove it and can extend when you twist the knob)
              Attached charm
              Hexagonal Grip
 I  feel lukewarm about this pencil. The only reason I even got it was because it looked cute and it was a popular model. It's not that special compared to other pencils around its price range. Another disappointing part of the pencil is that even though there are metal components, the pencil still feels too light. Perhaps I just prefer my pencils heavy enough to give my fingers a good workout, but this pencil just feels off when I grasp it. It's thin and hexagonal - like those wooden pencils I haven't had since the nineties. The actual writing isn't bad, though. Maybe it's just the jingling of that annoying charm which you can't remove, but the pencil just feels cheap whether it has the charm or not. For the same amount of money, I can get a pencil that is a heck a lot better with the Pentel Stein. However, I would recommend this pencil to people who like the traditional pencil feel without tips that get dull in the blink of an eye and smudgy fingers. There are also limited edition versions of this pencil without the stupid charm, but the original is cute enough in my opinion. This pencil is also available in 0.3mm for those of you who like to write tiny words.

The Rundown:
Estimated price: $3.00
Design: ★★★★
Comfort: ★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★
Durability/quality: ★★
Overall: ★★¾
I would recommend this pencil to decorate your pen case or stand, or as a gift for a younger sibling just as long as he or she is old enough as not to poke his/her eyes out with it.

Pilot Fure Fure Corone 0.5 mm

Yet another saccharine sweet mechanical pencil! Now you know what my tastes are for pencils. For the manly men out there, this pencil is pretty much identical to the Fure Fure Sprinter, except for the obvious divergence in marketing. Personally, I like the pastel colors paired with the cream white clip. It's pretty, although I can't speak so favorably about its actual usefulness as a pencil.

Features: Shaker mechanism

               Retractable tip

               Charms are attachable to the pencil via the hole under the clip

Compared to the Color Flight in the same price range, this pencil has a lot more features and is also pretty darn cute. However, these features are flawed in comparison to the more expensive pencils with the same features. For instance, the shaker of the Corone has the most annoying "shaka shaka" sound ever. I would definitely advise you not bring this to a test or a quiet library. The spring doesn't work as well as a heavier shaker pencil and you are forced to shaker the pencil harder, which makes even more noise. Honestly, I would  preferred it if Pilot just made the Corone without the shaker. The second feature of the Corone, the retractable clip, is also a letdown. The retractable clip isn't like that of a normal ballpoint pen where you just click and it retracts perfectly by itself; the pencil requires you to hold the button and press down on the tip to make it retract. This is totally fine, but I feel like it's unnecessary feature since I'm just going to put this on permanent display in the pen stand.  Really, I'm not so annoyed about the two features of the pencil as I am about its poor writing performance. No matter which lead I used, the words just came out bolder and more smudgy than those I wrote with a different pencil using the same lead. The lead guide pipe is too short for my liking, and the pen body is too light, not to mention 

that there are no grips on this pencil. That said, there is a newer and improved 0.3 mm version of the Fure Fure Corone which is supposed to have a quieter shaker system and a slimmer pen body. Still, I have way too many pencils already and the Corone just doesn't interest me right now.

The Rundown:
Estimated price: $2.00
Design/appearance: ★★★★★
Comfort: ★★
Writing performance/stability: ★
Durability/quality: ★★
Overall: ★★★
This pencil is yet another eye candy with no real performance, but look at that lead in the bottom right, cute!

Pilot Dr. Grip CL 0.5 mm

A variety of the ever-popular Dr. Grip series by Pilot, CL is probably the cheapest version (lol). I have used Uni Alpha Gels for a long time so even though I heard a lot of nice things about these pencils, I never got into them and there's an obvious reason: the difference in the grips. The Alpha Gel grips are significantly softer. It all depends on preference, I suppose, if you are interested in trying either of these brands. The CL is my first ever Dr. Grip pen and honestly, I would still prefer Alpha Gels over this pencil, but it does have a lot of interesting features that the Alpha Gel lacks in some cases.

Features:
Shaker Mechanism
Ergonomic grip
Charms are attachable
Scented pen
Customizable Appearance

The shaker mechanism on this pencil is no joke; it is probably the best out of my pathetic pencil collection. I'm confused though as to why there's no clip on this thing, but instead a plastic ring for charms. I mean, charms look cool, but it gets in the way of writing all too often for me. I suppose one can also strap this on a lanyard if he or she has a job that requires a lot of writing away from the desk (like in a hospital or construction site)  and doesn't have a breast pocket (why?). I wouldn't recommend hanging this pencil around on your neck because 1) it's not that lightweight and 2) the tip is not retractable. The actual writing of this pencil is pretty nice, but nothing extraordinary. The grip is really interesting in that it has an air layer below the out-most silicon rubber and inner white rubber ribs. I don't even know what the ribbed inner layer is for, but it reminds me of the Nike Air shoes and how I wanted to puncture every damn heel with a needle. The grip is firmer and feels almost like a Zebra Airfit (which I hate) when I first got it, but I am happy to report that the grip gets slightly softer with use; it does, however, attract a lot of dust, but nothing I can't clean off. Dr. Grip sets itself apart from Alpha Gel in customization. You can insert a picture into the upper body and sometimes even a scented stick into the lead stopper. There's a lot more limited edition pencils with tons of cute characters with the Dr. Grip series as well. However, I would recommend that you get an Alpha Gel pencil in the same price range instead. The grip in this thing really isn't that good. Due to its design, I often feel weird air pockets in the grip and the outer layer sometimes sticks to the inner.

Estimated price: $5.00
Design/appearance: ★★★
Comfort: ★★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★¾

Pilot Delful 0.5 mm

Evident from the name, this pencil is marketed for its retractable and shaker feature. It comes in a variety of colors, including clear bodies which allows you to see the amazing mechanism of action of this pencil. 

Features:
Retractable tip
Shaker lead loading mechanism

I really like the retractable body tip in this pencil. Unlike the Fure Fure series, the tip actually retracts and snaps in place like that of a spring-loaded pen. The pencil is nice and heavy and doesn't feel filmy at all. The shaker is on par with the older Dr. Grips, However, you can still length the lead by lightly pressing the cap. There's just a slight problem: the shaker still works when the tip is retracted; it's not acutally locked from dispensing as the Alpha Gel HD Shaka Shaka. Of course, it's not that big of a deal since you are ultimately trying to protect the actual tip and not the lead. Even though the shaker feels really nice, I feel that it isn't all that consistent for the price I payed for because the lead doesn't come out as readily as the Dr. Grips. It's not horrible, just not as good as I expect from a pencil at this price. This pretty much makes this pencil a fluke considering it costs as much as the Dr. Grip CL but lacks the better grip. The grip on this pencil is almost nonexistent as a hard rubber found on generic pens. I didn't even notice it at first since it's the same color as the rest of the body. The colorways are good, but what I care about is its functionality, not to mention the metallic eraser cap doesn't match the plastic body at all since there isn't a metal tip to juxtapose with it, at least when the tip is retracted. What I hate most about this pencil is its center of mass. Although it is nice and heavy, the pencil feels like it's going to flip up from my hands due to the mass at the bottom of the pencil. Along with its grip and thickness, the poor center of mass of the Pilot Delful makes this pencil a poor one to write with. 

The Rundown

Estimated price: $5.00
Design/appearance: ★★★
Comfort: ★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★

The only thing that makes this pencil stand out is then its retractable tip. If you are looking for a good shaker pencil, however, I would think twice about getting this one especially because of its price tag. whether it's $8 or cheaper elsewhere. According to Amazon, the Delful weighs about 19.9g. If you prefer a heavier pencil, I would recommend that you get the Pilot S10 around the same weight instead. If you were looking for a pencil to carry in your pocket, I would recommend the Pentel Kerry instead.

Gah, I know I promised to keep this in one post, but this post has gotten too long. I'll continue the rest in another blog post. I also noticed that it's really hard to feel objective when judging these pencils; so even if two pencils have the same number of stars, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're equal. I strongly recommend that you try these pencils out in a store or at least look at other reviews online (YouTube has a bunch). Sorry about the formatting, blogger is a b.