Review: Zebra DelGuard

I'm so excited about this review, you have no idea. This pencil has yet to imported to the US by the notorious company everyone knows about, so you may not know about its features yet. The DelGuard, released just last month, is Zebra's answer to the trend of lead breakage-resistant pencils, phew, that was a mouthful...that's what she said!

From gigazine.net/

What sets the DelGuard apart from other pencils is its spring-based shock absorbers that protect the lead from snapping under pressure. Those of you savvy with pencils know that this concept is not new; the Platinum OLEeNU Shield, for example, also has a spring that prevents lead breakage, as seen in the picture below

The OLEeNU Shield

However, the DelGuard has two sprngs instead of just one. While the OLEeNU does a pretty good job handling vertical stress that comes from the user pressing directly downward, it remains susceptible to horizontal stress when the user is moving the pencil parallel to the plane of the writing surface. The DelGuard protects against both normal and shear stress as seen in the figure below.

The Delguard, notice the two separate components

One caveat, it's still a muggle contraption, which means that you can still break your lead if you apply too much force. Personally, I have small, delicate hands to which I apply lotion regularly. Okay, TMI, but I really don't break my lead that often, especially 0.5mm lead. However, lead breakage can become a problem if I were to write in a hurry, say in an exam riddled with short essay questions or when I'm taking notes in a class with an instructor that writes with superhuman speed. The DelGuard is also particularly useful in multiple choice exams when you have to bubble your answers in bold. In fact, its CM especially marketed the pencil for its efficiency in these situations. This makes it a great choice for students. The weight of the pencil is just right for me although I think the mass is slightly more concentrated on the end of the pencil, not a big deal, really. It is slightly on the short side compared to other pencils although it fits perfectly in my writing hand.

The 6 Colorways of the DelGuard, from rss.bonjin.jp/

Aesthetically, I'm really impressed with this pencil given its price. It comes in a variety of colors which all are quite beautiful to behold. I'm a fan of the contrast between the metallic finish on the body and the clear plastic showcasing the pencil's unique springs near the tip. As you might also have noticed, the DelGuard does resemble the uni Kuru Toga quite a bit, and like the Kuru Toga, the DelGuard lacks a shaker feature. At a glance, the lead sleeve of the DelGuard does seem longer, though, and its grip has more grooves to prevent slippage.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the DelGuard and I can't wait to see how Zebra will build upon it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 0.3mm version.

The Rundown:
Pros: Resistance to lead breakage
Cons: Lack of additional features
Estimated price: $4.50
Design: ★★★★★
Comfort: ★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★
Overall: ★★★★
I would recommend this pencil especially for students due to its functionality. It's not a pencil I would use for casual writing, but I'd keep it in my pen case just for exams and general scratch work.