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.

Review: Pentel Orenz

Okay, it's pretty obvious by now that I'm a sucker for gimmicky pencils, and the Pentel Orenz is no exception. With so many brands all claiming to have perfected the snap-free mechanical pencil, it's easy to confuse them: Orenz, OLEeNU Shield, and most recently, the DelGuard. The Orenz stands out in its unique protruded lead sleeve.

The Five Original Colors of the Orenz

Instructions Included with Package

 As seen in the second figure, you only need to knock once to write. Instead of protruding out like other pencils, the lead in the Orenz is protected by the metal sleeve, which retracts with the lead upon wear. I know some of you are skeptical at this point; wouldn't the pencil get scratchy? I, too, was a bit wary at first. That's why I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth this pencil writes, which brings us to another merit of the Orenz, that is its lead diameter. Correct me if I'm wrong, as of December 16, 2014, the Orenz is the only pencil in production to support a 0.2mm lead size. Some of you seasoned fanatics may point out that Pentel has indeed manufactured a 0.2mm drafting pencil in the past, but it lacks the lead protection system of the Orenz and has been discontinued for quite a while now. With the Orenz, you can have literally the finest writing in your school, office, wherever! Okay, I know some people may be turned off by that, but personally, I love 0.2mm lead. It's particularly useful for writing complex Chinese characters. See the comparison between lead sizes below:

From kenkihou.com

I have read in some reviews that the Orenz may experience lead jams, but it does come with a needle on the bottom of the eraser so hopefully it won't be a problem. It also boasts a super-handy tip retraction feature which is especially important to protecting its needle-thin tip. But how does it compare to the 0.3mm Kuru Toga? I've compared the two and it appears that the Orenz still produces slightly thinner lines, not to mention it is a lot more stable. The Orenz simply has no competition in fine writing; however, the only company that currently manufactures 0.2mm lead is, you guessed it, Pentel. Pentel 0.2mm comes in a shiny gold package befitting of its price tag. The typical 0.5mm Pentel lead costs about 200 yen (roughly $2) and comes with 40 pieces of lead while the 0.2mm version costs the same but only has 10 pieces of lead, so you're basically paying four times the price of regular lead for your Orenz, maybe even more in some countries.

Is it worth it? You decide.

In a nice turn of events, the Pentel has announced the release of a 0.3mm version of the Orenz along with some new colors of the 0.2mm version in January of 2015. So now you'll only have to pay 2 and 2/3 the price of regular 0.5mm lead for your Orenz, hurray! 

Released 2014.12.12

That aside, I really do like thinner lead, so I'll probably get the 0.3mm version even though it'll mean that my $5 (approximately) for the original Orenz just went down the drain. With the 0.3mm Orenz, the future of 0.2mm lead seems bleak, but that's all too early to say.

The Rundown:
Pros: Extended lead sleeve, lead jam pin, 0.2mm lead, retracting tip
Cons: Lackluster design, relatively expensive lead
Estimated price: $5.00
Design: ★★★★
Comfort: ★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★½

Would I recommend the Orenz? It depends whether you prefer finer writing or not. I suggest getting the 0.3mm version if you're looking to save some money. Personally, I'm not 100% satisfied with the design of the Orenz. I wish Pentel had made the body hexagonal like the Zebra Color Flight. Most of all, I don't like the old-fashioned curved clip and hope Pentel would release an upgraded version of the Orenz in the near future. But if you're fine with its current design, then go ahead and get it.

Edit: Since the time of the last review, I've discovered a major flaw in the Orenz that could compromise your writing experience if you frequently use a ruler with your pencil to draw lines. Friction from the ruler causes the metal sleeve that protects the lead to slip, exposing a good portion of lead, causing it to snap almost immediately. This is a huge disappointment to someone relies heavily on rulers for note taking and assignments. I apologize for neglecting to inform you of this earlier, but it's a flaw that I've never encountered in other pencils before. So indeed, Orenz + Ruler = Oreru :(

Review: Tombow Olno Swift (and Olno)

Yay! Its time for another edition of pencil reviews. Perhaps I should come up with a more creative title rather than that... Anyway, I've wanted to review today's pencil(s) for a while now, but life happened, you know.
Without further ado, boys and girls, I present to you the Tombow Olno and Olno Swift. The Olno—to avoid confusion, let's just call it vanilla from here on—is basically the economical version of the Olno Swift, which was released after the vanilla version and has a few upgrades from the original. 

Regular Olno

Olno Swift

What sets the Olno apart from other pencil is its unique lead advancing mechanics; you can load more lead by pressing on the top like most other pencils, but you can also achieve the same results by bending the pen body, hence the name Olno. When I first got my vanilla Olno, I was afraid I might accidentally break the pencil if I applied too much force, but now that I've familiarized myself with it, I can attest to the Olno's durability. To break it, you pretty much have to consciously apply all your force on the pencil. The bending is simple,  I usually prop the pencil on my middle finger and clutch the middle of the pencil in my thumb and press down with my thumb. To facilitate the process, Tombow even extended the grip as you can see in both versions. The elongated grip definitely adds more comfort, especially to the area of hand that is between the index finger and the thumb. Of course, if you hold your pencil differently from the regular tripod grip, then you will probably find it easier just to press the top of the pencil. Also, it was quite uncomfortable when I tried holding the pencil with four fingers, so if you insist on holding your pencil like that, guess what this is an ergonomic pencil and you're doing it wrong. Personally, I found the bending mechanism wildly addicting; it reminded me of the first time I used a shaker pencil in elementary school and how I couldn't stop shaking the darn thing. Shaker pencils are probably more efficient than the Olno, but it sure is fun venting your frustrations out on the Olno. The pencil lead will retract when you hold the pencil in its bent position and press down on the tip.

So let's talk about vanilla Olno first: unlike the Swift, the vanilla is entirely plastic except for its lead clutch. Although it is less durable, the vanilla version comes in a wider variety of colors, keep in mind though that some of these colors are discontinued; the first picture from the top showcases the newest colorways of the vanilla Olno. It has a cute half-moon cap at the top that stays out of your way when writing. Despite what you would think, lead has to be inserted by unscrewing the plastic pipe at the end from the main body. The little cap just opens to nothing. Otherwise, the pencil wouldn't have its bending mechanism.

This is what I'm talking about

 The grip is made out of just the worst kind of rubber. Allow me to explain, I also have a Uni Signo and Zebra Sarasa, both with rubber grips. Compared to the other two, however, the Signo's grip is clearly smoother with a lot less friction. The Sarasa's does not feel as velvety-smooth as the Signo, but it still withstands dirt and grime fairly well. The Olno's grip, well, has so much friction it feels sticky when you rub on it. As a result, it gets dirty very easily. Unlike the Dr. Grip which is a lint magnet, the Olno vanilla's grip does not attract all that much dust but frequently produces black smears just from being in the pencil case. It's also a lot harder to clean than the Dr. Grip as grime tends to stick on it. I've had more luck cleaning the Olno's grip with an oil-based makeup remover than regular soap. Even though I liked the Olno, I just couldn't stand having to clean it every so often, so it's now on permanent display in the pen stand.

Olno rainbow

However, I still really wanted a pencil that can bend—that's when the Olno Swift comes in. According to its marketing, the Olno Swift is supposed to be the higher-quality version of the Olno, the David Beckham of the world of bending pencils, so to speak. Unlike the Olno vanilla which came in a cheap plastic packet, the Olno Swift actually came with hard plastic packaging. *Gasp*

All the sarcasm aside, the Olno Swift does have a few redeeming features. Unlike the short, conical tip of the vanilla, the Olno Swift sports a 4mm needle-tip lead sleeve that is reminiscent of drafting pencils and allows for precision writing, although I  Next, the Olno Swift has a metallic main body and grip, leading to increased heft from the vanilla version. I like the metallic accent, but would much prefer the lightness of the vanilla when writing. However, most of Olno Swift's weight is near the tip, so the balance of the pencil isn't that bad, although I still prefer fiddling with the vanilla more. As with the newest models of the vanilla Olno, the Olno Swift ;features a clear window that allows you to see its mechanism in action; the orange part you can see in the picture below bends with each press. When pressed, the Olno Swift makes a softer sound than the original and it is overall easier to bend. Unlike the vanilla Olno, the Swift comes only in five colors shown in the second picture from the top, the one in the picture below was produced and sold along Tombow's complete pencil catalog for its 100th anniversary back in 2013, so sad.

The Limited Centennial Model of the Olno Swift

Like the vanilla version, you still have to load your lead by unscrewing the plastic part from main body. So far so good, Olno Swift, but how about your grip? I wanted an upgrade specifically because of the vanilla Olno's tendency to blemish. The white, translucent grip of the Olno Swift reminded me of that of the Alpha Gel models, and I was misled into thinking it was going to be just as soft, boy, was I wrong. Sure, the Olno Swift has a thicker, now silicone rubber grip, but it's still fairly firm and reminded me of the first Dr. Grips way back yonder. The Olno Swift's grip is definitely more resistant to dust and grime, but it still feels rough compared to that of the Signo. I wish the grip could have been softer and smoother, but maybe that's just me and my bias for squishy grips.

The Rundown:
Tombow Olno
Pros: Bending mechanicsm, lightweight
Cons: Poor quality grip, tendency to blemish
Estimated price: $3.00
Design: ★★★★
Comfort: ★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★
Durability/quality: ★★
Overall: ★★★
Despite its low overall rating, the Olno is a solid choice for those with a super tight budget. (I mean seriously, you can't fork out 3 more bucks?)

Tombow Olno Swift
Pros: 4mm needle-tip, easier to bend, improved grip
Cons: Heavy, grip not as soft as advertised
Estimated price: $6.00
Design: ★★★★
Comfort: ★★★★
Writing performance/stability: ★★★★
Durability/quality: ★★★
Overall: ★★★¾
The Olno Swift is a good choice for those looking for a tough, reliable pencil, although I would watch out for the tip if you plan to carry this in a pocket. Also, it might be harder to use if you have smaller hands. Honestly, I think the Olno Swift is way too heavy; therefore it's not a pencil I recommend use for extended use like in exams. However, I would recommend both the Olno and the Olno Swift if you like what you've heard so far and don't mind the stuff I complained about. :)