****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I went through an EE program on 0.5mm Pentel pencils and Pentel Clic erasers. They have not been exceeded. My comparable pencils are the Pentel 0.5mm P225 (no longer made?) and the Pentel 0.5mm Graph. These pencils are not too heavy and have a plastic grip area which doesn't slide, and a small barrel which suits my thin fingertips. They are reliable and give the impression of quality. The Kerry is new to me. It has a plastic grip area and an improved friction in the lead tube which gives better lead control. I guess what I want to say about this friction is it is slightly greater than on other pencils and that it is consistent while advancing lead, regardless of haste. The slipperiness of the anodized cap is unwelcome. The ridges on the lead compartment cap aid in removing it. The ability to cap the point will be useful to anyone who carries in a jeans pocket. Leaving the cap off when writing lets us turn the pencil to position the sharp part of the lead to paper without interference from the pocket clip.All in all it's hard to exceed this pencil; it's got better lead control when advancing than any other that I've held, and has a protected point when inside pockets. The Caran d' Ache Taiwan edition (0.5mm) is handsomer in my opinion; the black Pentels are more serious in appearance. The Pentel Graph has the advantage of a capacious grip area above the clip when removing it from a front pocket. The lead compartment cap easily detaches in these instances on the P225, leaving you cap-in-hand, pencil-in-pocket. To me the main things I guess are comfort and utility. I've used the Kooh-I-Noor 0.5mm radiograph-style pencils. I find them a bit heavy, uncomfortable in the knurled brass/chrome grip, and I've noticed the knurled chrome grip can break off of the barrel when the pencil is stowed in a backpack crammed full of freshman-level textbooks. Otherwise they look great and the quality is unmistakeable.In removing this pencil from a front pocket I use the nail of my middle finger underneath the end of the pocket clip while my thumb secures the top of the cap. The slippery anodized cap and wildly smooth clip discourage other approaches. A tab consisting of a folded-over sticker on the clip would give some relief to this chore, and inform the more observant of your utter disdain for appearances. Which, I suppose, just might get you through the conversation that much more quickly.The Pentel P205 is the most readily-available pencil meeting my approval. Its clip is more obtrusive in the lead-rotating maneuver than the one on the P225.
