Pentel Q1005 Smash Drafting Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Some of the oldest mechanical pencils in my collection are from Pentel, which is a testament to how robust and useful they are. But that doesn't mean there's no room left to expand the collection. I'm always interested in what these companies are doing in the modern decade, and the Q1005 (styled as Smash) mechanical drafting pencil is a unique and interesting option in this crowded space.

The Pentel Q1005 is a lightweight and well-built mechanical drafting pencil that feels great in the hand and does a great job. There aren't many frills, but the extra features are tasteful and well done. My favorite feature by far is how Pentel implemented the lead grade indicator dial. In a lot of cases, it's easy to accidentally nudge the dial, which defeats the purpose of using it in the first place. With the Pentel Smash, this is fixed by using notches in the dial that keep it in place while the pencil is in use. If you want to change the dial, you have to unscrew the grip section from the pencil a few turns, pull the dial out a bit, and then rotate it to the appropriate setting before screwing the grip section back in place. It's a simple but great solution to this problem as opposed to just relying on friction.

Another feature of this pencil is the grip section. While it's not my favorite grip, it sure is comfortable. The grip and cone is one piece of plastic, which makes it smooth to grip and also means you can't accidentally unscrew the nose cone when using the pencil. There's also a separate rubber pieces that protrudes through the plastic grip in a grid pattern to provide some really unique feel when using the pencil. Since the rubber pads are under the plastic, they move a little bit while using the pencil. This felt weird to me at first in a way that shook my confidence in the pencil and the accuracy of the marks I was making, but my fingers quickly grew accustomed to the unique feel. I like using it now, but my only real gripe is that the two-part system is a magnet for dust and lint. So many tiny grooves and spaces for stuff to collect.

The clip on the pencil is fairly strong, but not overly so. It's easy to operate and also keeps the pencil secure wherever you clip it. The clip doesn't need to be that strong since the pencil is lightweight.

Even though the pencil is lightweight, it's still weighted in the right places — namely toward the grip and cone. This low center of gravity means the pencil is easier to control when making precise marks.

I have no idea if this is correct, but I'm guessing that the namesake of the pencil comes from the fun rubber piece that covers the lead advance button. This accordion-like rubber material is so much fun to mash down over and over again. I'm not sure if it offers and real functional benefit, but it sure is fun to play with. Underneath the cap / click button, you'll find an obligatory emergency eraser that tops off the lead refill tube. Pretty standard stuff for a mechanical pencil.

Pentel has done something different in bringing the Smash to the US market by opening a Pentel-branded Amazon Shop, which is the only place you will find (for now) the four new colors of the new Pentel Katakana Smash Special Edition (both links are affiliate links). At $17, they are more expensive than the traditional Black Smash, which you can find at JetPens for $12.50, which is a great value for such a well-made and unique mechanical drafting pencil.

(Pentel of America provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Platinum Pro-Use 171 Mechanical Pencil Review

It's been a while since I really used a mechanical pencil in earnest, but I'm glad I decided to pick up the Platinum Pro-Use 171 recently. The name isn't great, but don't let that turn you away from this otherwise excellent pencil.

The Platinum Pro-Use 171 mechanical pencil is a drafting pencil made with premium materials, but it also sports a couple of neat tricks that make it a little nicer to use than your standard drafting pencil. Of course, it also has that tiny emergency eraser to erase the tiniest of mistakes.

Along with the metal body, knurled grip, and matte black finish, the pencil also features a fairly standard lead-grade indicator, a pocket clip, and a retractable lead pipe. Pretty standard fare in the mechanical pencil realm.

What sets this pencil apart is a couple of features that add some additional customization and adjustments to make this pencil fit your grip, style, or the specific job at hand.

First off, the lead pipe is completely adjustable in length. By rotating the cone back and forth, you can extend or retract the lead pipe from 0 to 4.5mm. At the 0 setting, the pencil is set for storage in a bag or pocket without the risk of poking through fabric. But when you're ready to write, draw, sketch, or use the pencil alongside a straight-edge, you can extend the pipe to the appropriate length to get the job done.

I've found that I enjoy using the pencil with the lead pipe extended all the way (to 4.5mm) because of the way it alters the grip. See, this is the main downside I have with the pencil. When fully extended, the knurled grip blends smoothly into the cone and gives me the grip that I prefer. When the pipe is retracted, that extra space (up to 4.5mm) is transferred to a gap between the grip section and the cone. The pencil still works just fine in this setup, but it does alter the grip feel. My fingers can't get comfortable when this gap is present. The smooth material between the knurled grip and notched cone just confuses my fingers and I end up fidgeting with it too much.

With my personal idiosyncrasies aside, it's still a really cool feature. I have plenty of pencils with retractable lead pipes, but they're either fully extended or fully retracted — no in between. It's nice to have this level of control for certain tasks.

The other feature, which I'm even more excited about, is the pressure-absorbing spring contraption inside the pencil that allows the lead to retract back into the pipe if you exert much pressure on it. This is intended to prevent lead breakage when you apply too much pressure when using the pencil, but it has the added benefit of making the pencil feel softer on the paper when using it. This feature is easy to turn on or off — just rotate the grip one way or the other. You can't tell a big difference at first between the two modes, but after writing for a good minute or two in one mode, it's much easier to feel how it can completely change the way the pencil feels when writing or drawing. I've really enjoyed writing with this pencil with the soft mode turned on. In my mind, it's a similar difference to how a soft gold nib feels as compared to a stiff steel nib of the same size. They both write great, but the gold nib feels a little softer. Depending on what you're doing with the pencil, the ability to switch back and forth is really cool.

As far as other options go, you can grab this pencil in a variety of sizes/colors. If you want the matte black version shown here, you have an option of 0.3mm or 0.5mm lead sizes. There are also 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm versions, and each is represented by a specific color — gray, navy, black, and white bodies with a silver knurled grip section and cone. The matte black versions both cost $34, while the other ones come in at just $20. From what I can tell, the only difference in price comes down to the materials used. The body of the matte black versions are metal, while the others are just plastic. Functionality-wise, they're the same.

The Matte Black Pro-Use 171 looks killer, and it's worth the extra 14 bucks to match that blacked-out aesthetic if that's your thing. If not, save some money and know that you're getting an equally great pencil!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil Review

For the first time in my life, the famed Lamy Safari design cues have jumped up to bite me.

There are many things that make a Safari noticeable from a mile away. The often bright ABS plastic used for the barrel. The molded grip section that thousands of children have learned proper writing form from. The unique turned-up wire clip that is often imitated, but never duplicated. And that’s just a start.

As much as it pains me, only one of those things works well with the Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil.

Let’s start with the good: It looks fantastic. Sure, this is traditionally a love/hate design, with not much middle ground on whether you like the style of any Lamy Safari product. And Lamy has never been one to shy away from bright colors either. Yes, you can always choose a more subdued Black or Blue barrel, but I promise your eye was initially drawn to that Bright Yellow, Red, or even White barrel.

In fact, this Pink Body is the sole reason I chose this pencil. It is absolutely, 100% my aesthetic. And as fun as it is, that’s where the fun ends I’m sad to say.

Molded grips don’t belong on a mechanical pencil. I knew that going in, but that still didn’t stop me for some reason. I love it in the Safari fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint, so why not in the pencil? Because you rotate pencils in your hand when you write, silly! How else can you keep a sharp point on the graphite? Unfortunately, having a molded grip section works against that rotation, leaving you with an awkward, uncomfortable grip much of the time.

On top of that, the famed Lamy clip bumps into your hand as you rotate, making for a double dose of awkwardness when it lands in the wrong spot. Which it will.

So, what to do with the Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil? Lamy will never change the Safari design cues that make it a Safari, so we are stuck with the molded grip section as long as they make this pencil. And I’m pretty sure we will never see a Uni Kuru Toga lead rotation mechanism on the inside, which would make this design workable. That means for anyone using this to write in more than sentence chunks at a time I would never recommend it.

If you pick up and put down the pencil a lot, I could maybe see it. Say for math/science work, or for an artist. But then, we run right into the issue of price. This is a $20 pencil, which is fine if it is great. The Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil is not great, which means I would be well into double-digits on a ranking list before getting to it, if I would at all.

Hire me Lamy.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!