Pilot S30 Drafting Pencil Review

Last week, I reviewed the Pilot S20 Drafting Pencil, and this week I’m tackling it’s pricier sibling, the Pilot S30 Drafting Pencil, to see if the premium features - and price - are worth it.

If you didn’t read last’s week’s review of the S20 you should, but if you want the short version you should know this: I adore the S20. I’m still in the honeymoon phase with it, but I can tell it will have a long-term spot in my writing arsenal.

The S30 takes the straightforward S20 pencil platform, and turns it up a notch or three. At a quick glance, these two pencils look the same, but on the inside, the S30 uses a different mechanism to auto-advance the lead when the empty tip is pressed against the paper. The traditional knock-advance mechanism is still in place, so you have a choice how to advance the lead when using the pencil.

In addition, the S30 has a retractable pipe. This allows for a bit of added safety when storing the pen away. For some, this is a mandatory feature for any mechanical or drafting pencil.

Those two mechanism changes increase the weight of the S30 to 21 grams, versus 18 grams for the S20. The approximately 15% increase in weight is noticeable.

What else is noticeable is the shiny chrome finish of the S30, as well as the matching wood treatment on the knock. The packaging of the S30 also gets upgraded to a more traditional hanging box, compared to no packaging for the S20.

Last but not least, the S30 checks in at $40. If the $25 S20 is in the premium pricing category, then the S30 levels that up even more.

So, is it worth the premium price for the premium product? To me, no. I prefer the lighter weight and matte hardware of the S20 more than I need a retractable pipe, touch-advance lead, and a box that I will throw in the garbage. For others, the retractable pipe will be worth every penny of the premium if they like the pencil overall.

That’s the takeaway here. If you like the style of the S20 or S30, then it boils down to which features you are willing to pay, or not pay, for. No matter the choice, there is a high likelihood that you just found your new favorite pencil.

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

---

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!

Pilot S20 Drafting Pencil Review

I’ve wanted the Pilot S20 Drafting Pencil for ages. I, for one, cannot resist the style of this pencil, or any of Pilot’s wooden writing instrument designs. The S20 is a prime example of a classic Pilot design that is as good today as when it was first launched.

When exactly was that? I honestly can’t say. I’ve tried to hunt that information down, but to no avail. Decades? I think so, but with frequent lineup changes it was difficult to sort out. Regardless of whether it launched last century or last week, it is a near-perfect design that any mechanical pencil owner should consider owning.

Most pencils with “Drafting” in the name take on a very technical exterior. Metal barrels, aggressive grips, all the bells and whistles that make for a good option for a technical pencil. Pilot strips all of that away in the S20, using a warm birch wood barrel with subtle curves and matte finish hardware. It looks just as home on a writing desk as it does a drafting table.

Those curves are what I love the most about the S20. Combined with the lightweight wooden barrel, the slightly concave grip section molds right into your grip. The barrel taper towards the top as well, allowing it to fit into the cusp or your hand comfortably. The design cues are subtle, but important of the overall feel of the pencil.

The barrel is made from “resin-infused birch wood” with a Mahogany color on my S20. Pilot is well-known for this range of “stains,” which also includes Brown, Dark Brown, Deep Red, and Black. Mahogany is in the mid-range of darkness, allowing the wood grain to be visible. The grain connects well between the hardware as well, for those who prefer everything to line up cleanly.

From a feel perspective, I cannot praise this pencil enough. It is lightweight, but has enough density to retain precision control. The wood grip warms to the touch, with added tackiness with continued use. Over time, I imagine there will be some wearing in in this area, so I’ll have to pay attention if it begins to smooth out. I doubt that will present any issue.

The Pilot S20 is $25. For a mechanical pencil, that falls into the premium price range. For me, it is well worth that price, and worth the difference in feel and quality over pencils that are $10-$15 cheaper. It is that good.

The real question, which I’ve successfully avoided up until now, is how it compares to the upgraded - and even more expensive - Pilot S30 Drafting Pencil. More on that one soon!

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

---

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!

Pilot Acroball Spotliter 3+1 Multi Pen and Highlighter Review

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

It's been a little while since I've looked at a multi pen, so the timing is perfect to take the latest Acroball multi pen for a spin. The Acroball Spotliter is a 3+1 multi pen, which doesn't sound like anything unique at first glance. 3+1 multi pens are usually a combination of three ink colors and a mechanical pencil component, but that's not the case with the Spotliter. In lieu of a mechanical pencil component, the Spotliter has a small highlighter tucked into the top of the pen — as well as the expected three ink choices.

I've spent a lot of time with Acroball multi pens in the past, and this version sports the same refills as other models. This means you'll get a buttery smooth writing experience, bold colors, and decent life before it's time to replace the refill. If you're a fan of hybrid ballpoints, like the Jetstream, you owe it to yourself to try Pilot's offering at some point. I'm not sure which one I like better at this point — Acroball versus Jetstream. They're both so, so good at what they do. In a lot of cases, I like the aesthetics of the Acroball multi pens more than the Jetstream. And in this specific case, the highlighter on this pen is something that Jetstream doesn't offer...yet.

Writing with this pen is identical to other Acroball multi pens. It's a great experience, and I love these multi pens. The refills are 0.7mm and come in black, blue, and red. Standard stuff. Let's focus on the unique part of the Spotliter: the little highlighter on the back. It's not often that I need a highlighter, but when I know I need one, I'll grab one from the closet or carry it with me in a bag. It's tough to beat a dedicated highlighter in terms of ergonomics and how long the ink will last. This is similar to the idea of carrying a dedicated eraser with your pencils — they're just better than what you find on the ends of pencils. But, just like with the pencils, it turns out the best highlighter is the one you have with you. In a pinch, the highlighter on the Spotliter is a fantastic little tool.

It works exactly as you'd expect. Uncap the highlighter, mark over stuff to emphasize it with a bright translucent color, and get back to writing. To me, it's somewhat fiddly to flip the pen over, uncap the little highlighter to use it, then recap and flip over again. I'd much rather use a separate highlighter if possible. But the fact that I have one in a multi pen makes it very interesting for those instances when you don't have a highlighter on hand.

Similar to the small erasers on wood case pencils and the even (comically) smaller erasers found in many mechanical pencils (the ones that are hidden under the lead click button on the top of the pencil), this highlighter is more of an "in case of emergency" solution as opposed to a full-on replacement for a dedicated highlighter. That being said, this highlighter performs as well as any standard dedicated highlighter I've used, which is more than can be said for erasers. It really is a fantastic solution if you find yourself occasionally needing a highlighter.

While the highlighter tip shape and color are great, I do have a couple complaints. For one, the ink chamber is really small and you won't get much life out of this highlighter. I don't have any numbers on how long it should last, but I wouldn't bet on it going very far. Fortunately, Pilot sell replacement highlighter components that you can snap in instead of tossing the whole pen. That's fantastic. Plus, you can choose between yellow or pink ink.

My bigger complaint is how easy it is to accidentally remove the highlighter component from the pen body. If you grab the cap and pull straight out, the entire component slips out. According to the instructions, you have to rotate the highlighter cap to uncap it. This works great every time provided I remember to do it correctly. My muscle memory is ingrained to just pull caps off to remove them, so this has been tough to re-learn with this pen.

Also, given how easy it is to remove the highlighter component, I worry that it could come off in a bag or pocket and get lost. It really doesn't take much pressure to remove it, and I just know I'll lose the highlighter at some point if I'm not really careful.

Aside from those concerns, I'm really happy with this pen. It's great having a multi pen I already know and love, but with a new hidden feature tucked into the back. I don't need a highlighter often, but it's easy to swap this pen into my "out of the house" kit with a similarly sized Acroball to ensure I have a tiny highlighter around if needed.

The model I have is the blue body with pink highlighter, but you can also get a black body and/or yellow highlighter. The highlighter refills are almost $3 and available in pink and yellow.

The Pilot Acroball Spotliter 3+1 multi pen is just $9.75 at JetPens. It makes a great addition to any kit, and I highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for a good multi pen or if you haven't yet tried the Acroball ink.

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

---

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!