Pentel Gizmo: Not A Necessity But Fun For Teens & Tweens
Written: Aug 23 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun colors, smooth writing, lead and eraser can be refilled.
Cons: Girlie colors.
The Bottom Line: Looking for a fun, cool looking pencil that has some awesome perks? Give the Gizmo a try!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Pentel Gizmo Mechanical Pencil Black Barrel .5mm... |
Have you ever stopped to think about when companies such as Pentel start to plan their "back to school" marketing campaigns? Believe it or not, most never stop monitoring trends and keeping an eye on what the competition has to offer. Pentel's Gizmo line of pens and pencils are a nice switch up from the run of the mill back to school fodder you will come across but because they are classified as a specialty item, they usually aren't priced as low as stick pens and wood case pencils. I've had several of the Gizmo pens and pencils around the house and shop and they are nice but are they really worth the price? It all depends on what you expect from them and what you are going to be using them for. If you are doing any type of technical drawing, art or sketching you won't really be impressed with this but if you want something solid, comfortable and refillable for school then the Gizmo is worth checking out.
Pentel Gizmo .5mm Mechanical Pencil
The Gizmo isn't something that is going to change your life or make taking notes any easier but it does have a nice comfort grip, writes nicely and comes in some cool colors. It's slightly thicker than standard automatic and mechanical pencils but not so much so that it takes a while to get used to writing with it. The lead advances nicely and doesn't smear easily on most types of paper. The exception is anything that lacks a grain and ail mail paper. I used one of these to write a letter on air mail paper and didn't notice all the smudge marks until I was done, then I looked at the bottom of my hand and it too was covered with lead. That has been the only time I had such a problem with the Gizmo pencil so it's an isolated incident and shouldn't be held against it.
You aren't going to have any problems reloading this with lead when you run out and it automatically feeds the lead pieces into the cylinder as long as there is a supply inside the pencil. An average lead stick will write about six or seven pages so this is something that is going to be able to keep up with even the most active of note takers. It has a nice look to it but it is a little on the girlie side; even the black and blue varieties of this come off on the girlie side. The brood snubbed them initially but warmed up to them after they saw the way that they performed. Me, I think they are fun and cute to have around the house and shop. The barrel is what really impressed me; a pencil can look great but write like a dog. Likewise, you have to stop and think about how and where a pencil is going to be used. If it's going to be in a backpack or getting tossed around you need something that isn't going to break or crack. The Gizmo gets high marks for its barrel design and the way it takes a beating but still looks awesome.
Eco Friendly
No, this doesn't go out and plant trees or put your recyclables at the curb for you but it is nice for the tree huggers. The Gizmo is refillable and the replacement leads are inexpensive but that's not all, you can also buy replacement erasers for this. They are a little on the small side compared to other mechanical and automatic pencils but there is a cool cap that covers it and keeps it safe. As you might expect, the leads are easier to find than the erasers. I'd love to say that I never wear out the erasers on pencils but that isn't the case. Because these are smaller in size, you do need to order the official Pentel Z3/1 erasers to get the best fit and performance.
Those Glorious Colors!
The first Gizmo I purchased was the black one; it's a .5mm pencil that is great for general writing. You can also get the .5mm in a red, purple or blue barrel. If you want the .7mm size you are stuck with the green or pink colors. These are the colors of the barrels only; the lead is all the same. That might sound like a moronic statement but there are some people that would assume that the color of the barrel is also indicative of the color that it writes. For the most part the colors are nice and fun but they are pretty girlie. The brood turned their noses up at all but the black ones from this series. I expected that, they are pretty picky when it comes to automatic pencils and the way that they look and perform.
Price
These have an average selling price of about two dollars. I did find them for a little less at Staples but they were no where to be found at any of the back to school sales that I hit to stock up on supplies. Ordering them online can be a great way to save money if you can get them on sale but when I have priced them out they were between $2.00 and $2.50. They are refillable but that isn't always a good selling point if the barrel gets trashed, the pocket clip breaks or it starts looking grubby. Are they worth it? Yes and no. I like the chunky style of them and the colors that they come in but at the end of the day, it's a run of the mill automatic pencil. The comfort grip does mean that it is easier to write with if you are taking notes but if you are prone to losing pens and pencils, stick with something cheaper.
The Bottom Line
The Gizmo is nice if you want something that looks a little different but still delivers Pentel quality when writing. I haven't had any major problems with this pencil outside of writing on air mail paper. It's well made, has a solid barrel and will give you a lot of writing power if you buy the replacement leads. I really like the fact that I can buy eraser refills for this too; granted they can be a little hard to find but they are out there. If you are shopping for a teen or tween for back to school supplies, keep your eyes peeled for the Gizmo. If you get one and like it, you can also get a matching pen in the same style. Pentel backs this with a guarantee that you will be satisfied with it or they will replace it or refund your purchase price so you have absolutely nothing to lose.
As always, thanks for the visit…
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2007 Freak369
PaperMate Pencils
Sidetrac, Sharpwriter
Mirado # 2, Mirado #3
American # 2, EraserStik
American Natural # 2,
Tri Grip
Pentel Pencils
Forte, Razzle Dazzle
Champ, Clariusl
Sanford Pencils
'Earth Write' Pencils #2, Clickster Grip
Erasers
Pentel Clic Eraser
Sanford Eraser Caps
PaperMate: EraserStik and Tuff Stuff
Sanford: Magic Rub and Eraser Caps
Recommended:
Yes
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