Add Some Razzle Dazzle To Your Writing With Pentel’s “Razzle Dazzle Icy” Mechanical Pencil!
Written: Mar 07 '05 (Updated Oct 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tons of colors to choose from, nice lead advance, strong eraser, rubber comfort grip.
Cons: Hard as hell to find in retail stores.
The Bottom Line: Like mechanical pencils but hate the ones that look boring or lack color? Check out Pentel’s Razzle Dazzle Icy!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Pentel PENAL27RDA PENCILMECHICY.7MMBK |
Long ago, in a far away galaxy there lived a tattoo artist. She drew her sketches, picked out the perfect colors for her work and then inked them on to willing customers. All the while, her trusty Icy Mechanical Pencil was by her side. Never failing to give her seamless lead advances or erase mistakes in seconds flat. One day her cohort in crime disappeared, vanished without a trace. Ever since then, she dreamed of having an Icy by her side. Ok, that might seem a bit dramatic but after writing so many reviews of markers, pens and pencils, I needed to inject a little drama into my office supply reviews to keep them from sounding like repetitive drivel. I wasnt fibbing when I said that I missed my Icy when it disappeared, it was one of the best mechanical pencils I ever owned. As soon as I saw that Pentel was putting out a new version of the Icy, I was all over it. The addition of the cool colors to the barrel of the pencil was a nice change but I am glad that they kept the original design features.
Pentel Razzle Dazzle Icy Mechanical Pencil
So what makes this pencil better than others? Pull up a chair and Ill tell you! First off, the lead and erasers are both refillable. This means you can stock up on them when they are on sale and, providing you dont lose the pencil, get more than your moneys worth out of it. There is a really nice rubber comfort grip area at the base of the pencil so even if you are doing a lot of writing, sketching or note taking, you wont have to worry about hand cramps or sore fingers. The grip area is large so no matter how you hold the pencil, youll have a comfortable writing session. The original Icy didnt have the cool colored barrels and in all honesty I could care less about which color I use when I am writing or drawing but I am partial to purple so I went with that one when I ordered them from Shoplet. I cant remember if the original one had a removable pocket clip or not but the Razzle Dazzle version does. If you dont like it or it gets in the way, remove it in seconds flat.
One feature that I adore about this pencil is that it has a metal sleeve that extends out of the base. This helps to protect the lead when you are writing and is a must have for those who press hard. I wont say that this completely eliminates lead breakage but it does cut down on it a lot. You might not think that an eraser is all that big of a deal but if you do any amount of writing or drawing with an automatic pencil, you will appreciate the one that comes with the Razzle Dazzle. Its the white type eraser that is harder and lasts longer than the pink or brown rubber ones. They also leave a lot less eraser grit behind which means less whisking and reduces the possibility of smudging the lead on certain types of paper. Again, this might not mean much to most people but those who use a mechanical pencil for drawing or sketching will love this and the way it works.
I really like that they kept the barrels clear, you can see exactly how much lead you have left [as well as the number of lead sticks inside the pencil] and when you will need to load a new one up. Since this is refillable [both eraser and lead] you can buy the refill packets for less than the price of a new pencil. As soon as I saw the information about the Razzle Dazzle Icy at the website I started to look for them at local office supply stores but none of them ever seemed to have them in stock. I eventually broke down and ordered a box of them knowing that, with my luck, the local stores would never get them in and if they did, theyd be in crappy colors. I was really impressed with how the Razzle Dazzle Icy performed and that the people at Pentel kept the same design concept for this new and improved version. If you are going to try and hunt this down, check places like Wal-Mart and Target, they always seem to get the cooler and trendier stuff in before the office supply stores.
The Bottom Line
Out of all the mechanical pencils Ive ever used, the Icy was one of my all time favorites. Two or three clicks of the top and the lead would advance enough for me to write a full page and the erasers that come with it are second to none. If purple isnt your color you can also pick this up in red, orange, yellow, blue, teal and gray with new neon colors coming soon. If you are someone that likes writing with a pencil and you want to add a little color to your workday, the Razzle Dazzle Icy is a great pick that will last a long time .. or until you lose it or someone steals it. The rubber comfort grip, seamless lead advance and eraser are just a few reasons why I really love writing with this pencil but dont take my word for it, give it a try for yourself!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Pentel Pens
R.S.V.P. Retractable Orange
EnerGel, Lancelot, Clarius
Gizmo, Tetra Black, Tradio
Hybrid Metallic Gold Gel Ink Pen
Hybrid DX Metallic Silver Gel Ink
Pentel Pencils
Forte, Pentel Razzle Dazzle Icy
Champ, Clarius, Gizmo
Pentel Presto! Flat Barrel Correction Pen
Recommended:
Yes
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