Pilot Automac 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil - Review and JetPens GIVEAWAY!

January 10, 2014

It isn't very often that when holding an instrument the thoughts, "this is like the Rolls Royce of "blank" occurs. In this case, I'm going to say flat out that the Automac, to me, seems like it could be at that level in the mechanical drafting pencil realm. Oh my, this thing is a beauty. The only thing missing is inlaid burled mahogany and a cigar humidor to put this baby in Rolls Royce territory...but without the $250,000 price tag.

I received this pencil from our good friends over at JetPens to have for review, and they will also be providing an Automac giveaway to a lucky reader of The Clicky Post! Please see the details of the giveaway below and how to enter! Thanks so much JetPens for sponsoring this for us.

The Automac comes packaged in your standard cardboard sleeve with a clamshell clear plastic cover (in this case with a beige velvety insert with elastic band); nothing really to write home about on that front, but when you open her up... again, oh my.

I received the Automac with the all silver finish and when you first open it up it astounds you how nice this thing looks. The colors throughout from tip to nock are consistent in their shade so no weird distracting breaks in detail. Granted, the barrel is slightly metallic and shiny while the tip, grip, and nock section are more of a silvery matte. No matter, all the pieces flow beautifully together like one solid piece. Just stunning.

What catches your attention first is obviously the unique grip section. I would consider it to be "knurling" so to speak, but not in the traditional sense. Knurling usually consists of either little spikes on the surface or a machined crosshatch pattern in the barrel to act as texture for grip. The knurling on the Automac is made up of several tightly machined lines that run parallel with the barrel. Within those lines are rings that are cut throughout that run perpendicular to the barrel that create a set of small rectangles towards the tip section. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but I really enjoy this aspect of the pencil. The whole thing looks very futuristic.

The nock mechanism is top notch and feels good and solid when depressed. It has a retractable tip that requires one big click to extend it and then subsequent small clicks to extend the lead. Standard issue for these kinds of pencils, but done really well. Under the nock is a small eraser. Let's face it; with nearly all mechanical pencils the eraser underneath the cap is fairly worthless. It is small, gets dirty extremely fast, and wears down too quickly with excessive use. I'd recommend a separate eraser to go with it as I would most other drafting pencils.

The only caveat that might be of some concern is a slight wiggle in the lead. Not dancing noticeably around (remember the Lamy Logo?...yikes), but slight. I'm not really a huge pencil guy, but I do have a few (well, like 7 or 8) that I could use to compare the wiggleness to.

Speaking of lead, Elaine from JetPens is a mind reader as she included some Uni NanoDia Low-Wear lead in 3B. This is a softer lead which I prefer over the HB lead pencils usually come with and is fantastic. Lays down a nice soft and dark line. Thanks Elaine!

Per the request of some friends, here is a l ink to a recent Instagram post showing how the 3B compares to some standard HB.

I did a simple test of the following pencils (many of which still need review) and gave them a brief description on tip movement while writing (in order as they appear in the photo below):

Uniball Kura Toga - Some Movement
rOtring Newton (black) - Some Movement
Zebra M-701 - No Movement
rOtring rapid Pro - No Movement (surprised me and very comfortable)
Pilot Automac - Noticeable Movement
rOtring Newton (silver) - Some Movement
rOtring 600 - No Movement (although the tip seems long)
Parker Jotter - Very Slight Movement (Almost Unnoticeable)
rOtring 800 - No Movement

Recent Instagram Post of Pencils While Testing

The Automac doesn't rate extremely high in comparison, but I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker. This is the only aspect of the pencil that doesn't live up to the Rolls Royce status in my book. Lexus maybe.

Ok, there is one other thing that is more of a pet peeve than a criticism to the pencil itself, but why in the world do pen/pencil companies put stickers on the barrels of a nice writing instrument? It baffles me that they'll slap a sticker with the gummiest, stickiest adhesive in the world to a $50 pencil that I then have to peel off. Not only that, but I then have to find some sort of none abrasive solvent to get the residue off. grrrr... Although, the Automac residue wasn't too bad in comparison to some.

Alright, I'm done. Whew... Moving along.

The weight of the Automac is incredible. For a mechanical pencil it is pretty weighty, more so than even a rOtring 600 that is notoriously heavier than you'd expect. The heft is nice in my opinion and the pencil is well balanced. Everything about it feels very sturdy.

Overall, a phenomenal piece.

Now for the fun part...

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

JetPens has offered to do a giveaway of a Pilot Automac to a reader of The Clicky Post! There are some limits to this one as it is open to only US readers, but I hope my international friends feel the love through other giveaways on the site.

Click on the button below to be taken to the JetPens giveaway page:

Enter Giveaway!

You'll need to sign up as a JetPens newsletter recipient if you haven't already to enter.

The giveaway will run through Friday, January 17th at noon PST.

Good luck to everyone and thanks again JetPens for sponsoring the giveaway and review!

Karas Kustoms - New Tumbled Finish for Render K, Bolt, and Retrakt

January 8, 2014

If you've been following the blog for awhile you'll have seen several posts about my friends over at Karas Kustoms and the incredible pens they produce. If you've been holding out to buy a pen from them I'd definitely say give it a go sooner than later.

Karas Kustoms Tumbled Finish Render K Bolt Retrakt Pen Review

I wanted to draw some attention to a new finish that they are thinking of offering on their pens which they are simply referring to as the "tumbled" editions. They made some samples of all three of their current pens: the Render K, The Bolt, and The Retrakt. Bill Karas was kind enough to provide me with a couple of these as samples (I believe I paid him for the Bolt though...haha), so thanks for letting me give these a go.

The aluminum versions of their pens have been available in a "silver" raw (or clear anodized) version which is probably my absolute favorite, the G2 Render K topping the list. When I saw these new tumbled versions I was pretty excited as I think they turned out great.

The new finish gives the pens a different, matte finish that looks killer. I refer to it as the "Mad Max" finish as it reminds me of something you'd see in some post-apocalyptic flick where everything has been aged and worn, but looks awesome. I don't like the idea of that for all of my pens, but on Karas Kustoms' line of industrial/modern pens it is a winner in my opinion.

If you're not the type to enjoy a more "beat up" look to your stuff, this finish may not be for you, but for those that like a cool broken-in finish this might be right up your alley. It gives the pens a definite new look and feel that is pretty sweet.

If you think this is an offering that the guys should do, give them a shout out on Twitter or contact them through their site directly. Let your voice be heard!

They even made a Speedster in the tumbled finish which I had to get...

INK Reminder

I also want to give a quick shout out to their current Kickstarter campaign for INK, their new fountain pen offering. Only a few days left to pledge if you haven't already. There are several reviews out and about from not only myself, but Ed Jelley, Well-Appointed Desk, The Pen Addict, and From the Pen Cup (my personal favorite...).

EiMIM Z Bead Blasted Finish (EiMIM now Tactile Turn) - Pen Review

January 6, 2014

Before diving into the review I first want to give enabler credit where enabler credit is due...

Thank you Clint Robison of goodthingsdonewell.com for posting your thoughts and review of the EiMIM Z as it pushed me over the edge to buy one. Your mention of the 25% off deal through January also helped! Great review and thanks again! Even pen bloggers can be swayed to buy...

The Kickstarter campaign for Will Hodges' EiMIM X, Y, and Z pens successfully funded in August and delivery of the rewards started rolling in last month. Will was able to make these pens available right away on his site which is how I was able to get one so quickly since I missed pledging on this one. In retrospect I wish I'd been able to officially back this project.

I really love machined pens and have a certain expectation of them I suppose, but I can say confidently that the Z has surpassed my expectations greatly and I give some major kudos to Will for creating a fantastic product.

His X, Y, and Z pens have a very unique design that I'd imagine people either love or hate. Not a criticism, but the barrels are very minimal without taper and the cap comes to a blunt point...but there is a reason for that. Personally I enjoy the simplistic look to these pens. I opted for the bead blasted machined finish with the steel clip. The matte look created by the bead blasting only adds to the minimalist design of the pen. It isn't shiny which allows the form of the pen to be viewed without heavily catching the light and I find this pleasant.

One thing Will is very keen on is hiding seams in his pens. The Z has what I would consider to be "grip" along the entire barrel of the pen which consists of tightly machined lines (likely one long spiral) literally about 1/32" apart. Visually you can tell something is there, but they are close enough to appear to be one uniform texture. I've shown this pen to several friends and every single one of them was unsure how to open it. Is it a clicker or a twist? The Z is actually a capped pen, but the cap is so well concealed it is astounding.

There is one thing about the pen that I think could be given a second look, that being the threading to take the cap on and off. It appears to be a single thread (I may be wrong) which sometimes makes finding the sweet spot to close it tough. If these threads could be adjusted to a longer section with triple threads it would make it a bit easier. Literally, only gripe.

The cap is only about an inch or so long and the reason it comes to a blunt point (as discussed earlier) is so that it can seat in the end of the pen where there is a concave point of the same dimensions. Inside the cap and end are magnets that pull holds the cap in place.

The magnets are just strong enough to hold the pieces comfortably together, but don't require a set of vise grips to pull them apart. The pointed end makes it easy for the cap to "pop" into place while writing. I've noticed that there is some wear going on where the cap seats on the end of the pen which is likely accentuated by the matte finish, but we'll see how it holds up over time. The other finishes may not show this as much as quickly.

The clip is sturdy and bent out of a solid piece of sprung steel. The clip is attached to the pen via a cap that allows for access to refill changes which also holds an internal spring (to adjust for refill length). The clip has a ring on it that makes it easy to take it on and off as you please. Taking off the spring makes the pen very minimalist in style and coupled with the magnetic base you can buy separate (shown in image below), it turns a pocket pen into an interesting desk pen.

The refill that comes pre-filled in the pen is the Pilot G2 0.38mm in black ink which is a very fine tip, but a good one. The Z can fit many of your favorite "Pilot G2 sized" refills like the Signo 207, Energel, Precise RT to name a few.

I'm going to say again that this pen truly surpassed my expectations and I think it is excellent.