Part Number 77-579
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Specifications
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Related Items
- Most Popular
- Saw Gauges
- Utility Knives
- Hand Tool Cutters
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
OK this isn't an accusation, but when there are 4 rave reviews for an item that as soon as you use it, you see the drawbacks, you have to check out the reviewers. Each of those four reviewers had only ONE review and it was of course of this product. Here's a review by a woodworker who reviews items all the time, some good, some bad... and the average ones get little attention from me other than in circumstances like this.
First, the good parts. The red case is easy to find. I have not yet broken the case, and since I drop things a lot, that's good. The colored leads make it possible to make a visible line on almost anything... if you happen to be carrying the appropriate lead with you. It's easy to load and easy to advance the lead when needed.
Next, the problems. The biggest one is, when you drop the pencil, the lead shatters into multiple short strips. Since it takes a strip of at least an inch or more to clasp properly, it definitely shortens the usefulness of each lead if it's in three or more pieces. Also once the lead is short, it tends to skew in the holder, so it's sometimes hard to see where it's going to mark if you're, say, trying to mark to the 16th of an inch on a framing square. If you don't work within a 16th of an inch that's fine, then...but it's a bit disconcerting to find you've marked a tight fit wrong and you have to redo it because it's too short or too long to fit.
Another small thing, it doesn't stay in my T-shirt pocket very well. It's too long for the clip to grab very much pocket and oops, you bend over and there's the lead shattered yet again.
Oh, and one more tiny problem is that the point is too blunt to be able to see the lead if you're marking something right in front of you. So you turn the pencil sideways so you can see the lead, but now you've got it on the flat side marking and you have to tilt it to get the corner of the lead (unless you sharpened it, which was the whole idea of getting this pencil in the first place, because you're not supposed to have to sharpen it.
I'll keep working with it because I bought 4 sets of refills and if I find some workarounds or ways to make it work better I'll update. I find dropping it into my jeans pocket is a good idea because it's safer there.
First, the good parts. The red case is easy to find. I have not yet broken the case, and since I drop things a lot, that's good. The colored leads make it possible to make a visible line on almost anything... if you happen to be carrying the appropriate lead with you. It's easy to load and easy to advance the lead when needed.
Next, the problems. The biggest one is, when you drop the pencil, the lead shatters into multiple short strips. Since it takes a strip of at least an inch or more to clasp properly, it definitely shortens the usefulness of each lead if it's in three or more pieces. Also once the lead is short, it tends to skew in the holder, so it's sometimes hard to see where it's going to mark if you're, say, trying to mark to the 16th of an inch on a framing square. If you don't work within a 16th of an inch that's fine, then...but it's a bit disconcerting to find you've marked a tight fit wrong and you have to redo it because it's too short or too long to fit.
Another small thing, it doesn't stay in my T-shirt pocket very well. It's too long for the clip to grab very much pocket and oops, you bend over and there's the lead shattered yet again.
Oh, and one more tiny problem is that the point is too blunt to be able to see the lead if you're marking something right in front of you. So you turn the pencil sideways so you can see the lead, but now you've got it on the flat side marking and you have to tilt it to get the corner of the lead (unless you sharpened it, which was the whole idea of getting this pencil in the first place, because you're not supposed to have to sharpen it.
I'll keep working with it because I bought 4 sets of refills and if I find some workarounds or ways to make it work better I'll update. I find dropping it into my jeans pocket is a good idea because it's safer there.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
I had puchased these for my crew and myself thinking it would save time from sharpening the standard carpenter pencil but in reallity they are a waste of time because the lead snaps off by the grooves used to hold it in the pencil and after some wear the lead will get stuck ing the pencil wasting my valuble time trying to get the leadout so save your money and just buy a regular carpenter pencil
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Good points:
- lead is very durable and does not wear down quickly
- grips securely without slipping
- easy to move lead down a notch as it is used
Bad point:
- the stepped plastic tip makes it more difficult to draw a line along a straightedge than if using a wooden pencil
Overall, I like the nice thick line and the durable lead. So far I haven't had the lead break! This will definitely have a place in my pocket for drawing long offset lines along a sheet of plywood and writing sizing info and instructions on cut lumber. But for short distances where a precise line is required, a well-sharpened pencil still wins out.
- lead is very durable and does not wear down quickly
- grips securely without slipping
- easy to move lead down a notch as it is used
Bad point:
- the stepped plastic tip makes it more difficult to draw a line along a straightedge than if using a wooden pencil
Overall, I like the nice thick line and the durable lead. So far I haven't had the lead break! This will definitely have a place in my pocket for drawing long offset lines along a sheet of plywood and writing sizing info and instructions on cut lumber. But for short distances where a precise line is required, a well-sharpened pencil still wins out.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
better deal near you!!!
ok so here it is, the pencil is ok as an hvac journeyman using one on a daily basis in commercial construction it ok. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Roy R. Escobar III
Improvment over carpenters pencils
Number 1 reason I got this was because it stays the same length. It is surprisingly accurate when sharp. Read more
Published on March 9, 2010 by Shawn M. Cassidy
Buy a box of pencils instead
The leads break, the leads jam, it costs almost as much in shipping as the cost of the product. An extremely poor value for the money.
Published on October 29, 2009 by M. Carter
Highly Recommended
Bought this and several other types of mechanical carpenters pencils to try because I got tired of constantly sharpening wooden carpenter pencils for construction work. Read more
Published on September 19, 2009 by ofs
Never sharpen = Never sharp. Poor Quality.
The purpose of this little guy is to avoid spending time sharpening your pencils, of course. It accomplishes that, at least for a while - but it falls short of being an... Read more
Published on August 23, 2009 by P. Travis
Disappointed
I picked up one of these based on a recommendation from another site, to round out an Amazon order I was making. Read more
Published on April 13, 2009 by M. B. Reese
Great for home projects
I really like this pencil, it saves on sharping and breaking tips on regular pencils. Real asset for my home projects.
Published on March 14, 2009 by C. Mcdermott
Nice Try
When I saw this product I thought it was a great idea and decided to try it out. While the concept seemed good, the product falls short. Read more
Published on February 1, 2009 by Tom
Striker Pencil review
Customer Video Review
Length:
0:54
Mins
Published on January 20, 2009 by B. Hoover
Works as described
Works as described. I needed a light colored pencil so this one fit the bill with optional white lead. Read more
Published on January 12, 2009 by Ken Takeshita
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
