Kickstarter Pick of the Week is Vulcan Post’s weekly series where we share some of the most noteworthy and creative projects that pose to make positive improvements in our lives. Come across anything interesting on crowdfunding websites? Let us know at team@vulcanpost.com!
Back in my school days, I went through pencils like Kleenex. Almost all of the subjects I studied in school require the writing instrument — it’s one of the basic necessities for every student. Of all my stationeries, I used the pencil the most. It’s the main reason why I had to spend a huge portion of my pocket money to buy them.
When you’re an art student, you tend to use up the pencil pretty fast. As for the mechanical pencil, you have to constantly stock up the pencil lead. It’s tricky to add the lead in, and they’re easily breakable. Moreover, many of them are poorly made. It is sufficient to say that it’s wasteful and harmful to the environment.
Fortunately, Andrew Sanderson, a mechanical designer from Austin, Texas, has come up with an ingenious solution. Currently live on Kickstarter through January 30th, 2015, the 6061 Mechanical Pencil aims to be the last mechanical pencil you’ve ever buy. While most mechanical pencils are made with plastic parts, this pencil is created from a solid piece of metal that is sturdy and hardy enough to believe it can never be worn down.
In fact, Sanderson is so confident that this pencil will last that he wrote in his Kickstarter page: “If there is any issue with the pencils you buy, send them back to me and I will fix your pencil or make you a new one.”
Here are the specifications of the product:
Aluminium Pencil:
Length: 145mm (5.7 inch)
Diameter: 9.5mm (.375 inch)
Weight: 18.8g (.66 oz)
Lead: 0.5mm
Brass Pencil:
Length: 145mm (5.7 inch)
Diameter: 9.5mm (.375 inch)
Weight: 55.7g (1.9 oz)
Lead: 0.5mm
Of course, no product is 100% perfect. There are two minor issues I would like to point out. Like some of the backers of the project, I’d prefer if the mechanical pencil comes with a different lead thickness. When asked if he would include a 0.7mm lead, Andrew writes: “For this campaign I am going to stick to the .5 mm lead, but I am looking at the possibility of adding lead variation to the next version.”
It would be awesome if it comes with some sort of a protective grip. I’ve got a writer’s bump on my finger, and it’s been there in almost a decade (it won’t go away). Perhaps, I should just study this wikiHow link to prevent a writer’s callus?
This Kickstarter campaign is going really fast. When I peeked at the Rewards section, I found out that the first two have been swooped off. It comes with a hefty price tag, but given that this is an extremely durable pencil, it’s a worthy investment. Think of all the money saved!
There’s nothing quite like putting pen to paper. I really liked how we have more crowd-funding projects pertaining to writing instruments that strive to make our daily life a little bit better. The fact that the 6061 Mechanical Pencil reduces waste gives it a couple of brownie points.
I couldn’t agree more with what Sanderson has said on his official web page: “Having a single mechanical pencil that replaces the endless packs of plastic that end up sitting it landfills and floating in our oceans has to be a good thing.”
You can find out more about the 6061 Mechanical Pencil here.