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Post by flatline on Aug 19, 2014 3:56:26 GMT -8
Curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered a Pentel Orenze 0.2mm pencil from jstationery over the weekend.
I have no current need for a pencil that fine (I've already determined that 0.3mm and 0.4mm are both small enough for me to not have to adjust my hand) but I'm hoping that it's a fun pencil to play with. And it's always a possibility that having such a narrow lead will open up new pencil uses to me.
Or it might be a dud. I'll let you guys know what I think once it arrives.
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Aug 22, 2014 19:59:48 GMT -8
I received the Orenze today and have been playing with it. The principle behind the pencil is that the sleeve totally covers the lead and when it makes contact with the paper, the sleeve retracts just enough for the lead to touch the paper. When I use the pencil as intended, it works fine, but feels just a bit scratchier than when I extend the lead past the sleeve like I would with a regular pencil.
As it turns out, if I extend the lead past the end of the sleeve like I would with my other pencils, I can write with the Orenze just fine. I've filled two pages in my journal so far in this manner without any problems whatsoever. The scratchiness is less than when I use the pencil as intended and the lines are a little darker (presumably because I'm contacting the paper with more lead). This probably indicates that (a) I have a very light touch and (b) polymer leads are amazingly strong considering this lead width (0.2mm) is almost the width of a thick human hair (0.18mm).
However, the 0.2mm width combined with the fact that 0.2mm lead is only available in HB makes writing with the Orenze noticeably scratchier than what I experience when I write with my (beloved) 0.3mm pencils sporting 2B lead. The Orenze line width is not noticeably narrower than my 0.3mm pencils and the line itself is definitely lighter.
I'll continue to experiment with the Orenze for a while, but at this point my conclusion is that I much prefer my 0.3mm pencils. They write much smoother, leave darker lines, and the difference in line width is hard to see, even if you're looking for it. I think it's really cool that someone made a perfectly usable 0.2mm pencil, but I just don't see the benefit.
--flatline
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Post by rr4u on Aug 23, 2014 6:25:01 GMT -8
I think 0.2mm pencils are a great technological achievement and a marvel of engineering precision. I like my PG2's a lot! Pentel 0.2mm Hi-Polymer leads are available in H and HB. With the release of the Orenz, Pentel came out with 0.2mm AIN Stein leads in HB and B. R.
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Post by flatline on Aug 23, 2014 9:19:00 GMT -8
I see that Jstationery now has HB and B 0.2mm lead refills. When I placed my order at the beginning of the week they only had the HB.
Pity. I would have purchased the B instead.
--flatline
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Post by flatline on Aug 23, 2014 9:29:48 GMT -8
I think 0.2mm pencils are a great technological achievement and a marvel of engineering precision. I like my PG2's a lot! Pentel 0.2mm Hi-Polymer leads are available in H and HB. With the release of the Orenz, Pentel came out with 0.2mm AIN Stein leads in HB and B. R. What sources have you found for 0.2mm lead refills? I know about JStationery and I see that Amazon has some (for 2x-3x the price). --flatline
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Post by rr4u on Aug 25, 2014 9:29:48 GMT -8
What sources have you found for 0.2mm lead refills? I know about JStationery and I see that Amazon has some (for 2x-3x the price). --flatline A good friend of mine (also a pencil guy) is trying to get me a nice supply of .2's and .4's, from Japan or maybe Korea, at a fair price. .2's are more expensive when compared to other lead sizes and they can reach premium prices outside Asia. Did a comparison of .2 and .3 sizes. The lines were scanned with a resolution of 1200dpi. There is a significant difference, barely perceptible to the naked eye. We're talking micro metric scale here! 0.2mm = 200 microns (1 metre is equal to 1000 mm, or 1000000 micron). Click on the image for full size.
R.
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Post by flatline on Aug 25, 2014 13:13:12 GMT -8
What do you use your 0.2mm pencils for?
--flatline
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Post by DerekVerbrugge on Aug 25, 2014 13:19:13 GMT -8
What do you use your 0.2mm pencils for? --flatline Draw eyelashes? That's what I'd do with one if I had one.
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Post by chthulhu on Aug 25, 2014 18:48:46 GMT -8
VERY fine lines. I don't use my PG-2 much because I can't help breaking the lead every time I try.
Mike
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Post by rr4u on Aug 25, 2014 19:39:08 GMT -8
What do you use your 0.2mm pencils for? --flatline I use them to render stuff that require very fine and intricate detail. Things like fabric or wood textures, animal fur, Human hair, eye veins, leaf nerves, feathers, fish scales, etc... In most cases I use them combined with other micro lead sizes. 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and sometimes 0.7mm. They can be seen In the image below in the blown up portion of the drawing, the thiner lines are .2mm. Click on the image for full size.R.
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Post by rr4u on Aug 25, 2014 20:08:02 GMT -8
VERY fine lines. I don't use my PG-2 much because I can't help breaking the lead every time I try. Mike If I may suggest, next time do the following: Click the top button twice, the 1st click will extend the sleeve to its maximum length and the second will feed a very small amount of lead. Hold the pencil vertically and use the least amount of pressure you can to write or draw. Repeat the first step (extend the sleeve/feed the lead) only after the sleeve has retracted to the original position. The trick (or at least part of it) with the PG-2 is the sliding sleeve (it has an HS (half sliding sleeve) not a FS (full sliding sleeve). When you get the hang of it you will be breaking much less lead. I have some experience with them and still break some. It's kind of natural with these pencils! R.
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Post by chthulhu on Dec 28, 2014 6:46:24 GMT -8
I broke down and ordered one from JetPens.com, along with some Stein Enhanced Silica leads in B, and found that I *can* write with the thing at a normal angle, albeit very carefully. The scratchiness Flatline mentioned comes from the outer edge of the sleeve, and some very gentle work with a very fine diamond "file" would likely reduce the effect. These pencils are meant for drafting, and one is expected to hold the pencil perpendicular to the paper as with a technical pen, which pens also display this scratchy behavior. I have, or have had, several old stylographic pens that were intended for writing, and the edges of whose tip sleeves are rounded for smoothness.
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Post by flatline on Dec 28, 2014 7:00:35 GMT -8
I broke down and ordered one from JetPens.com, along with some Stein Enhanced Silica leads in B, and found that I *can* write with the thing at a normal angle, albeit very carefully. The scratchiness Flatline mentioned comes from the outer edge of the sleeve, and some very gentle work with a very fine diamond "file" would likely reduce the effect. These pencils are meant for drafting, and one is expected to hold the pencil perpendicular to the paper as with a technical pen, which pens also display this scratchy behavior. I have, or have had, several old stylographic pens that were intended for writing, and the edges of whose tip sleeves are rounded for smoothness. I think I may have been over-sensitive about the scratchiness of the sleeve against the paper. I've been using the Orenze pretty regularly at work and always start with the tip of the lead extended a bit past the end of the sleeve, but as I write, I don't always notice when the sleeve starts engaging the paper. It's still not as smooth as my 0.3mm pencils using 2B lead, but I think that it's unfair to compare the two. --flatline
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Post by chthulhu on Dec 28, 2014 10:15:07 GMT -8
Over time I would expect the paper to polish that edge off. :-)
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