While browsing through a local office supplies store, I spotted the silver leadholder of the Taiwanese
Helix Technical Drawing Value Pack. Given my fondness for this drafting tools, I just had to pick one up for closer examination and review.
While they might look a tad similar with their silver finish, the
Helix leadholder is to the
Staedtler 925-25-20 leadholder like comparing an economy vehicle to a luxury model.
The
Helix interior chamber is made out of plastic and tends to rattle within the barrel when shaken. The exterior barrel and nose piece have a silver metallic finish that looks pretty shinny. The barrel grip is a bit thin for users with large hands.
Unlike most clutch pencils where the metal jaws are exposed, the
Helix nose piece conceals the light blue plastic clamp that holds the lead. While it maintains an adequate grip on the lead, it requires more pressure to advance and to retract the lead back into the barrel. I suspect that in the long run, it will end up loosening up.
The included 12 graphite lead refills measure just over 3.5" in length each and come packaged 6 to a tube. While they are reasonably smooth, I find them rather scratchy compared to my favored
Uni graphite leads.
The included blue lead pointer and eraser combo (exactly the same design as the Chinese version included in the
Staedtler value pack) is less efficient than any of the other lead pointers shown and tends to break the lead in shards yielding an uneven point. No wonder it does not feature any brand markings nor list the country where it was manufactured. In my opinion it is just a poorly built accessory and not particularly useful.
The built-in lead pointer in the push button yields a rather blunt point and can be rather messy to use spreading graphite dust all over the work area. It is fairly unique in that the interior workings of the sharpener are exposed (light blue plastic section with the sharpening blades peeking through the rectangular opening in the middle) unlike the concealed sharpeners in the push buttons of the
Staedtler 780 and the
Caran D'Ache Fixpencil.
For a reliable sharp point, I would use the
Staedtler rotary lead pointer and limit the push button lead pointer for emergency use only.
The
Helix leadholder is a nice addition to a mechanical pencil collection given its sleek design and unique features. It certainly seem like a fair value with all the graphite lead refills and accessory included with it for under 10 bucks. Yet for a beginner's choice and frequent regular use with smoother operation, I would recommend trying the
Staedtler Mars Technico 780 or the
Mitsubishi Uni leadholder instead.
While browsing through a local office supplies store, I spotted the silver leadholder of the Taiwanese Helix Technical Drawing Value Pack. Given my fondness for this drafting tools, I just had to pick one up for closer examination and review.
While they might look a tad similar with their silver finish, the Helix leadholder is to the Staedtler 925-25-20 leadholder like comparing an economy vehicle to a luxury model.
The Helix interior chamber is made out of plastic and tends to rattle within the barrel when shaken. The exterior barrel and nose piece have a silver metallic finish that looks pretty shinny. The barrel grip is a bit thin for users with large hands.
Unlike most clutch pencils where the metal jaws are exposed, the Helix nose piece conceals the light blue plastic clamp that holds the lead. While it maintains an adequate grip on the lead, it requires more pressure to advance and to retract the lead back into the barrel. I suspect that in the long run, it will end up loosening up.
The included 12 graphite lead refills measure just over 3.5" in length each and come packaged 6 to a tube. While they are reasonably smooth, I find them rather scratchy compared to my favored Uni graphite leads.
The included blue lead pointer and eraser combo (exactly the same design as the Chinese version included in the Staedtler value pack) is less efficient than any of the other lead pointers shown and tends to break the lead in shards yielding an uneven point. No wonder it does not feature any brand markings nor list the country where it was manufactured. In my opinion it is just a poorly built accessory and not particularly useful.
The built-in lead pointer in the push button yields a rather blunt point and can be rather messy to use spreading graphite dust all over the work area. It is fairly unique in that the interior workings of the sharpener are exposed (light blue plastic section with the sharpening blades peeking through the rectangular opening in the middle) unlike the concealed sharpeners in the push buttons of the Staedtler 780 and the Caran D'Ache Fixpencil.
For a reliable sharp point, I would use the Staedtler rotary lead pointer and limit the push button lead pointer for emergency use only.
The Helix leadholder is a nice addition to a mechanical pencil collection given its sleek design and unique features. It certainly seem like a fair value with all the graphite lead refills and accessory included with it for under 10 bucks. Yet for a beginner's choice and frequent regular use with smoother operation, I would recommend trying the Staedtler Mars Technico 780 or the Mitsubishi Uni leadholder instead.
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