Pilot Croquis 6B leadholder spotlight and other Jet Pens' goodness

300th post, wo-hoo! What better way to celebrate it than by covering some of the neat X-mas loot I recently ordered. I can always count on my friends at Jet Pens to deliver the goods within 3 business days of placing an order. Love ya guys! So let's start with Pilot Croquis 6B 4 mm leadholder.
Doodle Video #1. Plastic body construction. Twist-advance mechanism. Refillable with 3.8 mm leads. Ergonomic design: triangular grips on both ends and circular section in the center allows for different holding positions for sketching effectively and easily rotating the barrel to maintain the point on the lead.Leads are currently available in H, B, and 6B and come packaged 2 refills to a tube that features an anti-roll design. This Japanese site also displayed 2B, 3B, and 4B versions of the leadholders and refills, so hopefully the Croquis line up might be further extended with these newer graphite grades.

The Pilot Croquis 6B plastic body compared to the longer Caran D'Ache Museum Fixpencil 44 metallic leadholder feels noticeably lighter. Which should translate into longer drawing sessions without fatigue. The Croquis is also much more affordable and easier to replace making it the better choice for field use.

Doodle Video #2. While the 3.8 mm graphite lead wears down keeping its conical shape so long as the barrel is rotated, it can also be sharpened with a miniature pencil sharpener. The Croquis plastic clip can also hold the Caran D'Ache Museum watercolor leads shown above.
Doodle Video #3 and a few of the speed sketches drawn at the mall food court.
Bottom line: The Pilot Croquis 6B leadholder would be a great choice for sketching on the go under any weather conditions because of its ergonomic shape, light weight, full plastic construction (its waterproof mechanism won't rust and is reportedly often used by divers), and slow-wearing and super smooth 6B dark graphite lead. Its versatility could be further increased with the Caran D'Ache Museum watercolor leads (available in 18 colors including 6 monopigmentary tints) and the Technalo watersoluble grahite leads (available in B and 3B). 2 Croquis lead refills equal the length of a Technalo lead refill: just under 5".
I gave my last tube of B refills to my dad, so I took the opportunity to try this new Pentel Ain Stein 0.5 mm leads in my Pentel Graph 1000 mechanical pencil: Doodle Video #4.
Couldn't really tell you with certainty that this Ain Stein version is any stronger than the original Ain, but it did not snap nor break during the doodle test while yielding nice dark consistent lines. Thus if you need 0.5 mm B refills, I would not hesitate to pick them up. Kawaii score! Yup this things are awesomely cute. The lil' girls (including the girls at heart) in your gift list will not be able to help themselves but squeal in delight when receiving this neat set of Iwako Zoo animal erasers. Yet that might also doomed them to remain forever in their blister card since many recipients might not want to dirty them or use them for actual erasing duty. Glad I had the foresight to get two, for they sold out quickly at Jet Pens. Same as the Rotring 600 drafting pencils which I missed out on (couldn't decide if I wanted the black or silver version before they ran out), but I will be watching for their re-stock status. As I understand it, if you like mechanical pencils (check out Dave's review) you just owe it to yourself to try one of this. Back in the college years, I remember seeing the Rotring 600 pencils packaged in distinct plastic boxes that prominently featured their trademark red circle. Pity that the brand is pretty much dead in the USA, and they are no longer available at retail. Wow that was one big detour, but at least got something new to look forward next year. Happy Holidays gang!