****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
TL;DR:The .2 Orenz is the best pencil for this size lead, but it is still outclassed by the .3 Graphgear 1000 if you like versatile detailing pencils!As a comic artist who works on paper, I value thin pencils VERY highly. I'm happy to say this .2 little pencil is a lot stronger than you'd think. If you know how to use thin lead pencils, you won't have many problems with breaking lead. It also comes with a small wire in the eraser for unjamming the tip!HOWEVER-- The Pentel Orenz .2 pencil has the unfortunate fate that I daily drive a .3 from Pentel's GraphGear 1000 series of pencils. The size difference in lead isn't THAT noticeable between a .2 and .3, in my opinion, so they're in direct competition for me. The lead support system in this Orenz .2 pencil is a metal barrel that slides back into the pencil as you draw. .3 pencils used to be made this way too, and I HATE it. This mechanism doesn't just break lead, it SPLINTERS IT. And splintered lead is what causes jamming. It's painfully easy to bump the metal protector barrel with your paper or your sleeve and not notice the lead has been exposed-- and then it snaps. In comparison, GraphGear 500 and 1000 series pencils have a stationary barrel to support the lead at the tip. The 1000 series even has spring loaded retraction like a pen, to protect the pencil tip and lead when not in use. (500 series can't be retracted, but they are heccin strong tips anyways) Why is a stationary barrel better?Because this allows you to tilt the pencil and create an ultra thin point on your lead. This alone will allow a well made .3 pencil to out-tiny a .2 with a sliding barrel. The .2 Orenz is definitely not a good sketching pencil, it is a detailing pencil! You won't be making any fluid motions with it without gouging your paper on sharp lead, or just breaking the lead. Get this .2 pencil if you want a specialized detailing pencil! If you want something more versatile, get a .3 GraphGear 500 or 1000!
