So-called “infinity” or “forever” pencils have been around for years, marketing themselves as anytime/anywhere writing instruments that never need to be sharpened. The Metacil barrel is made from lightweight machined aluminum, and the tip contains some sort of aluminum alloy, possibly with graphite blended in for added darkness. While the points technically won’t last forever, you can write with them for a very long time without having to replace the tip.
Though the pencil itself is branded “sun-star,” the packaging has Bandai Namco as the maker.
When I visited Kinokuniya in New York back in March, I picked up a couple of Bandai-Namco “Metacil” pencils on a whim, and found myself pleasantly surprised by how well these things wrote. While they certainly won’t replace mechanical or woodcase pencils in my everyday writing rotation, I see a few reasons why these pencils are increasingly popular for specific use cases:
No wood shavings or graphite dust. While the sharpening process can be meditative/contemplative and is one of the main reasons I love writing with woodcase pencils, under certain circumstances it can be inconvenient (i.e., when you need to make quick notes in a meeting or find yourself working in a location where there’s no convenient way to clean up your sharpening “mess”). I also give them convenience points for portability, such as when I’m reading on the patio, in a park, or on the beach and either can’t or don’t want to carry a sharpener with me.
Lighter "2H” grade markings are easy to erase. I like to annotate books and make small checkmarks, etc. in books that I’ve borrowed. These need to be erased prior to the book being returned to its owner. Marks made by lighter-grade graphite and pencils such as the Metacil erase with little effort, making them excellent annotation tools.
Portability without risk of lead breakage. I’ve been dropping my Metacil pencils into a general stationery pouch without issue. I treat them like a stylus (Apple Pencil, reMarkable Marker, Kindle Scribe Stylus, etc.) and they’ve held up quite well. I wouldn’t recommend carrying these in your pocket, as the point is quite hard and you could accidentally stick yourself in the leg.
A stand-alone Metacil writing sample on Blackwing “Illegal Pad” paper.
Another shot of the writing sample on the same paper, compared here to the Blackwing “Soft” core found in the Blackwing Matte pencils. This is basically a comparison between 2H and 4B graphite.
Tips for Writing with Infinity Pencils
There isn’t really a drawback to infinity pencils, other than you don’t get the tactile experience of writing with a woodcase pencil that so many people love. They’re sort of an odd stationery item that will appeal to certain people like myself who enjoy using pencils to mark stuff up but occasionally find themselves in circumstances where they can’t sharpen a woodcase pencil and they don’t want to deal with possible lead breakage and graphite dust that still happens with mechanical pencils and leadholders. As I referenced earlier in this post, I’d generally compare the Metacil hardness to 2H graphite with ordinary use. Writing on a harder surface or paper with more texture will result in a darker line and the best overall tactile feel. Darkness will also increase with added writing pressure. While the inability to sharpen the tip may affect your ability to write smaller script, I’ve found the point size consistently usable, and I have small-ish handwriting.
I love my red Metacil (as of yet unavailable for me to stock), but I think the “Stormtrooper” white version looks best in person.
We currently have a small test batch of the full-size Metacil Pencils in the Curated Shop, priced at $15, in either a black or white finish. If they do well I’ll try to seek out other colors. “Infinity pencil” technology seems to have come a long way since I first tried these out back in 2015(?), when they were so light you could barely read the mark. The Metacil has actually been something I pick up and write with, and has turned into one of my “porch pencils” of choice.
While you likely won’t have to replace the tip due to wear for a very long time, the tips screw out for easy replacement. I should have them sourced in the shop soon.
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