So yesterday, this rolled in. I'm not sure what the final verdict will be, but my initial impressions of the PENXO, billed as "the most minimalistic leadholder pencil," are positive. I've never used a leadholder or clutch pencil before, and its interesting. The one thing I really like is that the PENXO, for me, is the same length as a woodcase pencil that has been used and sharpened down to that "perfect length" for my hand. While leadholders typically are used for drawing/drafting, the PENXO works well for daily writing (though I am still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Darth Vader's lightsaber. For those of you who missed out, PENXO is taking preorders on its website.
For my Kickstarter reward, I chose the Cobalt Blue and "Darth Black" versions.
My Kickstarter add-ons: 24 HB Leads, 12 Read Leads, and 12 Blue Leads; two sharpeners; and an eraser. The packaging in the background is a Retro 51-esque tube.
One comment I do have is that the "clutch" lead-release mechanism takes some getting used to. Machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, the fit is pretty tight, and my thumb is a bit sore from opening the pencil and figuring out how to adjust the lead for sharpening. My sense is that things will loosen up a touch as I use the PENXO more, or I figure out the perfect spot to apply pressure. The embedded video below was released by PENXO, and shows how things work. I will probably update this as I use the pencil more, but I wanted to get my initial thoughts out there. If you're a PENXO backer, and have received your reward, what are your impressions?
DISCLAIMER: I purchased the product featured in this post with my own funds, for my own collection. I was not compensated in any way for this review.