Noticed something odd about drafting pencils at a trade show last month

I was at the Midwest Design Expo in Cleveland and walked past a booth where a guy was showing off a drafting pencil with a built-in sharpener inside the cap. I thought it was just a gimmick at first, but he let me try it and I have to admit it was pretty handy for quick sketches. The lead came out clean and it saved me from digging around for a separate sharpener. Has anyone else run into one of these, or is it just me who hadn't seen it before?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_jackson1mo ago

That sounds like a really handy find, honestly. I get tired of fishing around in my bag for a separate sharpener, especially when I'm in the middle of a good sketch. A buddy of mine swears by the cap sharpener on his old Koh-I-Noor, says it never leaves a rough edge. Maybe it's one of those things that seems small but makes a real difference when you're in a groove. Glad you got to try it out, it's nice when a tool actually works as well as it promises.

murray.jana1mo ago

Does the sharpener get funky if you forget to empty it out after a while?

angela_harris1mo ago

Wait, wait wait. @avery_jackson are you saying your buddy has one of those old Koh-I-Noors with the cap sharpener? Those things are legendary, I never see them in the wild anymore. That double-sharpened tip they make is no joke, it stays precise for way longer than a normal cone. So its not all new-fangled gimmicks then, some vintage gear actually beats the modern stuff.