Boing Boing’s Mechanical Pencil Torture Test

Our selection of mechanical pencils has grown in recent years (And may be getting some new additions soon. Stay tuned for more on that later.), and we can appreciate the subtleties of the woodcased pencil’s mechanical brethren.  So, when I saw the “Mechanical Pencil Torture Test” go up on Boing Boing, I was both intrigued and a bit terrified.

The test was a bit less terrifying than I had anticipated, but no less intriguing. The lineup featured the Uni Alpha Gel Shaka Shaker Pencil, the Pilot Delful Double Knock Mechanical Pencil, the Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil, the Pencil Graph Gear 1000, the Rotring 600 and the Uni Kuru Toga. The team at Boing Boing put each pencil through the paces by writing, drawing and doodling with them. Then, the torture began.

First, they washed each pencil to simulate an accidental trip to the washing machine. Then, they ran the pencils over with an SUV. Yes, you read that correctly. They ran them over. With an SUV.

After the tests were completed, they evaluated the pencils based on their results. The winner was the Uni Kuru Toga by a close margin. If you want to view the full test along with results, you can check it out on BoingBoing.net.