Yesterware

Not All Mechanical Pencils Are Created Equal Top: Grip 350 with the tip extended, Bottom: Grip 500 with the tip extended When I was in grade school in the late 1980's, mechanical pencils were all the rage.  All of the convenience of a pen, but erasable.  No need to sharpen them, no dealing with dull points when you were trying to draw fine lines or fuss with them becoming too short to use. During this fad era my mother happened to be taking drafting courses in community college and this meant that we wound up at the little drafting supply shop at the college from time to time.  For her coursework she purchased a red Niji Grip 500 pencil.  It was one of the most beautiful and elegant things I had ever seen.  The pencil was named for the textured rubber sleeve situated where you would grasp the pencil.  Nowadays this is a pretty standard feature on mechanical pencils and pens, but back then this was the first time I or anyone I knew had ever seen such a thing.  The rubber comfort gri