Andrew Sanderson, the creator of the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 (via Kickstarter) recently sent me a review sample of this amazingly engineered heirloom quality mechanical pencil. I’m so glad he did because the craftsmanship, uniqueness, materials, and thought that went into designing this are all pretty impressive and I’m excited to share it here with you.
The Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 offers an incredibly smooth and virtually seamless body, which is made from one solid piece of metal. In this case you are looking at the titanium version, however it is also available in titanium, copper, and bronze. Each of the pencils measure 5.7 inches in length, and have one really awesome feature. That feature is its ability to use either .5mm, .7mm, or .9mm leads within the same body because of the original design created which lives inside the body and can be seen in the video towards the end of this review. Although I think it goes against the overall aesthetic of the pencil, Id love to see an option for a knurled grip here just to make it easier to get a better grip on this smooth bodied pencil.
It isn’t until you look VERY closely at the nose cone of the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 that you even see the seam where it unscrews. This tight seam gives the visual impression of the entire thing being one piece. Overall this is pretty cool, and gives the pencil a very appealing and unique design, however there is one drawback with the design here.
Inside of the nose cone, there is a rubber gasket that helps keeps things together down there, but you might already see the issue I came across here. Essentially the threading on the teeth are so sharp that it looks like they have begun to shred that rubber gasket. In all honesty, this is an easy fix, just include an extra gasket or two with each pencil, but it a perfect world this just wouldn’t happen. The fact that this pencil is designed to last a lifetime, and that it will be fixed or replaced if anything happens also negates any long term issue here, but again, in an ideal world one wouldn’t need to deal with any issues like this.
If you aren’t a fan of having an eraser at the top of your Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil, you are in luck. There are two options that allow you to plug things up differently. The first option is what you see above, the stylus tip which just slips right in. While using the stylus tip with my pencil I found it to be pretty much as perfect, accurate, and reliable as you could expect.
If you prefer keeping the top of your pencil bare, there is an extra plug you can pick up that screws in with the included Allen wrench. This is the look I prefer, but this is just a personal preference and there are plenty of options for you to decide on that are simple to swap out. In addition to being able to keep a clean look up top, the pencil also has a retractable lead sleeve so you can draw it in and avoid any unnecessary lead breakage while you are carrying it around in a bag or pocket.
When you buy any high end product, there is usually some maintenance required or if not required you still might encounter the need for it at some point. With that said, the pencil also includes a cleaning rod that you can insert to clear up any potential blockages in the lead shaft, so thats a nice extra touch to help ensure you are always in working order.
Writing with the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0
My sample of the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil weighs in at .992 oz which I would consider to be fairly substantial feeling in the hand without feeling too heavy. Now I enjoy a heavier writing tool, so this works perfectly fine for me. While writing for even longer writing sessions, the pencil was just super comfortable. With the variety of lead sizes and types you can load this up with, there will be different personal preferences at play, but overall writing with the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 felt similar to the time I rented a luxury SUV. I didn’t really think I needed it, but once I had my hands on it, I didn’t want to give it up and return to my regular ‘ol vehicle. This thing hits on all cylinders. It has the luxury look and feel, it delivers the unique varying lead size mechanism which you don’t see with other pencils in its class (I think because its the ONLY one in this class) it performs flawlessly, and it will be the envy of anyone who sees you using it.
How to take apart the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0
With complex engineering and design, you sometimes end up with a product that needs a little extra explanation for how to use, so luckily Andrew put together a video that shows the whole breakdown process:
Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 Review Summary
The overall look, feel, quality, and functionality are beyond top notch and will either leave you or a lucky recipient (the holidays ARE coming up) being the owner of a unique pencil that even the most discriminating pencil pusher would envy. There is a certain feeling that is hard to put into words, but when you get to examine this up close and actually use it, its hard to imagine that something so simple and elegant on the outside would have such a complex mechanism operating it from within. This is certainly worth your consideration if you are a dedicated pencil user, or someone who needs to know that they are using a tool that will last a lifetime. Check it out right here on Kickstarter where its already surpassed its funding goal.
©2017, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.
