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Here is a fascinating and mysterious pencil. Take a close look – it is a gold pentagonal pencil!
If this explanation has errors, please forgive me. Any errors are on my part.
Some Japanese-English vocabulary:
?? – Goukaku – to pass an examination
?? – Gokaku – pentagon
This pencil is thus a visual pun!
My sincere thanks to isu of the uncomfortable chair for this unique pencil and assistance in unravelling the hidden meaning!
This is a super-lightweight yet fun and practical notebook.
Made of cardboard with paper that is called “comic” (from comic books?), it has a bright removable elastic band.
It has that look of a found or reclaimed object, though there is clearly quite a bit of design in this functional notebook. It may be part of a larger movement that seems focused on used basic materials, yet incorporating design principles.
The paper takes pencil without problem. A Pilot Petit1 fountain pen saturated the page to the other side, though didn’t noticeably feather.
The pages are ring-bound.
Finally – a modern design aesthetic applied to the desktop pencil sharpener!
The Bungu Ryodo BR-05 from Carl is a marvel – it costs less than some handheld sharpeners from Faber-Castell and KUM – and it performs amazingly well and has a compelling modern design.
The mechanism is easily understood, and offers two point choices – blunt or sharp. Both are in the “wow” category compared to most available sharpeners. The pencil shavings are held in a removable tray.
The little touches are just amazing – the point adjustor switch itself looks like a pencil crown – there are tactile dots on the grip points – every small detail has a consistent look.
Did I mention that the retail price is $21?
I find it to be just amazing. The pencil is inserted and clamped, and the handle is rotated. Sharpen, and you’re done when there is no feedback pressure. That’s it.
Here are the results with both ‘sharp’ and ‘blunt’ sharpenings:
It has a single rotary blade cylinder which is applied against the pencil. I don’t know how long the blade will stay sharp. The sharpener is lightweight, and the whole unit has to be gripped while sharpening, unless it is attached to a desk surface. It does have clamping-capable infrastructure, though no clamping hardware is supplied with the unit.
It is definitely a functional office accessory that also looks great.
