WHAT I’VE GOT – MUJI Low Center Gravity Mechanical Pencil

I got this, although I admit it to loving the looks more than the performance. This Muji mechanical pencil features an oddly fetishized industrial aesthetic, especially coming for a brand known for making minimalist generic items.

That being said, this pencil looks exactly how I want my pencils too look like. It tells the world that I’m a precise, obsessive-complulsive maker of lines and grand schemes — when the reality is something other than that. Everything on this pencil, from the texture metal grip to the rotating lead indicator window, overtly suggests attention to detail.

Sadly, however, the pencil has a tendency to jam! It’s a victim of its own success: the tolerance between the lead feeder and the metal lead holder is so small, one or two hard drops and the whole thing stops working. So perhaps this is the pencil equivalent of a certain Energy Secretary’s glasses …