Zebra Mini Mechanical Pencil, 0.5 mm, Silver Body (TS-3)

This pencil is the right diameter to use with Starrett No. 59 trammel points. The pocket clip can get in the way of advancing the lead while installed in the points but it still works well overall. It is very sturdy for such a small pencil.

Bought one to "try it out" to see if it would be good in my small paint palette. As this pencil is made of stainless steel and the inner workings are plastic and brass, moisture should not be a problem with it. It fits perfectly in a standard 12 half pan metal palette (6 over 6) with a travel brush inside as well. What I wanted it for was for something even smaller though and by just taking off the cap (leaving the eraser intact) it fits inside my Mini palette at only 3 19/32" long. As you can see in the photo my Mini Palette holds 15 half pans but in a 5 wide by 3 high configuration which does not leave a lot of room (I even shortened the Meeden Travel Brush by about 3/8" so it would fit in the Mini Palette (it is not necessary to shorten either if using a normal 12 pan palette with a 6 half pan wide over 6 configuration). It is great to have a mechanical pencil in my palette so I don't need to sharpen it like a wood pencil. You can leave off the cap IF needed but then you will need to push on the eraser to advance the lead (it is possible but a little harder). I just leave it off to reduce the length but keep the cap in the palette just under the pencil and replace it to make using it easier. I have since bought 4 more for other palettes and as a gift.And just to note: I did remove the label on the pencil. I just cut down the length of the label with the blade of a knife held flat against the pencil thereby cutting a strip of the label off. Scraped off a remaining corner with a thumb nail and pulled off the remaining label. I then used the large piece of label to pull off the remaining adhesive by sticking it to adhered residue and pulled and restuck, pulled and restuck, until all of the residue was removed. It took only about 5 minutes to remove all of the adhesive this way. BUT, I will NOT be removing the labels from any of the other pencils as there is useful information on the label: it contains the model number of the pencil and it also has the size of the lead the pencil uses (0.5 mm) AND it has the Zebra customer telephone number on it (though it is in Japan). Still, I regret removing the label as it is well attached and made of clear plastic so will not easily be spoiled by using the pencil.I hope this has been helpful to everyone. Enjoy using this excellent pencil, I know I already am.

The Zebra Mini Mechanical Pencil is one of the best mech pencils I've ever used. It came packaged in a vertical mini ziplocked-style plastic baggie if I recall. There was a barcode stuck onto the pencil, but you can unstick it without a problem regarding sticker residue. I'm a pretty lazy college student, so there are days where I'll wake up 30 minutes late and walk to class with nothing except for my clothes and this pencil in my pocket. It writes smoother than melted butter, and clicks out lead with no problems. Also, I have hands on the smaller side, so this pencil is great if you also have small to average sized hands. If you can pick up a basketball with one hand, this pencil might not be for you. Overall, this pencil basically lives by my side now.Summary Pros and Cons:Pros:- Smooth, metal finish- Comfortable to grip (if you have small/average sized hands)- Surprising sturdy despite its size- Easily fits in pocket- Extremely light and secretive, like feminine products- Just a sleek, amazing mechanical pencil in generalCons:- May have difficulty with this pen if you have large hands- The tip is a bit pointy, so if you put it into your pocket, still be carefulThank you for reading!

Obviously this pencil isn't for every purpose, or every situation, but it excels as a a pencil you can always have with you. Along with a "bullet"-style Space Pen, you can always have the correct writing implement ready to go. This pencil won't be comfortable for many hours of writing, but that is not its purpose. The action is tight, and it writes well, even though it is small (comparable in size to a "backpacker" space pen; fatter than a golf pencil, but roughly the same length).The erasers do not conform to a standard of which I'm aware, but again, for such a small pencil, I understand. I ordered some extras.If you want a great full size mechanical pencil, this is not one of those -- but it's a good tool, and inexpensive enough to lose from time to time. It's worth the purchase. I'm pleased to have it in my everyday carry (EDC) setup.

I love zebra products and when I saw this I had to have it. Super sturdy and durable, love the size. See photo for what it looks like in my hand. I’m 5’5” and have average sized hands. Very comfortable to hold the pencil

This mechanical pencil is very strong and useful for slipping in the binding of a notebook. It works well for my application. It is very small diameter so if you have too much difficulty gripping a small pen or pencil it may not work well for you. I have purchased a second unit just so I have a backup. The first unit I purchased is still going strong.

It's a super small mechanical pencil. Small eraser but super cool!