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Websters Pen Shop
May 22nd, 2013, 04:33 AM
Hello everyone,

A new and exciting product has come on the market from Italian innovation company Napkin. The 4.EVER never ending pencil. Take a look at our review below.

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NAPKIN 4.EVER® – The Pencil that never runs out!
• Weight 55 Grams.
• Colours: Natural Aluminium, Aviation Blue, Titanium Grey, Black.
• Special alloy metal Ethergraf ® writing tip.
• Design Sergio Mori.
• Spire barrel design.
On first impression the 4 Ever looks like something more in place in a sci-fi drama or fantasy story than at home on a stationery connoisseur’s desk however the unique design certainly grows on you and makes you want to learn more about this amazing new innovation.
This pencil employs the use of its especially designed tip to produce a writing instrument that Napkin claims will never run out. This tip named the Ethergraf® is created from a patented alloy of metals which allows a smooth stroke and the ability to write indefinitely without the need for refills of graphic lead or ink.
Cutting edge innovation?
Many companies have created pencils in the past that have promised to last longer than any other on the market. Some have even promised ones that are never ending but rely in an elaborate system of various components. The 4.EVER is a ‘does what it says on the tin’ invention and by keeping the design simple and robust Napkin have kept the experience for the user as pure as possible meaning this pen is sure to be a hit with both artists and general users alike.
The pencil is available in 4 colours, natural aluminium, aviation blue, titanium grey and black, all of which fit the design of the pencil perfectly. The shape of the pencil while hard to describe fits the image of a spire ascending into the sky and when laid on your desk it is sure to draw some considerable attention.
How does it write?
Initially when I saw the pencil I was dubious of how this rather long and seemingly off balance instrument would write and handle. Napkin however, who hand craft and assemble these in Italy have turned the alloy barrels perfectly to product a nicely balanced feel which allows smooth and confident strokes. The tip due to its metallic properties provides quite a hard writing surface and would be best utilised for people looking for a lead grade of HB or above.
New innovation within the writing instrument industry is rare due to most pens and pencils sharing the same fundamental principles. Napkin have shown an excellent drive to create something unique with the 4.EVER and we can safely say here at Webster’s Pen Shop that it will be our go to pencil from now on.

Thanks,
Websters Pen Shop.

drgoretex
May 22nd, 2013, 07:41 AM
Hmmm...

Intriguing, but would rather like more info. It sounds as though it does not use graphite at all. Is this correct? If not, what does it use? If it lays down a line, presumably, it is losing matter to the page and thus would need some sort of refill eventually - what would it take?

Have you any more pictures than the one in the box?

Would love to hear/see more.

Ken

Websters Pen Shop
May 22nd, 2013, 09:19 AM
Hi Ken,

The tip itself is actually made out of a variety of alloy metals. Although we do not have detailed information of what these are they must be as fairly complex array of metals to produce a clear line while also retaining the longevity of life that they claim.

Napkin state that the pencil does not need refills due to how it has been designed and as this is a new product there is no initial information to go by as to how long they will last, or indeed if they retain a good line after years of use.

We have attached some more images.

Thanks, Websters Pen Shop
28822883

jacksterp
May 23rd, 2013, 03:42 PM
Looks like something Dexter would be interested in :)

fountainpenkid
May 23rd, 2013, 07:43 PM
Interesting!

AndyT
May 28th, 2013, 02:08 AM
Interesting indeed. Silverpoint for the 21st century.

jacksterp
May 30th, 2013, 01:50 PM
Has anyone found an example of this thing writing?

MisterBoll
June 16th, 2013, 01:11 PM
Curiosity bump.

AndysPens
September 17th, 2013, 07:03 AM
I've just received the first batch of these in the shop, and have been playing for the last few minutes. The darkness of line is probably equivalent to a H or 2H grade graphite pencil, which I guess is only to be expected. The width of the line is similar to a 0.9mm pencil lead. The line will erase, though not as readily as a graphite pencil. There is also more "drag" when writing with the 4.Ever pencil, though I would expect that to lessen as the tip is "worn in". Looking through a loupe the tip is "textured" with a spiral brushed effect. I am guessing that this initial texturing will wear smooth with use. If you need any further information please e-mail me.

krazyklod
September 17th, 2013, 02:35 PM
If you live in Glasgow, the pen shop inside Princes Square, in the city centre has a display model you can write with.
I went in for some ink and gave it a try, I did find some drag like Andys Pens did but I didn't find it very bothering. It is very long in real life and I agree that it looks like something Dexter would like. The only thing I can add to what andy said is that it was a good weight for me, not heavy but not light.

earthdawn
September 17th, 2013, 03:48 PM
Very interesting indeed

bglassman
September 12th, 2014, 06:29 AM
I now own two of these, one purchased from the Pininfarina store, featuring their amazing design, and the other purchased directly from Napkin. The former comes in a wood box that doubles as a desk holder, the latter in a tubular paper-board box with a lid that can be used as a base. Both look unabashedly space-age. The former cost about 8 times what I paid for the latter. Both have the same alloy tip.

Neither writes worth a nickel. In fact, I'm fairly sure a nickel would write better. The reason these will last forever is that no one will ever try to use theirs more than a few times, and then only to get a laugh from a friend.

(Note: I do not have any condition, ether orthopedic or ophthalmologic, that might have affected my experience.) I tried these devices on every form of paper on which I usually write: PostIt notes, newspaper, printer paper, my Moleskine journal, and even, just for the irony, a napkin. The only successful effort (and I am defining "successful" as generously as possible) was the Moleskine. No line appeared on the newspaper, except where the tip dragged the ink from the newsprint and smeared it into the margin. The PostIt was illegible without close scrutiny. Printer paper was legible but faint. The napkin, unsurprisingly, simply tore. The drag and the required pressure combined to make the act of writing painful after the first few sentences, even on the Moleskine. To achieve even a barely legible line, the tip had to dig a trough into the paper, so deep that the next 3 pages showed what I had written. One friend said the sound and feel of the tip on ordinary paper was as painful to her as fingernails on a chalkboard.

I will be seeking a refund from Pininfarina despite the cost of return postage to Italy. I'll likely hold on to the less expensive version, both as a kind of reminder to myself about things that are too good to be true and as an addition to my little museum of failed technologies, which includes an Apple Newton and several other handhelds, one of those garden hoses that contracts to palm-size, my dog's GPS unit, and a lot of other goodies I probably should have gotten rid of long ago. I don't watch late-night TV, but I have little doubt that some version of these so-called pencils will eventually appear there, with operators standing by.

BG

RudyR
September 22nd, 2014, 11:52 AM
Those things made my hand cramp up just looking at them.

Cob
September 22nd, 2014, 01:55 PM
Harrumph!

I am certain that I am a lot better off with this:

14045

Cob

erpe
September 22nd, 2014, 10:47 PM
Little smile on the new claim. Inkless pens, or pencils rather, have been around for decades, maybe longer. I had one way back in high-school (70's) claimed to be a space age invention and used by astronauts :crazy_pilot: It never worked properly, only on cheap paper. I will not try this one.

scrivelry
September 23rd, 2014, 09:17 AM
I'll likely hold on to the less expensive version, both as a kind of reminder to myself about things that are too good to be true and as an addition to my little museum of failed technologies, which includes an Apple Newton and several other handhelds, one of those garden hoses that contracts to palm-size, my dog's GPS unit, and a lot of other goodies I probably should have gotten rid of long ago. I don't watch late-night TV, but I have little doubt that some version of these so-called pencils will eventually appear there, with operators standing by.

BG

Yes, little museums of quirky items... Popeil's pocket fisherman, Ginzu knives... although I cook as little as possible I am a sucker for things which claim to do amazing things to the shapes of food - the plastic do-hickeys for making pierogi/ravioli (I have at least two different types), cookie molds, tiny metal molds I am supposed to make itty bitty pies in, small metal molds I am supposed to drape cookie dough over to make cookie bowls, large metal molds I am supposed to drape tacos over to make taco bowls - I have managed to avoid the medium sized ones to make bacon bowls only because I would really rather just eat my bacon in strips and be done with it - butter paddles, cookie cutters (last used to make Christmas decorations in 2008): in my case they are examples of things others use with proficiency and I just don't use at all, but I am not sure that makes them any more useful than a dog GPS.

(Was this for the dog to find it's own way about, or for you to find the dog? Which reminds me of various things I have purchased over the years in order to find my keys, not one of which has worked as well as the big brass bell my mother had on hers back in the late, well, let's not date ourselves here...)

Catherine Van Hove
October 4th, 2014, 02:59 AM
Interesting.

Neo
October 22nd, 2014, 04:04 PM
Does it say not for children? If so, maybe the alloy is lead based?