Review: Pico D47/04 Lead Pointer

Yesterday, after reading so many positive reviews, I picked up a Staedtler 502 rotary lead pointer and - as predicted - it did a fantastic job on my Staedtler 780. But, the sections of my Rotring Rapid Pro and my Staedtler 925-35 20 didn't fit in the plastic sleeve and therefore I couldn't point the leads without transferring them to the 780, pointing them, and then transferring back. A tedious and dirty job.

So I went back to the shop today and picked up the Pico D47/04 for $22 Canadian. I believe it had been sitting on the shelf for some time (or Pico's marketing budget was frozen in 1965).

Basic cardboard box, no instructions.

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Inside was the big red plastic machine and a metal bar to clamp it on the side of your desk. The mechanism to point leads is functionally equivalent to the Staedtler 502.

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However, upon opening the soft underbelly of the great red beast, I discovered three more plastic cuffs of varying diameter and two spare sponges for errant shaving dust. The cuffs are arranged in the photo left to right from widest to narrowest.

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You can see that the smallest cuff (black) holds my 780, while the larger green cuff securely holds my 925-35 20 and my Rotring Rapid Pro. You can also see the grooves in the black rotary mechanism to guide exposed lead length, in order to obtain a longer or shorter point (same as the 502), except that there is almost no risk of breaking the tip of your lead in these guides.

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The black disc is easily removed to reveal a fairly large grinding wheel and reservoir for shavings.

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And here is a photo of the points on my two larger-sectioned lead holders.

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I'm delighted with the end result, the novelty of a desk-mounted pointer for about $20 (less than $20 USD), and the ability to fit a number of differently sized lead holders. I have only tested it on 2mm lead, so I cannot say if would work on smaller or larger leads.