First off, I saw this on instagram!
Looked pretty cool so I decided to purchase it.
Metacil is short for Metal Pencil. The core of the pencil is made of metal/aluminium.
It writes like a pencil and the writing is erasable but the tip will never need to be sharpened.
The metacil comes in 6 colours and each is equivalent to a pencil hardness of 2H.
Each pencil tip is replaceble and is rated for use of up to 16km of writing.
I have no idea how one measures that but I suppose it's time to replace the tip when the writing begins to look weaker.
The writing does feel like a 2H pencil and is pretty smooth.
It also erases pretty well so for all intents and purposes, it is pretty much a pencil.
The removable tip is a cool idea but I think a mechanical pencil will be easier to use since the refills are easier to find.
It even does shading! Great for artists and students.
You might be wondering then, why should I buy this pencil over a regular pencil/mechanical pencil?
Well, the tip doesn't mark things other than paper, it doesn't work on slippery surfaces so it's an easy tool to carry around, it also doesn't produce the lead dust we usually see on traditional pencils and pencil leads. Also, since it is made of aluminium, I would think that the pencil tips are recyclable.
All in all, I do think it is a bit of a gimmick but if it catches on, would be great for the stationery industry.