Pilot Birdy Switch 0.7 mm Ballpoint Pen and 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil (HSBN-50S)

I was missing informed, well not really mis informed, it just doesn't specify that you have to take cap off top to use the pen. I was hoping for something a little faster like a mechanical or similar. Also the pen is super thin, like half the thickness of a pencil. I have bigger hands and 8ts difficult to hang on to, slippery, but I like the metal casing. Other then that, writes great, both ends an durable product. I would recommend it, but I'd make known the thickness. I'm going to give 5 stars simply because i do.t feel a bad rating is appropriate considering most the bad is my preference.

This is an excellent pen...cil. Initially, the lid which covers the pen would pull the pen out whenever I wanted to use the pen. I learned to grip the cap lightly and pull back gently in order to expose the pen without removing the cartridge. It took some time for it to "break-in" in order to do this everytime. I'm now able to do it consistently. The pen cartridge lasts much longer than I thought it would. The body barely fits well in the hands and it's heavy enough for my hands to register that I'm holding it. It's also a pen that many people admire. All in all, it's an excellent product and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the subtlety of it's size.

I'm not one to write reviews so I'll start with this: I love this little thing! I'm an engineering student, and sometimes I need a pen and pencil this thing is a neat little combo. When I first got it I was a little worried it was a pilot knock off, primarily because of the Japanese characters. But after using it for a test I can say that this thing writes smoothly. I had to use the pen to sign my name. It writes very smoothly for a ballpoint pen. The mechanical pencil is also quite nice; most mechanical pencils push out too much lead or barely any. This one pushes out small increments, so if you write harshly like me you won't have to push the cap and push the lead in yourself! My only issue is it's a little slim for my fat man fingers. I have another one on the way!

Finally a tiny split pen/pencil that fits perfectly with my Moleskin notebook. The only thing that would improve it is if the pen side retracted somehow or there was another cover provided so you could cover both ends at once. As is there's always a pointy end so not great for pocket carry.

Perhaps the one concern I have about this pen+pencil combo is that it is small enough to easily misplace. Though the size is one of the features I love about this writing instrument. The default is set to have the pencil side displayed at all times unless you switch the cap that discreetly hides the pen side. Unlike a multi-use writing tool, you don't twist a section of the writing instrument to switch from pen to pencil-- you remove the cap and switch it to the other side. The design is a little odd in this respect, but considering how small it is with the offered function, space was used efficiently. To refill the lead, which is a 0.5 mm size, you have to pull off the cap that conceals the pen tip side. Then pull out the pen cartridge refill, which is one small cartridge, to access the tube for pencil lead. Accessing the pencil lead tube is also how you replace the pen cartridges, as these are on the smaller side it does require the specific Pilot refill which will last a reasonable amount of time for short notes. For my purposes, it's nice to have a small pen and pencil in one writing instrument to keep in my pocket or purse. It's also nice to have around for travel journal entries.

So I love the concept, and I found the miraculously-sized instrument perfectly comfortable for writing with and easy to stash away on my person … but as the lead wore down, the clutch wouldn’t advance the remaining lead. I figured “Fine, the lead must’ve broken in shipping, my Amazon packages routinely look like they’ve been run over by tanks, so I’ll just dislodge the broken lead and replace it.” Well, easier said than done. This stupid fiddly thing wouldn’t let go of the lead. Ninety minutes later, once I finally dislodged the broken bit of lead by basically pushing it partway out with another lead, then gently pulling it the rest of the way out, the clutch would now not grab hold of a new lead. The new lead would just rattle around in the chamber. Threading the lead into the clutch from the other end—another forty-five minutes wasted—the clutch still refused to advance the lead. So clearly the clutch and advancement mechanism were broken all along. I’ve basically got a mini-pen, with a chamber for inert leads, and one unusable lead which the clutch will not advance far enough to write with. Unfortunately, I mostly used the pen end right after buying it, so I’ve only just tonight discovered the mechanical pencil end arrived broken. So did Amazon break this in the warehouse? Or did their driver run over the box one too many times? Or does Pilot uniquely make a crappy mini pen and pencil? Or does a writing utensil this fiddly maybe always intrinsically suck? I bought this too long ago for it to be eligible for a return, and at this price point I’m not buying another just to satisfy my curiosity, so I guess we’ll never know.

This is a pilot pen/pencil, the quality is great. However, though not an expensive item, but I prefer either a pen or pencil with an eraser, which this does not have. The issue, no returns even though it says they take them on the front page. Caveat Emptor.

Muy buen producto y difícil de encontrar

I have had one of these Birdie Duo writing tools in my shirt picket for well over a year now and use it daily. Electronic 'aids' are all very well but they can't match the speed and versatility of a pen or pencil when it comes to quickly noting a phone number, graphically explaining a concept (often on a napkin), or adding appointments in a pocket diary. Typical of a Japanese product, this writing tool is beautifully made of stainless steel and although the barrel feels strangely slim, you soon get used to it. This pen is not designed to substitute for a normal pen because it would prove quite expensive in refills to write War and Peace. No. This pen is definitely designed for short note-keeping and newspaper crosswords. Prices for Pilot's tiny BT-8 refills range from about £1.50 to £3.00 and they're quite hard to find. I bought 5 to keep me going. So far I've used two. The pencil arrives with a single lead but you can store additional standard length 0.5mm leads inside the barrel as per the usual practice. To access this storage space, the ballpoint pen - retained by friction alone - is extracted using a thumbnail. I initially deducted one star (but have since overlooked) a couple of irksome traits: 1 - There is no mini eraser as beneath the caps of dedicated retractable pencils (because this space is taken by the pen) 2 - The pen refills are quite expensive for their size.

Perfect to leave in books due to its size. Doesn’t loosen the binding on the books.

とても便利で重宝しております。ありがとうございました。

What an adorable little pen AND pencil. It fits into my smallest clutch bag without adding weight. The pen flows beautifully, and the 0.5mm gives a fine line for precise work. The only fault I can find is that it won't take long for me to loose it and I will have to buy another.