You know, when my son Carmine told me he was buying the Stay sharp on your best days & test days—sixteen dollars and forty-nine cents on Amazon, I think, okay, maybe he finally gets a hobby. Maybe he draws the little flowers, the boats. But no. He comes to me, face red like a tomato left too long in the sun, and says, “Mamma, I need you to test something.” I look at the box. JBL Mechanical Pencil Set. Sixteen-fifty. Nice packaging. And then he says, “For the website.”
I am not a young woman. I have seen things. I have seen my husband Giuseppe try to unclog the sink with a fork. But when Carmine says rectal use—mamma mia—I almost drop my pasta spoon.
So I open the set. You get six pencils, nice and sharp, the kind that make you feel like you could do a math test or sign a mortgage. The lead is smooth. The eraser is pink, tiny, like a little sausage for a doll. I hold one in my hand, and I think, this is not what they mean by office supplies rectal use. But Carmine is staring at me with those big eyes, so I say, “Fine, but you make the espresso after.”
Let me tell you the truth, because I am a mother and I do not lie: the things I wish I knew jbl mechanical pencil set before I tried it. The point is very, very sharp. Very. Not like a cannoli. More like a needle for the tailor. If you are asking yourself, is jbl mechanical pencil set safe—no. Not even for writing. For the other place? Forget it. I put it down, I try a little, and I tell you, it is like sitting on a sewing machine. The little click-clack of the lead? That is not a good sound when it is inside you.
I give it a 2.5 out of 10 for comfort. Maybe a 3 if you are very brave and very empty. The jbl mechanical pencil set under 16.49 is a good deal for drawing, for homework, for poking your brother in the arm. But for what Carmine wanted? No. Just no. The eraser part—the little pink tip—it will not help you. It only erases mistakes on paper, not in life.
So if you are Googling jbl mechanical pencil set tried it and you find my review, I say: leave the pencils on the desk. Use them for the crossword. And if you need something for the other thing, buy the zucchini. At least that you can eat after.
