Save those Bullet Pencils

[Got Aloha]

I made my annual pilgrimage to the Official's Corner store in Downingtown, Pa. last week. The people there are very nice. I wanted to purchase a couple more of those bullet pencils, I figured the 5 I had were not enough. According to them the man who holds the patent has retired and is not selling the patent. It's the clip part that is important. They are out and have no supplier to get more. It seems they are very popular with farmers in the midwest to put in their overalls (no, I'm not kidding). The lady even said they are selling on Ebay for a premium. So, hold on to those pencils, replace the pencil part if you can but hold on to that clip.

[Valaxman17]

what is a bullet pencil?

[laxzeeb]

The bullet is the two part pencil comprised of a small pencil with a metal rounded cap [the bullet] and the upper part which is a plastic tube, eraser on top and separate metal clip. I, too, confirmed with Joe at the Official's Corner that he did not have any to sell and he said he was sending out golf scorecard pencils free to anyone who wanted them. I wonder if Honigs has any as I am down to two.

What surprises me is the story about the patent. I say that because I started as a football official in the mid 1970's [and stopped after a few years] and used them then. Patents only last 17 years.

Anyway, the bullet easily comes off the pencil, if you can find a round one and I suppose there is a way to replace the eraser as well.

[oviedolax]

what is the point of a bullet pencil? like what makes it so special?

[3rdPersonPlural]

what is the point of a bullet pencil? like what makes it so special?

Refs are always writing stuff down. Goals, time outs, penalties, etc. We have to carry a pencil and a scorecard in our shirt pocket. The clip on a bullet pencil keeps it from bouncing out when we run. The end cap covers the lead so that the point is protected as is our shirt, and our ribs if we take a tumble. When the end cap is slid onto the back of the pencil, the pencil becomes longer so that it is more convenient to write with. The pencils are short yet have an eraser, unlike golf pencils.

[oviedolax]

ahhh, ok thanks 3pp

[laxzeeb]

Honig's apparently still has them. Or at least you can still make an order for them off their website. Official's Corner still shows them on their website but when you click to order them you get a "no longer in the database" message and you can't select a quantity to order. I put an order in to Honig's and will update this thread if I get them. Flemings is still showing them as are various other ref shop sites on the web.

[pboyd]

I have 25+ in my inventory. I use them for "rewards" as part of our training program and made a major investment 2 years ago. Maybe I need to start rationing them or sell them on e-bay?

[LaxRef]

Years ago, I was told not to use bullet pencils because they're too slow (if you use the cap, you have to uncap, put it on the end, write, put the cap back on, and put it away), so I've used golf pencils or trimmed regular pencils with an eraser. But I can see where people would like the clip.

Some people just put a rubber band on their scorecard and use that as a pencil holder.

[laxzeeb]

I'm wondering about the patent story as I sure couldn't find a patent with any description close to the bullet pencil. I actually had an email from Bill [my error above calling him Joe] at Officials Corner and he said it was a manufacturer issue. Plus, I note this supplier is selling something close and the site also references manufacturing issues with the bullet pencil. Perhaps they are not running afoul of the claimed patent since this design has no "bullet" tip:
http://www.ump-attire.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?
Screen=PROD&Product_Code=F125

Another ref supply place is selling what appears to be a short mechanical pencil:

http://www.refereescall.com/football-referee-accessories.php?pg=2

I guess there are some options out there so I'm not worried about having to buy them off of Ebay at this point. The farmers story sounds right, however, because if you go on there you'll see a bunch that advertise seeds and other farm related supplies.

[laxzeeb]

Honig's has them. Per post 7 above, order of 5 came in today.