Through progressive improvements including the development of thin lead in 1916, the metallic mechanical pencil grew into the consummate modern writing instrument. It was one of the most innovative and popular writing devices of its time, combining flamboyant style with practicality.
It was renamed the "Ever-Ready Sharp Pencil," later simply the "Ever-Sharp Pencil." This first product marks the true genesis of Sharp Corporation. Today the Sharp name and trademark are recognized around the world -- all thanks to an ingenious refinement made to one of mankind's oldest and most valued tools, the pencil.