Berol Turquoise 14 Berol, USA
	lead size mechanism composition variations production date origin 2 mm handheld turrret milling cutter plastic case with steel cutter body color:gray, orange, turquoise 1980s Germany   see also Dahle model 301 lead pointer

	Eagle Turquoise 17 Eagle Pencil Co., USA
	lead size mechanism composition variations production date origin 2mm desktop mounted milling cutter plastic body with die-cast metal turret and steel cutter none 1966 to (1970s) Germany see also US Patent 3,398,773 "Lead Sharpener," 1966 Alvin Company catalog, 1971, p 84

The No. 17 was standard equipment in many US drafting rooms. It was an improvement (in my opinion) over the Tru-Point in that it had a hardened steel cutter which, when new, was much faster at pointing, and did not require replacement. The entire pointer, however, does require replacement after many years of use unbeknownst to the many draftsmen who still have one of these early models clamped to their desk and are unaware how dull the cutter has become.

	Berol Turquoise 17 Berol Co., USA
	lead size mechanism composition variations production date origin 2mm desktop mounted milling cutter plastic body and turret w/ steel cutter body colors: gray, orange, turquoise (late 1970s) to (present?) USA     Berol Turquoise 17 instructions. click to enlarge

The final incarnation of the Turquoise 17. This one is a merger or two later than the original Eagle, hence the Berol signature. The progressive evolution of the number 17 pointer finally, in this generation, resulted in a truly sensible use of the hollow base. It has a top accessible compartment for storing the guides and extra pads.

For some reason the designers thought it would be fun to bastardize the original clean design by gracelessly truncating a few of the corners. What were they thinking?