I know what you’re thinking. Who really cares about what kind of ruler they use?
Well, apparently, I do.
I originally purchased a Helix drafting set when I started studying mathematics back in 2008. I mostly used the ruler to draw lines, diagrams, and all the good things you do when you’re studying maths. After I completed my second year, I put my ruler away in one of my pencil cases and forgot about it.
When I started studying again last year, I dug it out and used it in my Moleskine notebook. When procrastinating from my studies, I ended up using it in my weekly journal for drawing extra boxes for health data and other things I found interesting.
I was hooked. Whenever I added an extra table of data to my journal, I wanted it to be nicely lined up with the other sections. I continued to use this ruler for a while, but then I found something pretty amazing, a better ruler. Maybe even the best ruler? (For me, anyway)
From the moment I saw the Kyoei Orions Grid Ruler on JetPens, I knew I wanted to have one. (Feel free to check out the Kyoei site, if you know Japanese).
What’s so special about this ruler I hear you ask?
- Every edge is used
- No inches, just metric
- Horizontal and vertical labels
- Highlights every 5 cm
- Starts at both 0 mm and -5 mm
- 5mm grid lines everywhere
The most important feature is the 5 mm grid, which means that you can align the ruler both vertically and horizontally when drawing lines.
This is much better than most rulers, where you have to use use the small indicators on the side to align the ruler. Generally these don’t even line up with each other anyway, due to each side having a different measurement system. (Also why did Helix put a blue background on the indicators? Madness!)
This isn’t a problem with the Grid Ruler, as everything is metric. The edge-to-edge measurements are great for lining up to the inside of a notebook page too, especially when it also uses a 5 mm grid.
I like this ruler so much I got a couple of them to use both at work and at home along with my Kuru Togas and Boxy Erasers.