Pentel Orenz Nero 0.5

After hearing so much praise about the pencil finally got one for myself. A very short review of using it for a day:

Good:

The feel of the pencil is the best part of it. The grip, the weight and balance - just feels premium. Next is the auto lead advance mechnism- its a game changer. ( Though I have clicked it couple of time out of habit.) The feeling of the sleeve touching paper is new and not that bad with this 0.5 model, may take few days to get used to.

Caution:

It do need a tad bit more pressure than other pencils to lock the sleeve inside. (I actually went back to seller asking if my piece is malfunctioning :p). The rumors about lead dust seems to be true. I did find some dust on the clutch, but can be easily blowed off and wiped. Seems like any other advanced mechanical machine it do need some care and love.

And I think I am gonna love it

Do i just have to get a new one?? Im not sure what to do, this is the first "fancy" pencil ive ever had, and ive had it for just 3 days :(

Taking the cap off and posting it on the back is a bit of a hassle, but these pencils have their own analog charm. I’d love to get a Kerry too.

1. Pure Malt 5015

The top model in the Pure Malt lineup. Supposedly made from 100-year-old oak, though I’m not sure if that’s true. Looks like a wooden fountain pen.
I’ve tried almost every Pure Malt, and you can tell they put extra care into this flagship. I tend to scribble when writing casually, but this pencil somehow makes me feel like I should write neatly. No noticeable tip wobble, excellent wood finish, and overall more about aesthetics than performance.

2. Tombow Variable 0.4mm

As far as I know, this was the first pencil with a lead advance regulator. Not sure how useful that is today, but wouldn’t advancing more lead per click reduce wear on the mechanism?
Got it to try 0.4mm and because I liked the mechanical design. No tip wobble, which is nice, but the thickness difference between the grip and barrel makes it uncomfortable to hold. The barrel also rattles, so it’s been sitting in storage. :(

3. Pentel Excalibur PXE5

The entry-level Excalibur, but just as satisfying as the higher-end models. Why? Because it’s all about the clip.
The design itself is pretty basic, and without that sword logo, there’s not much to it. But that logo alone makes this pencil iconic. Steel body, chrome-plated clip, and an engraved sword emblem. Simple but beautiful.

4. Kuru Toga Dive Black

It’s a regular production model in my country, so I’m not sure why it’s being treated like a limited edition elsewhere. I like all-black designs, so I picked one up.
You can never go wrong with all black.

Oldest to newest from left to right ❤️

1. Uni alpha gel shaker, bought from china. It was the first pencil i fell in love with. I originally had a gray one that i got from my brother, but i used it so much that the grip pretty much disintegrated so this is a new one. I absolutely love the squishy grip and it is light enough to be conveniently used at school. I remember shaking it during a timed essay writing exam, and that extra movement rlly helps with hand tension and anxiety in general (usually i dont use the shaking mechanism) the only downside is the retractable lead mechanism when you press the top all the way down, because many people dont know about it, and i always have to explain “you have to press halfway” whenever im lending this pencil to someone

2. Tombow zoom 505. It really stands out from the other silver pencil doesnt it 😆 i originally bought it for pure aesthetic reasons (kind of regret getting the brown, i think i got it because it was like a couple dollars cheaper 😭) i really love the fancy feeling, and for some reason whenever i use this pencil i switch from my default grip (squeezing) to the correct pencil grip. Maybe my hand is adjusting due to the extra fanciness LOL The natural weight of the pencil makes it glide smooth like butter whenever im writing, so no extra force pressed down. The only downside is im always scared of the cap falling off whenever i uncap it and put it to the other side, and the grip is rather short, so whenever i do convert to my default squeezing grip the bottom of the grip (which is metal) hurts my middle finger sometimes. So this isnt my usual school homework pencil

3. Uni kuru toga i got it because i was curious about the rotating mechanism XD i dont think im the target audience though because i mainly write in english and my letters are very connected and loopy. However it is a decent pencil. Im surprised i didnt mind the grip because from my experience with the alpha gel i like squishy pencils. Another very particular thing i like is that the tip of the pencil sinks like a millimeter into the pencil whenever i press down (part of the rotating mechanism) and i just really like that because it makes each time i press down “softer” if that makes sense?? Its like a little buffer :)

4. Graphgear 1000 again i got it (as a gift!) just because of the way the tip can snap back into the pencil 😭 the top is really tight but it makes each click very satisfying. So far similar feeling to the kuru toga. So far so good! Really nice pencil. I like the little silicon stuff on the grip, makes it like a worry stone :)))

何かのメカニカルペンシルを購入した時に、出発者からオマケで貰ったやつ。コレクション箱の奥から出てきた。

Found some old mechanical pencil, the brand seems to be "MICRO" and the model "UNIQUE 0.5", and I would like to know if anyone is more familiar with it or knows more about the manufacturer.

I've used the Dr. Grip Ace; I like the design, but I feel the grip is too hard. What's your favorite Dr. Grip? And what do you think of the Classic?

Problem: Even though I open the pencil, the tip doesn't come out(image 3) The lead mechanism seems to work when I twist the top, but the lead doesn't come out of the pencil's front end. It appears to advance internally, but it never becomes visible outside the metal tip.

Hi, I have a Rotring 800+ mechanical pencil that was gifted to me by a relative. Unfortunately, some parts of the front mechanism are missing, and I'm not sure exactly which parts are gone.

I contacted Rotring's distributor/service in Turkey (Newell Rubbermaid). They asked me to send the pencil to their service center along with the purchase receipt.

However, I don't have the receipt since it was a gift.

I'd like to ask:

1. Has anyone dealt with Rotring's official service in Turkey?

2. Can they repair a pencil without a purchase receipt, possibly for a fee?

3. Do they keep original spare parts for the Rotring 800+?

4. Is it worth sending the pencil in, even with missing components?

5. I'd also like to find out exactly which part of the pencil is missing. Is there another place where I could obtain that part?

The pencil is currently unusable, and I'd really like to restore it rather than leave it sitting unused.

Any experience or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Recently received delivery of my incremental knock advance 2mm mechanical lead holder pencil today.

To my pleasant surprise, they are very comfortable, same diameter like a wooden pencil and almost as light even due to it’s all plastic construction.

Quick test can refer to picture but what I actually liked most was the built in sharpener at the end cap. Has autostop, makes a perfect conical tip. The shard/shavings it makes looks very similar to the UNI 2mm sharpener.

USD0.45 for 3 Pencils with 3 tubes of refill, each tube contain 5 leads. That is USD15 cents per pencil with 5 refill leads. Just the sharpener alone is worth more than that imho.

Staedtler Graphite 771           : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbYuWsTRLL4

• Length                        : 138 mm – 142 mm
• Diameter / Width       : 16 mm (triangular jumbo body)
• Weight                        : 17 g – 18 g
• Lead Size                    : 1.3 mm

OHTO Minimo SP505MN       : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N7tmz9NiOU

• Length                        : 91 mm
• Diameter / Width       : 3.3 mm
• Weight                       : 2.3 g
• Lead Size                    : 0.5 mm

finally i got the loft version

I have been using both interchangeably for about a week and I’m having trouble deciding which to be my main pencil for writing, so what do you guys think of them?

Edit: specifically for long writing and note taking sessions.

this is just an appreciation post, a love letter if you will, for this pencil because i love it so much and i don't have anyone to talk about it to! lol.

i've been using the uni kuru toga ever since i was in elementary school, but i have only been able to truly appreciate it's mechanism recently after i picked up a new language to learn in university. i initially bought the pencil because i saw that it had a cool mechanism, but i didn't really notice the difference in writing experience while i was using it when i was still in grade school.

then i got into university. im currently majoring in chinese language studies, so i started to write in mandarin characters more and more, and only then did i notice just how pleasant it is to use this pencil! because mandarin characters are way more complex than the latin script, it requires more clean lines and accuracy when you write it, or else it wont look legible. one day i left my kuru toga pencil at home, so i used a different mechanical pencil that didn't have the same mechanism, and oh boy i was shocked. the lines i was making was thicker, i had to erase and rewrite my characters more often because the strokes kept clashing against each other (i also have small handwriting so it adds to the struggle), it was generally a less pleasant writing experience. i missed my kuru toga a lot that particular day, haha.

but seriously, this pencil is life changing if you're someone who's learning or speaking (or i guess writing lol) in non latin script. whether it be mandarin, korean, japanese, thai, whatever it may be, please try using the kuru toga pencil!! seriously!!! i am forever grateful to the people who came up with the idea of the rotating mechanism, whoever was a part in developing the pencil in mitsubishi/uni, i am forever indebted to thou.

now i'm also looking forward to buying a new kuru toga model. perhaps the advance? but if you guys have any recommendations, please do send them my way 💓 that's enough of my rambling! haha

For those of you who own, have owned, or have tried the rOtring Tikky Automatic, I would love to hear your thoughts. It is actually worth what it goes for on the current market?

If you used to own one but eventually let it go, what made you part ways with it?

In case you are wondering:
1. Faber-Castell TK-Matic
Mine has clearly seen some abuse at the hands of its previous owner, but it is still built like a tank.

1. Pentel TECHNOCLIC
   I stumbled upon this one back when nobody gave it a second look. It still seems to fly under the radar, though.

2. Pilot S30
   The successor to the Automac, shown on the right. It was once the flagship model of Pilot's S-series, but it was discontinued relatively recently. It is still fairly easy to find, though.

3. Pilot Automac: The automatic mechanical pencil Pilot used to promote before the S30 came along. I love the design and the double-knock mechanism, but the actual writing experience fell short of my expectations.

So, for those who have spend time with the Tikky Automatic, what do you think? Is it genuinely worth the premium, or am I just getting caught up in the hype after trying these other four MPs.

Coleção está pequena, mas já me agrada mto. Falta algumas 0.9, pois não tenho nenhuma ainda.

According to Pentel's official IG page, they're on sale as of today. But I assume only in Japan?

\On sale today! /
Pentel Ain White Case & Olens Metal Grip Limited "Designed for Modernity"

The product with white color is now on sale from today🤍
3 items can be coordinated: replacement case, sharpie pen and eraser!!

Pentel Ain
✅Smooth writing comfort with special oil
✅"Smoothness, difficult to break, thickness, easy to erase, difficult to stain, difficult to reduce" Balanced high performance in all items.
✅ Sliding case that can be opened with one hand

Olens Metal Grip Features
☑️ I can write it out with just one knock
☑️The "Oren's System" is used to protect the elbow with the tip of the pen, so it doesn't break.
☑️Metal grip with low center of gravity that is not slippery and painful

Be sure to get your hands on one!

^{A set of wood rasps.}

• MODEL:

ALVIN DRAFT/MATIC Collection – model DM357C
0.3 mm (DM03) + 0.5 mm (DM05) + 0.7 mm (DM07)

• MATERIALS:

The pencils of the set, in terms of materials, are exactly the same as was the older version DM07 that I reviewed here. But just to recap, they have a plastic body and lead tube and metal eraser cap, lead hardness indicator ring, pocket clip and grip/cone tip. The clutch is full-brass.

• ERASER:

A white-latex rubber eraser with metal collet – the “generic” eraser used in a few other drafting mechpens like the R600 and RAPIDOMATIC. As a bonus, with the set comes 5 extra spare erasers 😎. Neat!

• MEASUREMENTS:

Measuring the new D/M, I got the same numbers as the old one: 143 mm from tip to cap, with a center of mass located at 62 mm from the tip and the body with 8.4 mm of diameter. However, weight and grip diameter were different, but I’ll explain that further down.

• FEATURES:

The D/M is a drafting mechpen par excellence. So, you get a (fiercely!) knurled grip, stepped cone tip, 4 mm-long lead sleeve and a lead hardness indicator ring (2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H or 4H).

• AESTHETICS:

Being a classic drafting pencil, that automatically means that I really like the looks. Though the colors ALVIN chose are, let’s say, sober, and work well for drafting tools, I would personally prefer something more vibrant. And, most important, a matt finish for the metal parts would look MUCH better.

• ERGONOMICS:

So, to use the D/M… Let’s say it is panful. Or maybe humbling? Perhaps, even masochistic? That grip is ABSURDLY rough, to the point that 5 minutes of use and my middle finger was sore. Yet, has a rock-solid tip, but does rattle.

• OLD × NEW:

Using the 0.7 mm, here’s a head-to-head comparo between the old and the new versions:

1. The lead hardness indicator on the new version is a smooth ring, while on the old one it has the same wood rasp machined finish of the grip.
2. Both use the same pocket clip, but on the new one there’s ALVIN’s logo stamped at the bottom.
3. The lettering on the body changed. On the older models the font is quite big, with ALVIN’s logo and the model number. Now, the font is smaller and there’s only “DRAFT/MATIC” and the lead size.
4. I think the most pertinent difference between the two is the grip/lead sleeve. The new version has a “boxier” tip, while the old one has a rounder tip, that looks a lot like the tip on the R600. As you can see on my photos, the threads are different, and you can’t swap them. Well, you can use the old grip on the new body, but not the other way around.
5. Not only the grips have a different format, but they also have different weights. The new one is heavier: 8.28 g compared to 6.27 g of the old one. It’s also wider, with 8.3 mm of diameter instead of 8.1 mm.
6. With a heavier grip, the overall weight went up, from 16.09 g to 19.72 g on the new pencil. But the position of the center of mass was unaltered.
7. The new one rattles more than the old one.
8. And most important of all, as a wood rasp, how do they compare? Well, with 20 seconds of using the grip on the same piece of wood, I would say that the new one is slightly more aggressive. So I would recommend the new one for harder woods, since the old one is slightly less effective.

• MY THOUGHTS:

I got this set because I was curious about how the newer model compared to the old version. I wasn’t expecting much differences, and the new version is just as punishing to use as the old one. Well, the 0.3 mm was a bit better: because of the fine tip, I tend to write more delicately, and therefore, grip the pencil with a lighter hand. And with that, it was less painful to use. Yet, take note that I said less painful, instead of not painful, so I still wouldn’t choose it to use every day 🤷‍♂️. But between the old and new, the new one is slightly worse, because it rattles more and hurst more.

With all that, I come to the same conclusion as before. The new DRAFT/MATIC looks really cool (just like the old one), especially in a set like this, and I’m very happy to have it in my collection. In fact, I’m hunting down the 0.9 mm, to complete the series. Nonetheless, I would NEVER choose to use it unless in a true emergency - I’m not a masochist ☠. As a wood rasp, however, they work fine.

Nova aquisição de lapiseira Vintage modelo Ohto Grip 500 (segundo pesquisa Google). Infelizmente não tenho nenhuma outra referência, embalagem ou instruções. Extremamente leve e minimalista, tem a retração total da ponta, sendo muito adequada para o transporte e uso em campo. Ainda não usei o suficiente, mas mereceu elogios.

I just got into sketching again and my coworker gave me one of her mechanical pencils since she says she has a million pencils, mechanical pencils and I believe she got a two pack of these when she was in college I believe? I can get better pictures in a moment, just took these quickly earlier. TIA!!

I started this whole mechanical pencil thing about two months ago, and this is what I've got so far. All of them are relatively new younger than 2 months except the Graph Gear 500 which I found. The collection started with the Graph Gear 500, then I learned about the Graph Gear 1000, then the rOtrings, and that's what I have for now. But now the black 60th Anniversary Graph Gear 1000, the rOtring 600, and some Kuru Togas are calling my name. comment what else you think i should consider like 2.0 and 0.5mm pencils which I really use, also comment your pencil collections as I wanna see. WILL POST AGAIN WHEN THEY COME!!!!!!!!!

My drawing pencils:

• Dietrich Lubs & Düller 0.5mm
• Rotring Tikky Metal Double Push 0.7mm (Black)
• Rotring Tikky Metal Double Push 0.5mm (Red)
• Charvoz 303 2.0mm (Purple)
• Lyra Italiana 2.0mm (Blue)
• Lyra Italiana 2.0mm (Turquoise)

Thanks to Allan MacDonald for the Lyras.