daily reminder if the germans and japanese won ww2, we'd be on mars by now. yes a lot of people would have to die, but our ally stalin killed 60 million.
The only one that feels genuinely overengineered is the auto retractable eraser. I can't imagine a situations that would be useful when you can simply always have your eraser at the tip
If someone is wearing a white shirt and carries the pencil in the chest pocket the remaining graphite dust on a static eraser could leave some stains on the shirt.
"Over Engineered" == built better than the minimum, costs a bit more but pleasant to use compared to the 'basic' version Though I agree the eraser one is a bit...odd. Maybe you have to use it to fully appreciate it (like finding really comfortable shoes).
Without that feature, either you need a cap (which requires a second hand to remove and hold on to and replace) or the eraser is always out, in which case you get oils from your skin on the eraser, and make it less effective.
0:42 Suspension 1:46 Clutch 2:37 Power steering 4:25 Automatic transmission Soon: split rear differential: "this pen splits the power from your hand to the pen, allowing bigger handling on the paper. This ensures maximum grip and downforce on the main straights."
Hats off to all companies except pentel for engineering and a "Reasonable" price , I expect tombow to make all in one featured pencil shown in the video
для инвалидов с проблемами координации движений рук. Таким людям все равно что кончик карандаша болтается в трех степенях свободы. Для обычных людей это не достоинство а неисправность превращающая почерк в каракули.
Yessss Either an auto-extending mechanism or a shake-to-extend mechanism, anything so I don't have to change my grip on the pencil and inutilize the sharpness created by the spinning
We referred to pencil graphite as "lead" in this video -- we know this is a misnomer and that it doesn't actually contain lead, but the term has stuck around. Many manufacturers call it lead, so we have followed their lead (no pun intended!).
Edit: JetPens first used a different title for this post which was, "Are Japanese mechanical pencils OVERENGINEERED?" Therefore, this was the context with which my original comment was made. Japanese pencils and pens are never "over engineered". These features are incredible, and have been wonderfully engineered for many years. I opened my father's desk drawer (he passed in 2012), and discovered so many old Pentel's, Pilot's, UniBall's and Zebra's. I remember my dad being into pens, so it was cool to see all that those familiar brands.
Yup.. all in this video is great.. not overengineered. Limited edition which has more prestigious material from each brand still value for money. Japan's provide many variants depends the user habits and needs with rational price (in Japan). What I didn't like when a pencil become over popular and over priced.. 😁
These pencils should be the standard in the market. It's not overengineered, if they create a solution as efficient as possible. Because the implementation for problems they resolve, I have never seen any other mechanical pencils resolve them, until this video.
@@Nathan-my7zs You make a good point there. And after thinking about it a little bit, there is 1 mechanical pencil that does something similar in the US, already. It's those clear, full plastic ones that has the long eraser heads that are manually retractable. The retractable feature on that makes sense, since it houses a super long eraser. Other than that reason, I don't know the purpose of it on the one in the video. Because that one doesn't seem to have a super long eraser that needs to be adjusted.
Preventing the lead from breaking obviously reduces waste and prevents the annoying experience of having your lead snap, but I personally am terrified of lead breakage because of a freakish thing that happened to me in 10th grade. I was writing notes in a class and my lead snapped, and a piece about a third of a centimeter flew up off the paper and stuck on my eyeball. I couldn't close my eyelid without it rolling over the lead so the teacher sent me and a friend to the bathroom and I held my eye under the faucet for a while. When I brought my face back up, my friend said the lead was right on the corner of my eye, and she plucked it out with her nails.
@@flamehours4 Very close lol I hadn't gotten glasses yet so I used to sit with my arm bent and my head resting on my arm right up next to the notebook so I could see what I was writing.
i have the Orenznero; it is relatively expensive, but in the one year I had this pencil, I've never needed to add more lead because of how the lead never broke (think it came with 3 leads inside). The black body of the pencil looks and feels amazing, without the usual plasticky feel. The centre of gravity of the pencil is close to the tip, so it feels so easy to control. It requires a bit more force to write with, but after a while I got used to it. It is now one of 2 pencils I use, the other which is just a wooden pencil for shading. 10/10 would recommend
Edit: Wtf happened to the replies on this comment. We went from discussing a superpencil to a capitalism vs socialism political debate centered around whether or not patents are a good thing. How did that happen? I'm waiting for someone to roll all of these features into one superpencil. The lead protection and retractable eraser of the Delguard Type-ER, the lead rotation of the Kuru Toga, and the lead retention of the Oleenu, the auto-extending lead of the Orenz Nero, all rolled into the ultimate pencil
I think that would only be possible if they all do a collab for one pencil, may be expensive but its all there. Because, those features are already being patented to each of that company. If it were to be using a software, it might be possible for anyone to make it, but its mechanical.
@@AbdulAziz-nd3pu The idea behind patents original were to allow everyone to use new technology for a reasonable fee. Now patents are being used for avoiding competition. One more reason to transition to a post-capitalist society. The best reason being to save the environment from collapse.
@@madshorn5826 Didn't know the topic about "Patents" already goes that far, i only know things about marketing product, seems need to learn more Thanks for the heads up 👍
...well now I want a mechanical pencil with auto-rotating, auto-extending lead and an auto-extending eraser! (Though honestly I find the feel of a mechanical pencil in my hand is more important than other features, and so far none have beaten an ancient one my dad used in college - I'm not even sure of the brand.)
You forgot to add the anti-lead-breakage features too. ;) Seriously though. ALL the features combined should be standard IMO. Fortunately for me, I just don't use pencil anymore. But I like to collect ones with special features - harkening back to my days when I DID always use a mech pencil.
@@enigmaticmf Meh that would mean a standard pencil would run you like $30 or more. Also not everybody likes all of the features or some are just plain bad. Auto-extending lead sounds great on paper, but the Orenz Nero for example is bad to write with. There are better versions of that feature with like the Pilot S30 but they are $40. If you would add more features, the price would be even higher and it also increases stuff like weight....
as a Japanese student, i can say when you’re using one of these you feel like the grade top student. and my wish before i graduate middle high school, is that there will be.. a legendary mechanical pencil that has all of the features in the video and im saving up till like 200 dollars to buy and flex
@Karl with a K is there a problem with using a pencil to you? some school in other countries prohibit using pens in middle school, you can only use pens when you're in high school, and that's fine, oc is in middle school so maybe they aren't allowed to use pens yet because of their school regulations
2:58 I actually have this pen! But I didn't know it had that kind of mechanism so I immediately rushed to pencil case and tried it! Works 100%, I've always wondered why it was heavy like there was metal inside it but I now know!
@@n.v.9000 But it's not just a pen, is it now? As a show of respect towards the people that put them in there, at least I would go through the instructions, see the pictures. I'm pretty sure they all have pictures describing the functions. Otherwise I would be like this one, clueless about what I bought, not using any of the features that made the price.
Uni Kuru Toga is the pencil my Boss bought for us as souvenir when he went to Japan. At first I was like..what..just a pencil for us as souvenirs? Then I read the description in the back and I'm like WHOA!! As a person that manually rotates the pencil to get a sharp and thin line when writing, this pencil suits me so well.
@@Blue_Nova707 after writing for a while without turning the pencil (no matter the pressure), the lead will be more slanted to one side and thus will make my writing not sharp and somewhat smudgy. Think about a piece of wood. If you sand only 1 side, it will be sanded according to the angle you sand it (no matter the pressure cuz of friction). So, I got into the habit of rotating my pencil as I write to get sharp writing. That's why to me, this pencil is a blessing; I don't have to rotate my pencil anymore 🤗
They are over engineered not in a bad way. Over engineered in a sense that a dollar store 99 cents pencil will very much work compared to these models.
I use the Kuru Toga by preference constantly. It's so good that my "what's wrong with a normal yellow pencil" father now reaches for my mechanical instead of his own pencil all the time. xD My Kuru Toga is now at least 3 years old and I have worn most of the paint off of a decent part of it!
You can't really blame a pencil for being worn out if you've been using it for 3 years. I use both a Kurutoga Advance and the normal Kurutoga, both are impressive quality!
my father was the one who introduced me to high-end stationery lol. We love going to fancy book and stationery stores and spending hours picking out the perfect supplies
I have an Orenz and I love using it for math work. That sliding guard is a lifesaver. I'm also a fan of the Pentel Graph 1000 .3mm pencil. no crazy features, but it feels CRAZY solid in my hand and it's my daily driver for anything but math.
same tbh, i feel that all the lead protecting stuff made the tip "squishy", while graph 1000 feels "invisible" while im doing my work (especially after removing the clip!). also used staedtler, it wasn't as pleasant but idk
I bought Pentel Orenz Nero and honestly it's been the best pencil writing experience I could've ever imagined! Never having to stop writing because I ran out of lead is great and makes for really clean writing in all my notebooks. Totally recommend it, and for daily writing, the auto-extending mechanism is probably the most useful feature of all mentioned in the video. Auto-rotating might be cool too, but I need to try it first.
It was National Pencil Day yesterday! What's your favorite pencil? Comment to let us know. Stephanie's Q&A video is coming out next week--make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it!
Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood ...I know, I'm weird. But I'm happy JetPens doesn't overcharge for it, 5 bucks for a wooden pencil is already a lot and I see a lot of other sites kick it up to 8 bucks because they just assume anyone paying for one is probably made of money on account of they're buying a 5 dollar pencil at all. So thank you for not doin' that.
I bought a Kuru Toga nearly 10 years ago; best $6 (at the time) I ever spent. When you're trying to write kanji/hanzi, it's a godsend to have a continual lead thickness to try and keep the complicated characters legible while still staying within a 8mm line spacing.
Shaker lead advance _might_ feel overengineered but only when making a direct comparison to side-click lead advance. Negligible practical difference between the two, it's mostly about the feel of the instrument and the comfort of writing/drawing with it. (edit) Meaning that if shaker advance works actually better for you than other types, by all means _go for it._ In my personal experience I am not picky about how the lead wears or adjusting my grip from time to time, so it's one feature that would make no difference to me. (On the other hand, not losing the last centimeter of lead _is_ something I could go for, because otherwise trying to use up the last of it is quite annoying)
yes when working on a sketch with mechanical pencil I like to control my pencil orientation, but when you need to extend the lead you have to regrip the pencil and loose the orientation, the shaking allows you to extend the tip without regripping which is pretty nice.
The attention to detail and dedication to create customer friendly products through rectification of the most minute inconveniences!!!! This is not over-engineered! This is evolution & inventions at its best! 🤩🤩🤩🤩
I've been using a Kuru Toga with the carousel for years. Fantastic pencil - ideally suited for drafting and illustration. I wish my Rotring 600 had this feature.
I also have the Kuru Toga and aside from the rotation it actually has pretty good protection against snapping the lead, unless you are pressing like super hard on the paper it doesn’t really ever snap.
ill consider buying one when i can get 1 pencil, and be able to pick and choose the features i want. kinda like a customizable pencil that i can addon to with all these features.
Currently working for an office/art supply distributor in my country and it's so fascinating knowing what the different mechanical pencils we sell are actually for and what features they have. Before, i thought they just differed in looks but theyre much more than that. Thank you.
I think that the Ticonderoga SenseMatic is the perfect mechanical pencil. It looks like a wood pencil and you just write with it. There is no lead advance control. It just advances the lead when you pick it up from the paper.
The only one of these features I've used personally is the auto-rotating lead, and for technical illustration it's unimaginably useful. For 0.5mm lead you get a much finer point than you ever would otherwise, and you pretty much don't have to think about it. Normally I'd be trying to turn the entire pencil in order to keep the sharp point in a commanding position, but when the lead auto rotates you always have a fine conical point that gives you pretty much the finest line you could reasonable expect from the size of the lead you're using.
Yup! Very true statements about the rotating lead mechanical pencils. I got my first one seven years ago and it lasted for three! I sketch constantly, so it was perfect! I’ve always gotten Kuru Toga pencils ever since (especially the ones with Pokémon designs)
Honestly my kids were going through a pack of lead (50pcs) every other week. I now buy it 1x a year and it is usually specialty lead (B or H hardness) since switching to the Del Guard from Zebra.
I want several of these features. I feel like the auto-extending eraser and super small lead are kind of niche and the shake to dispense is just a nice to have, but snap protection and auto-rotate would be really great. Also the continuous auto-dispense would be nice
I'd like to comment on the rotation as an owner of a uni kuru toga. Before buying it, check how you write- i found that while writing, I was conditioned to automatically rotate the pen itself, rendering the kuru toga useless. If you, however, do clutch your pen and never rotate it for long periods of time, it will no doubt work great. Also, it does require some pressure to activate the mechanism. If you're a light writer, again, useless. Shame for me because I absolutely love the idea and the engineering.
I have a Pilot Dr Grip mechanical pencil and it's my favorite mechanical pencil. The weight on it is good and it's very comfortable to hold. It also features 2 of the features shown here. You can shake it to extend the lead, and the tip also has the retractable sleeve function on it. I've had it for over 15 years now and was surprised at the features since I'd never seen them before. I think the only drawback is the eraser, but that's ok since i prefer not to use it. I use a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser. Those things are really good.
As an engineering student in the 90s our favorite mechanical pencil was the Niji 500 that had a fully retractable tip - no need for a pocket protector!
i personally had the very first one that you mentioned and it was such a fun pencil to use. even when i didnt need to write, using the springs was a really fun time waster in boring classes. totally recommend getting one if at all possible
I’m really impressed with the thoughtful design of these pencils. I need to give some a try. I like the one that protects the lead as well as has the automatic extending eraser.
The engineers are just market hungry and know how to draw in suckers who are lured by bad features, rather than by quality and stability. Japan makes some wonderful mechanical pencils, but none of them are on this list. This really is a know nothing sucker list.
Wow that .5 mm lead clutch sounds amazing imo, the rotating lead sounds cool, but sometimes I use it intentionally to do shading or use the sharp end to get some thin lines
Used to dislike mechanical pencils when I was younger due mainly to the miniscule eraser, but then I took an elective drafting class in junior high school and was drawn to them. I got hooked on a basic Skilcraft while in the military, because of the ample eraser, but I do like the 0.5mm Rotring 600 I picked up when gifted with a JetPens gift card for Xmas. Lol, it's probably why I'm eyeballin' that Pentel Orenz Nero.
I never get back to Rotring once I have my Pilot H-1010 & Tombow monograph. I usually use Rotring Tikky during yg architecture school (2002-2008). But my fave is my Dad's Pilot H-1010 (well the original series H 518 produced in 1970's). I have Rotring 300 for my sketch pen, but stop use it once I bought MUJI one. My Tikky get lead jam very often, while not any of my japan's mechanical pencil got lead jam. Muji sketch pencil more blister free material and comfy to hold with recycle material and much..much..cheaper price for the feature I got from Rotring to the Japan's pencil.. Verry sorry to say that. I still have rotring : 4 Tikky (0.35 & 0.5), 2 scketch 300. But I've steadily use Pilot H-1010 (2 more i bought in 2020), 2 unikurutoga (1 adavnce I kept, 1 other I gave to my sister), 4 tombow monograph ( 3 kept, 1 to my sister). Never use any of my rotring, except for the 0.35. I might ended bought uni alpha gel 0.3.. hahahahhah...
Uni Kuru Toga was my gateway pencil into this whole stationary hobby lol. It's such a joy to write with. I have 5 in all different colors. They also came out with the Kuru Toga Roulette which feels super premium and the weight is perfectly balanced.
The Tombow mono graph is my favorite, I own two and I love them However the green one I’ve had for longer broke, the clip mechanism doesn’t work anymore plus the plastic snapped but it’s still useable I will forever be faithful to my mono graphs
the best clutch ive used is an engineering clutch pancil. it has a 2mm lead sso it almost never breaks. it also has a cool sharpener. go check out 2mm clutch pencil for a cheap and fairly common solution !
If my lead doesn't break, how will I know I've been drinking too much coffee? haha I really want that pencil that grips the lead all the way to the end and the auto-extending lead.
I've been using the Tombow Mono Graph for 3 years now and I never knew about the shaker mechanism! I bought it because it looked cool. I really wish I knew about this earlier. 😭
I used Pentel mechanical pencils (.3, .5 and .7mm) all through engineering school in the early 70's and in work in all the years afterward. I don't remember any "model" designation, but they were simple and straight forward. Rotating the pencil is now a long-established habit for me, but the auto-rotate feature would be nice with my now-aged hands! The sliding (auto-retracting) lead guard (and eraser) would have been very much appreciated -- as would a clutch that would grip up until the final 0.5 mm of the lead was used. I'd say these features are NOT over engineered or "gimmicks" but ARE significant assets! [ edit: nice overview by the way! ]
I used to use a Kuru Toga all the time, actually. I find that it’s actually pretty good with both cursive and art despite what this video said, and that it actually works fantastically with colored leads, so if you’re the type of person who likes to play around with things like that for pencil art, it’s actually really good at keeping the line weight consistent. That said, in this modern age using paper alone is sort of dated, and while there might be some quality differences between using it vs a standard mechanical pencil, I often find that the final product isn’t something suited for paper anyway, weather the thing I’m working on is a paper about to be typed, an architectural drawing being translated into AutoCAD or Blender, or a more advanced digital piece.
Yes, agreed. And, pencil n paper are still great for tutoring and for convincing non-techie purse-strings administrators of all shapes and sizes why a particular thing/plan/idea must be funded, when you catch them on a coffee break, or wherever. (At first I said “on the bus”, but quickly realized my mistake.)
Since 1998 I have been using mechanical pencils from Japan exclusively. My favorite brand is Pentel, here the P200 series which is also used by the star architect Sir Norman Foster. Next to it is a Pentel P225 in use. I take notes and write a lot every day. And: Since 1998, the mechanical pencils mentioned are in daily use and work perfectly. Japanese quality, after all. Since I continue to observe the market, other models have also found their way to me, which I also use with great pleasure. Thus the Pentel Kerry, Uni-Ball Kuru-Toga, Pilot Dr. Shaker, etc. I think the Japanese mechanical pencils are not overengineered. No, the Japanese closely monitor the needs of their customers and are always offering solutions to improve writing with their products. I love it and bow down to these excellent and affordable products.
I've owned my Kuru Toga Roulette for about eight years now and it's always a treat to use. It was even an object of desire and a conversation piece in art school because everyone was super interested and jealous of it.
i love my graphgear 1000, my first one lasted 3 years before i lost it, and my second is a year in and going strong. its only like 20 bucks and will last forever
For anyone who saw this and felt pencil envy, some happy information. The tactile feel of a pencil is greatly influenced by the lead hardness. All you can buy in most stores is hb hardness. But that's not all they make, and you can find the other harnesses at art stores. Try b or even 2b. Personally I don't like .5 mm. I used to, but now I take a lot more ownership of the page rather than trying to be economical with it. 0.7mm B leaves a bold stroke that feels satisfying to put down. And it doesn't cut the paper fibers hardly at all. I enjoy it.
0.7mm B is the perfect lead! Now, to find my perfect mech pencil... So far, a Rotring 600 cross-bred with the twist-eraser (retractable) of a Kokuyo PS-P500 (Type MX). One can dream...
I probably couldn’t use the ones that stop lead from braking because I have such a heavy hand, but the other ones would be amazing to use!! I should invest. These could be perfect for Illustrations!
As someone who uses mechanical pencils for everything, buying a Uni Kuru Toga was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The second I go back to a regular mechanical pencil my handwriting is worse and I break the graphite all the time
I bought one off Amazon bro I'm so sick of these pencils some of my mech pencils be breaking lead half a letter in so I thought fuck it n bought an expensive one
Feature that I would like to see is trianglar-ish grip, I personally found that such grip are very comfortable to use for my hand more so than traditional cylindrical grip or heaven forbid the hexagon grip.
Sometimes, I just glue stuff to my pencils to get that better grip. Split bamboo and nice adhesive tape, or simply carved cork can look decent, if you care about that :D
Lamy makes a variety of writing instruments including pens and mechanical pencils that have a triangular grip such as the Safari, AL Star(AFAIK it's just an aluminum Safari), and the Vista which is a clear Safari.
I have a 0.2mm pentel, and not gonna lie I kinda want to try smaller. I have a weird ability to precisely move my hand with ease, so 0.2mm feels natural.
I've been using the delguard for 6 people years now and it's been my go-to pen ever since a classmate showed me the pen. I write with quite a lot of pressure but prefer darker leads at the same time, so it's perfect for protecting my pencil leads. I don't quite like the ER variant, but only because of the thicker grip it has. I love that the eraser for the delguard series is actually useable!
I randomly bought a cheap mechanical pencil, it felt solid. Great for sketching. After a while i noticed that i still haven't had to press it in order for it push out lead. It was actually mechanical in the sense of pushing the lead out as you draw. I was mind blown something like that existed... seeing these makes even mine seem "regular". But i guess let japan be Japan. Especially with Manga culture and art in general, these probably come in handy for many. Not only that, but the rest can also enjoy it
daily reminder if the germans and japanese won that war, we'd be on mars by now. yes a lot of people would have perished, but our ally in russia was responsible for ending 60 million
I've had the Zebra Delguard since I started college 4 years ago and in 2 week I graduate with my BSEE in Power Systems with the same pencil I started with. Ive used it for every single one of my assignments and I don't think I'll ever buy another pencil.
i used to be a certified mechanical pencil hater, but that was until i got a uni kuru toga not too long ago, and I still wonder how I had no idea about them a long time ago! Its such a miracle for math class, plus the one i have has pikachu on it which is also an added bonus!
The only ones i wouldnt use are the rotating graphite and the shaker one. I like how the graphite sharpens itself and i write in cursive. The shaking mechanism is just weird, imagine being at school and having the whole class shaking their hands every 3 minutes
When it comes to "analog" design and manufacturing, few can beat Japan and Germany. When it comes to "digital" thinking, however, the story becomes quite different.
I use the Pentel Orenz Nero. Best pencil, and writing utensil in general, I've ever used. And perfect for cursive handwriting. Just don't use it on really thin sheets of paper (e.g. engineering draft paper) as the 0.2-0.3mm lead can tear it if you're not careful.
I've been using a zebra delguard that was given to me for a year now and I cant say enough nice things about it. Never thought I could use .5 lead because I use too much force, but in the year I have had the pencil I have only managed to break the lead once. I will use one for the rest of my life for sure!
These all sound great and it's nice to know they are being made available again, though not sure of the cost. I still have several of the 30 year old Scripto 0.5 P200 pencils that were stupid inexpensive. As far as I know they were the only ones to feature the spring loaded lead at the time. Sadly they don't make them anymore last time I checked. I love 'em!
I'd LOVE to have these features during 90s, they solved ALL the problems I had with pencils back then! Anyone who have used mechanical pencils for an extended period of time can agree that this is not overengineering!
So I'm the only one that when the lead got to the point that the pencil didn't hold it anymore, used another lead to support the short one until it was so tiny that the point f the pencil didn't hold it anymore?
I have used every single one of these pencils. The only that can handle my grip is the DelGuard. I'm pretty heavy handed so the mechanism works for me. The pentel lead still breaks on me. Not really a fan of fine lead or those pencils.
I've had that exact pencil in the thumbnail for 6 years and it still works But since I barely used mechanical pencils before that, I didn't know that breaking was a problem to begin with
I like this. I have a number of mechanical pencils, including from Pentel. The problem is that yes, the lead does break, and so you have to think about that when using them. The second annoying thing is that the eraser on most of them is what advances the lead. That is, you push on the end cap to advance the lead. Take the end cap off to use the eraser. But using the eraser often, from the pressure, advances the lead, and you also have to hope you don’t lose the end cap. The result is that I don’t use these as often as I would like, and instead just use standard H pencils with an electric sharpener at hand. O,d fashioned, but when I’m trying to work quickly, it’s actually better. After all, old time drafting used pencils. I did that in high school back in the 1960s, so it’s not a stretch for me. But these look interesting. I’m going to have to decide which one or two to try, as there are too many to buy one of each before deciding and buying a mess of them. The only confusing thing is the pricing. Honestly, I don’t want a pen with Japanese cartoons on it. Going to the site, it’s difficult to tell if the higher priced models are just because of licensing fees, or whether they’re also higher end models. I don’t care what they cost, but it’s really confusing. What I do like about some of the ones I have is that they have a metal ring at the top with a small opening that you can rotate to see a number and letter inside. You can rotate it to show the lead hardness. That’s very useful as I use more than one type lead. It doesn’t look as though any of these have that, but I guess I’ll have to go to the site and spend more time than I’d like checking each feature.
Your comment made me reflect on my high school days (80's). We used mechanical pencils for drafting and were taught which lead thickness to use depending on the line we were drawing . That made me wonder how you controlled line thickness with a normal pencil when you took drafting in high school.
For the record, I exclusively write cursive and hugely prefer the Kuru Toga. It might not rotate to the sharp side during writing, but it beats the heck out of manually rotating after every word, as you have to do with every other pencil on the market. IMO it's the /best/ pencil for people who write cursive because of this. I never don't have one on me. Of course, it still can't hope to beat a good pen, but for quick and dirty notes, imo, no pencil on the market comes close. edit: typo
No, it doesn't beat the heck out of anything. The Kura Toga is a piece of junk with a horrible grip. Stop being fooled by bad technology and buy a quality pencil. I have never, ever used a worse pencil for cursive than the Kura Toga, and I have seventy-two models of mechanical pencils, not counting all the models I've handed off to my grandkids. No pencil on the market comes close? If so, it's because all the others are so far out in front the Kura Toga is blinded by the dust. Like most who who use pencil, I suspect you have very little exoperience with mechanical pencils, and don't spend a lot of time writing.
This made me nostalgic. My teacher will reprimand any student who use pencil to write exam answer. People should be confident when writing using the Pen.
I used to use the kuru toga. Amazing eraser, never broke the lead, and it lasted insanely long. I was even using 5mm lead, not 7mm. I no longer go to school (graduated) but still have the pencil. The best pencil I've ever had.
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See EVEN MORE overengineered pencils in part 2 here: ruclips.net/video/wGU9cyIyeFw/видео.html
daily reminder if the germans and japanese won ww2, we'd be on mars by now. yes a lot of people would have to die, but our ally stalin killed 60 million.
im your first reply
I tried to buy one on Ebay and the seller never sent it 😞
Thanks
Pica Pencil is my fav over engineered pencil
My issue here is that I only want one, incredibly overengineered Japanese mechanical pencil -- with every feature listed in this video
literally had the same thought. Happy to pay 70 bucks for one of those lol
Ty someone finally understands
That's what patents are for! To never make it happen.
@@jcvjcvjcvjcv It will - patents don't last for ever.
@@orionwebster8727 They're are selling these for legit dirt: all of them except the last one which is $28, but still, these are so reasonably priced.
The only one that feels genuinely overengineered is the auto retractable eraser. I can't imagine a situations that would be useful when you can simply always have your eraser at the tip
I thought so too, but one could make the case that it will keep the eraser clean....also....maybe discourages thoughtful chewing?
it saves on length and wear in the pencil case too, ig
If someone is wearing a white shirt and carries the pencil in the chest pocket the remaining graphite dust on a static eraser could leave some stains on the shirt.
"Over Engineered" == built better than the minimum, costs a bit more but pleasant to use compared to the 'basic' version
Though I agree the eraser one is a bit...odd. Maybe you have to use it to fully appreciate it (like finding really comfortable shoes).
Without that feature, either you need a cap (which requires a second hand to remove and hold on to and replace) or the eraser is always out, in which case you get oils from your skin on the eraser, and make it less effective.
0:42 Suspension
1:46 Clutch
2:37 Power steering
4:25 Automatic transmission
Soon: split rear differential: "this pen splits the power from your hand to the pen, allowing bigger handling on the paper. This ensures maximum grip and downforce on the main straights."
🆗🆒
I’m just waiting for auto writing pencil
Next thing you know Ls swap
Love this🤣
The team that built these pencils are heavily undervalued. We need them designing for much larger operations. I am so impressed by these pencils.
Hats off to all companies except pentel for engineering and a "Reasonable" price , I expect tombow to make all in one featured pencil shown in the video
They're just pencils, and all are prone to breaking.
@@jamesaritchie1 maybe if they are weak like those Walmart pencils but they aren't
A combination of the rotating lead and the auto-extending mechanism would be awesome.
YES
для инвалидов с проблемами координации движений рук. Таким людям все равно что кончик карандаша болтается в трех степенях свободы. Для обычных людей это не достоинство а неисправность превращающая почерк в каракули.
Yessss Either an auto-extending mechanism or a shake-to-extend mechanism, anything so I don't have to change my grip on the pencil and inutilize the sharpness created by the spinning
Lucky for you there is a advance kuru toga i just got it today its great!
You should look at getting the Kuru Toga Dive then. Beware it's difficult to find and expensive.
We referred to pencil graphite as "lead" in this video -- we know this is a misnomer and that it doesn't actually contain lead, but the term has stuck around. Many manufacturers call it lead, so we have followed their lead (no pun intended!).
It's ok hehe
its fine.
pun accepted tho
Hotdog
Its called lead universally anyways 😂
Edit: JetPens first used a different title for this post which was, "Are Japanese mechanical pencils OVERENGINEERED?" Therefore, this was the context with which my original comment was made.
Japanese pencils and pens are never "over engineered". These features are incredible, and have been wonderfully engineered for many years. I opened my father's desk drawer (he passed in 2012), and discovered so many old Pentel's, Pilot's, UniBall's and Zebra's. I remember my dad being into pens, so it was cool to see all that those familiar brands.
Yup.. all in this video is great.. not overengineered. Limited edition which has more prestigious material from each brand still value for money. Japan's provide many variants depends the user habits and needs with rational price (in Japan). What I didn't like when a pencil become over popular and over priced.. 😁
Same here
You know exactly what he means by overengineered ffs
Pentel, Pilot, Uniball and Zebra are wondeful mechanical pencils!
They are over-engineered. Anything more than a piece of graphite in wood and an eraser at the end is over-engineered.
These pencils should be the standard in the market.
It's not overengineered, if they create a solution as efficient as possible.
Because the implementation for problems they resolve, I have never seen any other mechanical pencils resolve them, until this video.
Whats the point of the eraser retracting. Its cool, but im not sure how thats useful
@@Nathan-my7zs You make a good point there.
And after thinking about it a little bit, there is 1 mechanical pencil that does something similar in the US, already.
It's those clear, full plastic ones that has the long eraser heads that are manually retractable.
The retractable feature on that makes sense, since it houses a super long eraser. Other than that reason, I don't know the purpose of it on the one in the video.
Because that one doesn't seem to have a super long eraser that needs to be adjusted.
@@chronosoul1837 Greetings! I would like to ask if Jetpens ship worldwide?
@@meso_katto6256 oh, I don’t know. Just found out about these from this video, recently.
@@chronosoul1837 oh alrighty! thank you for replying
Preventing the lead from breaking obviously reduces waste and prevents the annoying experience of having your lead snap, but I personally am terrified of lead breakage because of a freakish thing that happened to me in 10th grade. I was writing notes in a class and my lead snapped, and a piece about a third of a centimeter flew up off the paper and stuck on my eyeball. I couldn't close my eyelid without it rolling over the lead so the teacher sent me and a friend to the bathroom and I held my eye under the faucet for a while. When I brought my face back up, my friend said the lead was right on the corner of my eye, and she plucked it out with her nails.
WHAT? Damn I'm sorry for you
@@oopdigdigfig9786 I got lucky because it came out relatively easy.
how close was your face to the paper wtf
@@flamehours4 Very close lol I hadn't gotten glasses yet so I used to sit with my arm bent and my head resting on my arm right up next to the notebook so I could see what I was writing.
@@MarshmallowEclipse lucky you
i have the Orenznero; it is relatively expensive, but in the one year I had this pencil, I've never needed to add more lead because of how the lead never broke (think it came with 3 leads inside). The black body of the pencil looks and feels amazing, without the usual plasticky feel. The centre of gravity of the pencil is close to the tip, so it feels so easy to control. It requires a bit more force to write with, but after a while I got used to it. It is now one of 2 pencils I use, the other which is just a wooden pencil for shading. 10/10 would recommend
Just realizing that the name is the same backwards😊
Edit: Wtf happened to the replies on this comment. We went from discussing a superpencil to a capitalism vs socialism political debate centered around whether or not patents are a good thing. How did that happen?
I'm waiting for someone to roll all of these features into one superpencil. The lead protection and retractable eraser of the Delguard Type-ER, the lead rotation of the Kuru Toga, and the lead retention of the Oleenu, the auto-extending lead of the Orenz Nero, all rolled into the ultimate pencil
That superpencil shall be named *Cell* .
@@tresnonugroho6397 Cell Broadband Pencil 🤔
I think that would only be possible if they all do a collab for one pencil, may be expensive but its all there.
Because, those features are already being patented to each of that company. If it were to be using a software, it might be possible for anyone to make it, but its mechanical.
@@AbdulAziz-nd3pu
The idea behind patents original were to allow everyone to use new technology for a reasonable fee.
Now patents are being used for avoiding competition.
One more reason to transition to a post-capitalist society.
The best reason being to save the environment from collapse.
@@madshorn5826 Didn't know the topic about "Patents" already goes that far, i only know things about marketing product, seems need to learn more
Thanks for the heads up 👍
...well now I want a mechanical pencil with auto-rotating, auto-extending lead and an auto-extending eraser! (Though honestly I find the feel of a mechanical pencil in my hand is more important than other features, and so far none have beaten an ancient one my dad used in college - I'm not even sure of the brand.)
you should ask around and try to identify it
You forgot to add the anti-lead-breakage features too. ;)
Seriously though. ALL the features combined should be standard IMO.
Fortunately for me, I just don't use pencil anymore. But I like to collect ones with special features - harkening back to my days when I DID always use a mech pencil.
@@enigmaticmf Meh that would mean a standard pencil would run you like $30 or more. Also not everybody likes all of the features or some are just plain bad. Auto-extending lead sounds great on paper, but the Orenz Nero for example is bad to write with. There are better versions of that feature with like the Pilot S30 but they are $40. If you would add more features, the price would be even higher and it also increases stuff like weight....
i have the auto-rotating one since few years ago, i doesn't feel to many difference between the normal pencil
@@KiinaSu you have a point
as a Japanese student, i can say when you’re using one of these you feel like the grade top student.
and my wish before i graduate middle high school,
is that there will be.. a legendary mechanical pencil that has all of the features in the video and im saving up till like 200 dollars to buy and flex
it’s like your harry potter wand
That pencil was what I was actually hoping to find here, Perialis. My money is sitting here, waiting.
nerd lol
Its like your sword
@Karl with a K is there a problem with using a pencil to you? some school in other countries prohibit using pens in middle school, you can only use pens when you're in high school, and that's fine, oc is in middle school so maybe they aren't allowed to use pens yet because of their school regulations
2:58 I actually have this pen! But I didn't know it had that kind of mechanism so I immediately rushed to pencil case and tried it! Works 100%, I've always wondered why it was heavy like there was metal inside it but I now know!
Let me guess, you never read the instructions when you buy something haha.
@@DanSlotea would you if you bought a pen?....
@@n.v.9000 But it's not just a pen, is it now? As a show of respect towards the people that put them in there, at least I would go through the instructions, see the pictures. I'm pretty sure they all have pictures describing the functions. Otherwise I would be like this one, clueless about what I bought, not using any of the features that made the price.
@@DanSlotea it is a pen for people who want to feel special...it isnt a special pen
@@n.v.9000 it's a pen for people who appreciate technology and functionality. If you would buy it just to feel special, I pitty you.
Uni Kuru Toga is the pencil my Boss bought for us as souvenir when he went to Japan. At first I was like..what..just a pencil for us as souvenirs? Then I read the description in the back and I'm like WHOA!! As a person that manually rotates the pencil to get a sharp and thin line when writing, this pencil suits me so well.
You either print like a child, or you're being fooled.
@@jamesaritchie1 being fooled for what?
Why would you need to rotate? It's all about the pressure you put on a pencil.
@@Blue_Nova707 after writing for a while without turning the pencil (no matter the pressure), the lead will be more slanted to one side and thus will make my writing not sharp and somewhat smudgy. Think about a piece of wood. If you sand only 1 side, it will be sanded according to the angle you sand it (no matter the pressure cuz of friction). So, I got into the habit of rotating my pencil as I write to get sharp writing. That's why to me, this pencil is a blessing; I don't have to rotate my pencil anymore 🤗
I don't think the features on a mechanical pencil are over engineered I think they should be standardized.
They are over engineered not in a bad way. Over engineered in a sense that a dollar store 99 cents pencil will very much work compared to these models.
I use the Kuru Toga by preference constantly. It's so good that my "what's wrong with a normal yellow pencil" father now reaches for my mechanical instead of his own pencil all the time. xD My Kuru Toga is now at least 3 years old and I have worn most of the paint off of a decent part of it!
You can't really blame a pencil for being worn out if you've been using it for 3 years. I use both a Kurutoga Advance and the normal Kurutoga, both are impressive quality!
Lol
I love mine, It's like writing with butter
my father was the one who introduced me to high-end stationery lol. We love going to fancy book and stationery stores and spending hours picking out the perfect supplies
Same! I love my kuru toga pipe slide
I have an Orenz and I love using it for math work. That sliding guard is a lifesaver. I'm also a fan of the Pentel Graph 1000 .3mm pencil. no crazy features, but it feels CRAZY solid in my hand and it's my daily driver for anything but math.
same tbh, i feel that all the lead protecting stuff made the tip "squishy", while graph 1000 feels "invisible" while im doing my work (especially after removing the clip!). also used staedtler, it wasn't as pleasant but idk
you're holding yourself back from your true potential. commit to the 0.2mm. you can trust me, you have the potential to go all the way.
The rotating core is brilliant.
I bought Pentel Orenz Nero and honestly it's been the best pencil writing experience I could've ever imagined! Never having to stop writing because I ran out of lead is great and makes for really clean writing in all my notebooks. Totally recommend it, and for daily writing, the auto-extending mechanism is probably the most useful feature of all mentioned in the video. Auto-rotating might be cool too, but I need to try it first.
3:33 i feel personally attacked
It was National Pencil Day yesterday! What's your favorite pencil? Comment to let us know. Stephanie's Q&A video is coming out next week--make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it!
The kuru toga advance pencil
The platinum OLEeNU
Edit: And Pentel Orense Nero!
Zebra DelGuard
Uni Kuru Toga rotating
Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood
...I know, I'm weird. But I'm happy JetPens doesn't overcharge for it, 5 bucks for a wooden pencil is already a lot and I see a lot of other sites kick it up to 8 bucks because they just assume anyone paying for one is probably made of money on account of they're buying a 5 dollar pencil at all. So thank you for not doin' that.
Blacking Matte.
I bought a Kuru Toga nearly 10 years ago; best $6 (at the time) I ever spent. When you're trying to write kanji/hanzi, it's a godsend to have a continual lead thickness to try and keep the complicated characters legible while still staying within a 8mm line spacing.
the pain of writing 14+ stoke characters with thick lead is a nightmare only ever experienced by the few who write the languages
That's probably the reason they added that feature.
total nerd alert ^^
@@nonchablunt All of them or only Scientist Walter
kuru toga fan here, the mechanism literally blew my mind. Thickenning strokes has bothered me for years and it saved my life.
I own two or three zebra delgards and they are amazing, haven’t broken a piece of lead for months.
Shaker lead advance _might_ feel overengineered but only when making a direct comparison to side-click lead advance. Negligible practical difference between the two, it's mostly about the feel of the instrument and the comfort of writing/drawing with it.
(edit) Meaning that if shaker advance works actually better for you than other types, by all means _go for it._ In my personal experience I am not picky about how the lead wears or adjusting my grip from time to time, so it's one feature that would make no difference to me. (On the other hand, not losing the last centimeter of lead _is_ something I could go for, because otherwise trying to use up the last of it is quite annoying)
yes when working on a sketch with mechanical pencil I like to control my pencil orientation, but when you need to extend the lead you have to regrip the pencil and loose the orientation, the shaking allows you to extend the tip without regripping which is pretty nice.
It's novelty, like shoes with LEDs
it actually has its use. For people with a disability it might be useful.
i've been using the tombow mono graph shaker pencil for 7 years now it's my favorite
@@namu_desu or you can use your non-writing hand to click
The attention to detail and dedication to create customer friendly products through rectification of the most minute inconveniences!!!! This is not over-engineered! This is evolution & inventions at its best! 🤩🤩🤩🤩
I've been using a Kuru Toga with the carousel for years. Fantastic pencil - ideally suited for drafting and illustration. I wish my Rotring 600 had this feature.
I also have the Kuru Toga and aside from the rotation it actually has pretty good protection against snapping the lead, unless you are pressing like super hard on the paper it doesn’t really ever snap.
I love mine... but then I remember that I'm left handed and they don't rotate correctly... :/
ill consider buying one when i can get 1 pencil, and be able to pick and choose the features i want. kinda like a customizable pencil that i can addon to with all these features.
Currently working for an office/art supply distributor in my country and it's so fascinating knowing what the different mechanical pencils we sell are actually for and what features they have. Before, i thought they just differed in looks but theyre much more than that. Thank you.
No wonder we all so blind even an appearances can be so deceiving not knowing for a fact the true meaning behind its creation or intent.
I think that the Ticonderoga SenseMatic is the perfect mechanical pencil. It looks like a wood pencil and you just write with it. There is no lead advance control. It just advances the lead when you pick it up from the paper.
The only one of these features I've used personally is the auto-rotating lead, and for technical illustration it's unimaginably useful. For 0.5mm lead you get a much finer point than you ever would otherwise, and you pretty much don't have to think about it. Normally I'd be trying to turn the entire pencil in order to keep the sharp point in a commanding position, but when the lead auto rotates you always have a fine conical point that gives you pretty much the finest line you could reasonable expect from the size of the lead you're using.
i love the zebra delguard, it feels so cushy to write on and never breaks
Yup! Very true statements about the rotating lead mechanical pencils. I got my first one seven years ago and it lasted for three! I sketch constantly, so it was perfect! I’ve always gotten Kuru Toga pencils ever since (especially the ones with Pokémon designs)
Honestly my kids were going through a pack of lead (50pcs) every other week. I now buy it 1x a year and it is usually specialty lead (B or H hardness) since switching to the Del Guard from Zebra.
2 weeks suddenly became 1 year? seems quite excessive.
I want several of these features. I feel like the auto-extending eraser and super small lead are kind of niche and the shake to dispense is just a nice to have, but snap protection and auto-rotate would be really great. Also the continuous auto-dispense would be nice
I'd like to comment on the rotation as an owner of a uni kuru toga. Before buying it, check how you write- i found that while writing, I was conditioned to automatically rotate the pen itself, rendering the kuru toga useless. If you, however, do clutch your pen and never rotate it for long periods of time, it will no doubt work great. Also, it does require some pressure to activate the mechanism. If you're a light writer, again, useless.
Shame for me because I absolutely love the idea and the engineering.
The uni is a good pen to begin with doesnt snap alot to
I have a Pilot Dr Grip mechanical pencil and it's my favorite mechanical pencil. The weight on it is good and it's very comfortable to hold. It also features 2 of the features shown here. You can shake it to extend the lead, and the tip also has the retractable sleeve function on it. I've had it for over 15 years now and was surprised at the features since I'd never seen them before.
I think the only drawback is the eraser, but that's ok since i prefer not to use it. I use a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser. Those things are really good.
I love nothing better than a good mechanical pencil for everything from construction to doing precision scientific work.
As an engineering student in the 90s our favorite mechanical pencil was the Niji 500 that had a fully retractable tip - no need for a pocket protector!
i personally had the very first one that you mentioned and it was such a fun pencil to use. even when i didnt need to write, using the springs was a really fun time waster in boring classes. totally recommend getting one if at all possible
The lead clutch should definitely be a standard.
I’m really impressed with the thoughtful design of these pencils. I need to give some a try. I like the one that protects the lead as well as has the automatic extending eraser.
The engineers who did this are incredible. You really blew my mind.
The engineers are just market hungry and know how to draw in suckers who are lured by bad features, rather than by quality and stability. Japan makes some wonderful mechanical pencils, but none of them are on this list. This really is a know nothing sucker list.
Wow that .5 mm lead clutch sounds amazing imo, the rotating lead sounds cool, but sometimes I use it intentionally to do shading or use the sharp end to get some thin lines
Used to dislike mechanical pencils when I was younger due mainly to the miniscule eraser, but then I took an elective drafting class in junior high school and was drawn to them. I got hooked on a basic Skilcraft while in the military, because of the ample eraser, but I do like the 0.5mm Rotring 600 I picked up when gifted with a JetPens gift card for Xmas. Lol, it's probably why I'm eyeballin' that Pentel Orenz Nero.
I never get back to Rotring once I have my Pilot H-1010 & Tombow monograph. I usually use Rotring Tikky during yg architecture school (2002-2008). But my fave is my Dad's Pilot H-1010 (well the original series H 518 produced in 1970's). I have Rotring 300 for my sketch pen, but stop use it once I bought MUJI one. My Tikky get lead jam very often, while not any of my japan's mechanical pencil got lead jam. Muji sketch pencil more blister free material and comfy to hold with recycle material and much..much..cheaper price for the feature I got from Rotring to the Japan's pencil.. Verry sorry to say that. I still have rotring : 4 Tikky (0.35 & 0.5), 2 scketch 300. But I've steadily use Pilot H-1010 (2 more i bought in 2020), 2 unikurutoga (1 adavnce I kept, 1 other I gave to my sister), 4 tombow monograph ( 3 kept, 1 to my sister). Never use any of my rotring, except for the 0.35. I might ended bought uni alpha gel 0.3.. hahahahhah...
@@yunitasoemarno.Y503 I have a Uni Kuru Toga, the H-1010 looks interesting, but that Tombow Monograph looks nice...real nice.
Uni Kuru Toga was my gateway pencil into this whole stationary hobby lol. It's such a joy to write with. I have 5 in all different colors. They also came out with the Kuru Toga Roulette which feels super premium and the weight is perfectly balanced.
The Tombow mono graph is my favorite, I own two and I love them
However the green one I’ve had for longer broke, the clip mechanism doesn’t work anymore plus the plastic snapped but it’s still useable
I will forever be faithful to my mono graphs
the best clutch ive used is an engineering clutch pancil. it has a 2mm lead sso it almost never breaks. it also has a cool sharpener. go check out 2mm clutch pencil for a cheap and fairly common solution !
If my lead doesn't break, how will I know I've been drinking too much coffee? haha I really want that pencil that grips the lead all the way to the end and the auto-extending lead.
I've been using the Tombow Mono Graph for 3 years now and I never knew about the shaker mechanism! I bought it because it looked cool. I really wish I knew about this earlier. 😭
Lmfao well on the bright side, now you'll appreciate your pencil even more!
I used Pentel mechanical pencils (.3, .5 and .7mm) all through engineering school in the early 70's and in work in all the years afterward. I don't remember any "model" designation, but they were simple and straight forward. Rotating the pencil is now a long-established habit for me, but the auto-rotate feature would be nice with my now-aged hands!
The sliding (auto-retracting) lead guard (and eraser) would have been very much appreciated -- as would a clutch that would grip up until the final 0.5 mm of the lead was used.
I'd say these features are NOT over engineered or "gimmicks" but ARE significant assets!
[ edit: nice overview by the way! ]
Too bad they can't combine some of the features into 1 pencil.
i need all of these except the shaking one and the tiny tip one
Been using kuru togas for years. They're just so wonderful for sketching!
I used to use a Kuru Toga all the time, actually. I find that it’s actually pretty good with both cursive and art despite what this video said, and that it actually works fantastically with colored leads, so if you’re the type of person who likes to play around with things like that for pencil art, it’s actually really good at keeping the line weight consistent. That said, in this modern age using paper alone is sort of dated, and while there might be some quality differences between using it vs a standard mechanical pencil, I often find that the final product isn’t something suited for paper anyway, weather the thing I’m working on is a paper about to be typed, an architectural drawing being translated into AutoCAD or Blender, or a more advanced digital piece.
Yes, agreed. And, pencil n paper are still great for tutoring and for convincing non-techie purse-strings administrators of all shapes and sizes why a particular thing/plan/idea must be funded, when you catch them on a coffee break, or wherever. (At first I said “on the bus”, but quickly realized my mistake.)
No, it is not good with cursive. Count the spins when writing with cursive. It barely works at all.
Since 1998 I have been using mechanical pencils from Japan exclusively.
My favorite brand is Pentel, here the P200 series which is also used by the star architect Sir Norman Foster.
Next to it is a Pentel P225 in use.
I take notes and write a lot every day.
And: Since 1998, the mechanical pencils mentioned are in daily use and work perfectly. Japanese quality, after all.
Since I continue to observe the market, other models have also found their way to me, which I also use with great pleasure. Thus the Pentel Kerry, Uni-Ball Kuru-Toga, Pilot Dr. Shaker, etc.
I think the Japanese mechanical pencils are not overengineered.
No, the Japanese closely monitor the needs of their customers and are always offering solutions to improve writing with their products.
I love it and bow down to these excellent and affordable products.
I've owned my Kuru Toga Roulette for about eight years now and it's always a treat to use. It was even an object of desire and a conversation piece in art school because everyone was super interested and jealous of it.
It's funny because it's not an expensive pencil. Worth every penny (and I need to order mine from Japan!)
@@dielaughing73 I know right! Especially the roulette. $10-12 for a half metal barrel pencil is steal imo.
i love my graphgear 1000, my first one lasted 3 years before i lost it, and my second is a year in and going strong. its only like 20 bucks and will last forever
For anyone who saw this and felt pencil envy, some happy information. The tactile feel of a pencil is greatly influenced by the lead hardness. All you can buy in most stores is hb hardness. But that's not all they make, and you can find the other harnesses at art stores. Try b or even 2b. Personally I don't like .5 mm. I used to, but now I take a lot more ownership of the page rather than trying to be economical with it. 0.7mm B leaves a bold stroke that feels satisfying to put down. And it doesn't cut the paper fibers hardly at all. I enjoy it.
0.7mm B is the perfect lead! Now, to find my perfect mech pencil... So far, a Rotring 600 cross-bred with the twist-eraser (retractable) of a Kokuyo PS-P500 (Type MX). One can dream...
I probably couldn’t use the ones that stop lead from braking because I have such a heavy hand, but the other ones would be amazing to use!! I should invest. These could be perfect for Illustrations!
Every try exercising your hand so it lost weight?
i don't get it, that's the entire purpose of the pencil.
No you don’t understand- I have such a heavy hand that the lead would disappear into the dispenser.
As someone who uses mechanical pencils for everything, buying a Uni Kuru Toga was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The second I go back to a regular mechanical pencil my handwriting is worse and I break the graphite all the time
I bought one off Amazon bro I'm so sick of these pencils some of my mech pencils be breaking lead half a letter in so I thought fuck it n bought an expensive one
Feature that I would like to see is trianglar-ish grip, I personally found that such grip are very comfortable to use for my hand more so than traditional cylindrical grip or heaven forbid the hexagon grip.
what about a pentagon?
Sometimes, I just glue stuff to my pencils to get that better grip.
Split bamboo and nice adhesive tape, or simply carved cork can look decent, if you care about that :D
Lamy makes a variety of writing instruments including pens and mechanical pencils that have a triangular grip such as the Safari, AL Star(AFAIK it's just an aluminum Safari), and the Vista which is a clear Safari.
what about an ergonomic grip?
@@nos9784
do... do you have pix? 😆
I've been using the rotating Kuru Toga for years and I absolutely love them. I have 3 of them now lmao
All I want is for Pentel to make a metal version of the twist erase that's got a nice weight to it.
I have a 0.2mm pentel, and not gonna lie I kinda want to try smaller. I have a weird ability to precisely move my hand with ease, so 0.2mm feels natural.
I've been using the delguard for 6 people years now and it's been my go-to pen ever since a classmate showed me the pen. I write with quite a lot of pressure but prefer darker leads at the same time, so it's perfect for protecting my pencil leads. I don't quite like the ER variant, but only because of the thicker grip it has. I love that the eraser for the delguard series is actually useable!
I randomly bought a cheap mechanical pencil, it felt solid. Great for sketching. After a while i noticed that i still haven't had to press it in order for it push out lead. It was actually mechanical in the sense of pushing the lead out as you draw. I was mind blown something like that existed... seeing these makes even mine seem "regular". But i guess let japan be Japan. Especially with Manga culture and art in general, these probably come in handy for many. Not only that, but the rest can also enjoy it
daily reminder if the germans and japanese won that war, we'd be on mars by now. yes a lot of people would have perished, but our ally in russia was responsible for ending 60 million
what pencil was it???
I’ve never been so fascinated in the moment like I am right now, finding this video on my home page
Thank you algorithm
These are great, I want one with the rotating lead feature.
I've had the Zebra Delguard since I started college 4 years ago and in 2 week I graduate with my BSEE in Power Systems with the same pencil I started with. Ive used it for every single one of my assignments and I don't think I'll ever buy another pencil.
i used to be a certified mechanical pencil hater, but that was until i got a uni kuru toga not too long ago, and I still wonder how I had no idea about them a long time ago! Its such a miracle for math class, plus the one i have has pikachu on it which is also an added bonus!
The only ones i wouldnt use are the rotating graphite and the shaker one. I like how the graphite sharpens itself and i write in cursive. The shaking mechanism is just weird, imagine being at school and having the whole class shaking their hands every 3 minutes
Peaceful World😎😎
Kuru toga is my fav pen ngl because I do a lot of math and English
The sliding guide sleeve is a good idea for me and my family
THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHANNEL ON RUclips !
BECAUSE THIS CHANNEL ENCOURAGE ME TO DO
#SOMETHING#unique !
When it comes to "analog" design and manufacturing, few can beat Japan and Germany. When it comes to "digital" thinking, however, the story becomes quite different.
I use the Pentel Orenz Nero. Best pencil, and writing utensil in general, I've ever used. And perfect for cursive handwriting. Just don't use it on really thin sheets of paper (e.g. engineering draft paper) as the 0.2-0.3mm lead can tear it if you're not careful.
DelGuard is my go to at work. Perfect pencil imo.
I use the Kuru Toga, best pencil I’ve used thus far. I love it!
There are some mechanical pencils that have a little thumb button to press, it will automatically push more lead out
It would be amazing if we had a pencil with all the combined features.
I've been using a zebra delguard that was given to me for a year now and I cant say enough nice things about it. Never thought I could use .5 lead because I use too much force, but in the year I have had the pencil I have only managed to break the lead once. I will use one for the rest of my life for sure!
I've been using the Zebra Delguard for years. By far my favorite mechanical pencil. I use it extensively in illustration work.
The rotating thing is sooooooo coool
I've been using a Kuru Toga for years, their current "Advance" pencils are lovely to work with.
I want them all.
These all sound great and it's nice to know they are being made available again, though not sure of the cost. I still have several of the 30 year old Scripto 0.5 P200 pencils that were stupid inexpensive. As far as I know they were the only ones to feature the spring loaded lead at the time. Sadly they don't make them anymore last time I checked. I love 'em!
If you want a good, sturdy mechanical pencil, that will last for years and years, I’d highly recommend the Rotring 800/800+.
I'd LOVE to have these features during 90s, they solved ALL the problems I had with pencils back then! Anyone who have used mechanical pencils for an extended period of time can agree that this is not overengineering!
So I'm the only one that when the lead got to the point that the pencil didn't hold it anymore, used another lead to support the short one until it was so tiny that the point f the pencil didn't hold it anymore?
Me too
Right! And I don't get how that it is a "95% reduction in waste".
I don't think people will go with such bandaid solution that requires fiddling...
I have used every single one of these pencils. The only that can handle my grip is the DelGuard. I'm pretty heavy handed so the mechanism works for me. The pentel lead still breaks on me. Not really a fan of fine lead or those pencils.
I've had that exact pencil in the thumbnail for 6 years and it still works
But since I barely used mechanical pencils before that, I didn't know that breaking was a problem to begin with
I can vouch for the Kuru Toga when note taking, or needing to write really fine script. A good lifehack for writing is also to use 2B hardness lead.
I like this. I have a number of mechanical pencils, including from Pentel. The problem is that yes, the lead does break, and so you have to think about that when using them. The second annoying thing is that the eraser on most of them is what advances the lead. That is, you push on the end cap to advance the lead. Take the end cap off to use the eraser. But using the eraser often, from the pressure, advances the lead, and you also have to hope you don’t lose the end cap.
The result is that I don’t use these as often as I would like, and instead just use standard H pencils with an electric sharpener at hand. O,d fashioned, but when I’m trying to work quickly, it’s actually better. After all, old time drafting used pencils. I did that in high school back in the 1960s, so it’s not a stretch for me.
But these look interesting. I’m going to have to decide which one or two to try, as there are too many to buy one of each before deciding and buying a mess of them. The only confusing thing is the pricing. Honestly, I don’t want a pen with Japanese cartoons on it. Going to the site, it’s difficult to tell if the higher priced models are just because of licensing fees, or whether they’re also higher end models. I don’t care what they cost, but it’s really confusing.
What I do like about some of the ones I have is that they have a metal ring at the top with a small opening that you can rotate to see a number and letter inside. You can rotate it to show the lead hardness. That’s very useful as I use more than one type lead. It doesn’t look as though any of these have that, but I guess I’ll have to go to the site and spend more time than I’d like checking each feature.
Your comment made me reflect on my high school days (80's). We used mechanical pencils for drafting and were taught which lead thickness to use depending on the line we were drawing . That made me wonder how you controlled line thickness with a normal pencil when you took drafting in high school.
For the record, I exclusively write cursive and hugely prefer the Kuru Toga. It might not rotate to the sharp side during writing, but it beats the heck out of manually rotating after every word, as you have to do with every other pencil on the market. IMO it's the /best/ pencil for people who write cursive because of this. I never don't have one on me. Of course, it still can't hope to beat a good pen, but for quick and dirty notes, imo, no pencil on the market comes close.
edit: typo
No, it doesn't beat the heck out of anything. The Kura Toga is a piece of junk with a horrible grip. Stop being fooled by bad technology and buy a quality pencil. I have never, ever used a worse pencil for cursive than the Kura Toga, and I have seventy-two models of mechanical pencils, not counting all the models I've handed off to my grandkids. No pencil on the market comes close? If so, it's because all the others are so far out in front the Kura Toga is blinded by the dust.
Like most who who use pencil, I suspect you have very little exoperience with mechanical pencils, and don't spend a lot of time writing.
@@jamesaritchie1 I’ve tried a fair few, but definitely not that many. What’s your favorite?
A Japanese pencil is never over-engineered, nor is he under-engineered. He is engineered precisely as he means to.
This made me nostalgic. My teacher will reprimand any student who use pencil to write exam answer. People should be confident when writing using the Pen.
I have 2 Kuro Toga (rotating lead) and love them. I studied engineering.
The Uni Kuru Toga is by far the best mechanical pencil I have ever used. Also, as a lefty, it keeps the lead from breaking as I push across the page.
I would love to own all these pencils. There is no such thing as over engineered pencil. They are always under engineered and can be improved more
I used to use the kuru toga. Amazing eraser, never broke the lead, and it lasted insanely long. I was even using 5mm lead, not 7mm. I no longer go to school (graduated) but still have the pencil. The best pencil I've ever had.
It's junk, and lead does frequently break.