“I very much disagree with your list.” An Artist’s Look at their Top 10 Mechanical Pencils.

(My good friend Carol, aka Slumberland Studio has thoughts on mechanical pencils. As an artist, she has needs that I don’t have, and was happy to share them with me. She kindly allowed me to share them with you, too.)

Hi Brad,

You got it incorrect, and I’m sorry I very much disagree with your list! As we are pals I think you know I love you and I would like to be the first to help you with this. ;)

I have been using mechanical pencils - or as I knew them in my teens as drafting pencils some 50 years ago - and still do daily, when I was in drafting class in high school. Drafting pencils were used for detail in class - they were constant width and line quality and thin lines. They are purpose made.

I write this as to first define the topic. Over the decades (gasp!) these pencils are more widely used by artists and writers, however the primary rationale still is valid. Technical lines with consistent value, hue, and weight. Wooden pencils are for tone, and line shading weight for thick and thin, and light and dark. Mechanical - these are the go to for “let’s not change - let’s be reliable for no variation whatsoever” - haha.

Here’s a look at what my list would look like.

10- Stadetler 925

9- Platinum Pro-use 171

8- Pentel Orenz Automatic

7- Pentel Sharp p205

6- Pilot S10

5- Spoke Model 4

4- Uni Kura Toga Metal Phantom

3- Rotring 600

2- Pilot S20 or S30

1- Pentel Orenz Nero Automatic

Runner up that I couldn’t get on the list but wanted to Pentel Kerry.

Pencils that are vintage that hold my heart are the Alvin Draftmatic but it can’t make my list because it’s not practical for use with that razor knurling. I can appreciate it and love it and would never sell or lose mine but they don’t get used. Tombow Shaker as well not practical as the shaking causes more problems than it solves for.

Likewise pencils that would compete high up on the list include Luddite Tech Draw/Everdraw from Japan and Pilot Automac, both are difficult to find and if you do will cost.

Oddball mechanical pencils that I adore include Ohto MS01, Pentel PG5, Rotring Tikky Retro (older model without that rubber grip), Pilot Legno, Uni Shift Pipe Lock, TWSBI Precision and Rhodia mechanical pencils.

Thanks for listening. I’m passionate about mechanical pencils as you are with fountain pens. First loves.

Love, Carol Slumberland Studio

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Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil Review

Is the Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil the best technical advancement in stationery over the past 20 years? It might be, and if it isn’t, it’s near the top of the list. As a counterpoint, does anyone need the lead rotation mechanism that sets this pencil apart from the rest of the mechanical pencil market? We will get to that point in a minute.

This is far from the first Kuru Toga we have reviewed on The Pen Addict. We will mix one in every year or two when they come out with a new and interesting model. The pricey Kuru Toga Dive ($50-$100, depending on a litany of variables,) was, and still is, an outlier in the interesting department, and still brings all the pencil heads to the yard. The standard Kuru Togas, like the colorful $7 KS model, keeps the product lineup fresh, interesting, and popular.

Where does one of their latest releases - the Kuru Toga Metal - fit in with the rest of the product lineup, and the overall mechanical pencil space?

The barrel opening helps show the rotation in action, moving from white to orange as it engages.

On merit, this is a great pencil. The aluminum barrel gives it a nice feel in hand - sturdy and solid, but not heavy. The grip and barrel feature varying widths of ridges for a stable grip feel. The clip is strong, the knock is nice, the nose cone is designed … wait, what’s that in the nose cone?

Aside from the metal barrel, Uni is marketing a resin nib damper that reduces tip wobble. Has mechanical pencil tip wobble been a problem that I have overlooked for years, because never once have I run across it. I guess maybe if the pencil features a retractable pipe there could be, but the Kuru Toga Metal doesn’t have that feature. Traditionally, mechanical pencil tips feature one large nose cone that is rigid and static, with no opportunity to wiggle. And given the detailed work that is often required from pencils like this, I think I would have heard more about it.

From L to R: no nib damper, nib damper, no nib damper.

But then again, there has to be a reason to charge $36 for a mechanical pencil. I’m just not sure “nib damper” is on my checklist of required features.

Rewinding back to my earlier question: do you need a lead rotation mechanism in your mechanical pencil? I’ll be the first to tell you that I like this feature, and it absolutely works as described. To test it, I fixed my fingers on the grip and wrote the same phrase over and over to see what the tip of the graphite looked like when finished. It came to almost a perfect point, which is impressive.

The graphite shape after my fixed grip writing. It works!

What if I rotate the pencil in my hands while using it? Does the mechanism still work? Absolutely, but then you just have a normal mechanical pencil in your hands where your manual grip rotation works alongside the mechanical rotation and makes different width lines on the pages, depending on the position of the graphite.

Is this too much to think about? I think so. I’m a pen and pencil rotator, so outside of fountain pens, I’m constantly spinning the barrel in my hand. With pencils it is more prevalent, of course, and while it would be a choice to never spin the pencil and let the Kuru Toga do its thing, I don’t think that is possible.

Top to bottom: Kuru Toga Dive, Rotring 600, Kuru Toga Metal, Pentel Sharp, Spoke Model 4.

I buy Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils because they are well-made mechanical pencils and they look cool. I don’t buy them for the lead rotation technology, despite the fact I think the technology is awesome. I’m guessing this is an obvious take, and many people fall into this category. I like the rotation when I need it … have I ever needed it?

The last bit to cover is where the Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil fits within my recommendations of the rest of the Kuru Toga product lineup. The $36 price tag makes it easy to move down the rankings, especially given that I believe the Roulette model is the best model, and is only $13.50. That is a steal at that price. The Advance model ranks ahead of the Roulette in style options, and costs even less at $8.50.

Instead of listing out even more I’d pick ahead of it, I think the only one I wouldn’t is the Advance Upgrade model. I didn’t get along with that barrel design at all.

I completely get along with the Metal model, I’m just not sure the price gets along with the competition.

(This pencil was sent to me by a friend living in Japan. Thank you Jacob!)

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Staedtler 771 1.3mm Mechanical Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Every now and then, I get my hands on a writing instrument that is so far outside of my normal wheel of interest. Sometimes it's a delightful surprise, and other times it ends up being a short-lived interest. Either way, trying new things is the ultimate goal. In the case of this mechanical pencil, I've been grinning so much while using it to jot notes and doodles.

The Staedtler 771 mechanical pencil is a bold, playful pencil that features 1.3 mm HB lead that lays down thick, smooth lines of graphite. The 771 is comically large, and I really giggled when I first grabbed it. Despite the loud yellow and black color scheme, it's incredibly comfortable and easy to use. After using it a few seconds, it reminded me of the large diameter (10mm) pencils students were given in kindergarten and first grade while we learned to write our alphabet. The large diameter is easier to hold and control for little hands, and the same is definitely true for this mechanical pencil.

If I had to guess, one of the main business cases for this pencil is for school children who are learning to write. It's a robust, ergonomic pencil that doesn't require sharpening. Plus, it comes with a substantial eraser that will last quite a while since you can extend more as you wear it down.

The 1.3mm lead size isn't unheard of, but it's not common in mechanical pencils. This lead is wide, and it wears down to a flat surface in just a few strokes. If you continually rotate the pencil while writing to prevent a flat side, you end up with a wonderfully stubby round piece of lead that makes roughly 1mm lines when writing. For me, I don't really enjoy rotating this pencil as I write since it has a clip and a three-sided body that messes with how the pen feels in my hand.

While this pencil is great for young people who are learning how to write by hand, this is also a great choice for artists that want a wide line that maxes out at just 1.3mm. Graphite and pencils have a larger diameter core that eventually gets ruined by the necessity of sharpening the pencil or graphite stick. You can do a lot of shading with this 1.3mm pencil, and you never have to sharpen it or constantly determine how the line is changing as the lead wears down closer to the wood casing.

And you can also compare this to the more engineering-focused lead holders, though those typically use large lead sizes as well. Still, the perk of the Staedtler 771 compared to a lead holder is ease-of-use. Need more lead? Just click the back of the pencil to extend some more. Want to retract the lead so you can safely stow it in a pocket or bag? Easy. Not so much with a lead holder.

Along with the large body, triangular grip, and wide lead, there's also a lead cushioning system built in to the pencil to protect the lead from excessive pressure. Again, a great feature for people that are learning how to write. In my testing, it works well at preventing lead breaks.

Whenever I see a pencil with a tiny eraser, I mumble and complain about how pointless it is. If you're going to put an eraser on a pencil, make sure it's a useful one. The erasers you find a woodcase pencil are great, but when they're gone, they're gone for good. The 771 features an extendable eraser that should last for many mistakes, and does a great job at disappearing the wide 1.3mm graphite marks. And if you need more erasers, they're easy to replace and don't cost much either (about $2 for a 3-pack).

Writing with the pencil is comfortable thanks to the wide body, triangular shape, and rubber grip section, but this isn't a pencil that I reach for when I want to write notes. The large lead size just doesn't pair well with my relatively small writing style — the letters are hard to read. But, this has been a go-to for drawing and doodling since you can get a lot of different line widths from different sides of the lead, and it also does a great job at shading.

At $9.75, the Staedtler 771 1.3mm mechanical pencil is a lot of fun, and I think it meets its purpose beautifully. It looks silly, but that's okay. It's supposed to be fun because learning to write and drawing is fun. If the school-themed yellow/black colorway isn't your thing, there are other colors too (white, black, and blue)! Just be sure to pick up some extra lead with your order since you'll go through it quickly while rediscovering your inner child.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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