Tombow Mono 100 Pencil Review

How do I integrate wooden pencils into my daily writing arsenal?

That is such a ridiculous question but it is where I am at mentally right now. I have become a pencil believer, with much gratitude to my compadres at Erasable, but taking a pencil with me for regular, daily use is a challenge I have yet to overcome.

The easy answer is to just do it, right? That is all well and good, but I am a peculiar and particular individual when it comes to things like writing instruments (I write a blog about these things for goodness sakes!) Daily wooden pencil use is a hump I haven't been able to get over, as much as I want to.

I think the carry aspect is what stops me on most days. When I leave the house, my notebook is in a front or back pants pocket, and a pen or three is clipped to my shirt or in a pocket somewhere. Wooden pencils do not work in this way, and therefore are never considered for this task.

I'm rambling about this because I think I have found the pencil for me in the Tombow Mono 100 and I want it to be a bigger part of my writing life. This is far and away the best looking pencil I own, the HB graphite lead is smooth with just a hint of feedback, the point holds an unreal amount of time, it's Japanese (I'm admittedly biased), and LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS!

The Tombow Mono 100 is the only pencil I have thrown in my backpack to take from home to work and back because I wanted it available to me at all times. My Topo + Doane Mountain Bag has the perfect vertical slots for pencil carry and the Mono 100 travels well in it. I need to go ahead and stock my desk so I have a few available at all times.

That still doesn't solve my carry problems though. I know there are bullet pencil options and caps that prevent breakage, but I don't want to settle either. Like a good pen, I want to use it when and where and how I want. Answering all of those questions is the journey I am on.

(JetPens is a sponsor of The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Tombow Mono Graph Shaker Mechanical Pencil Review

To compare any mechanical pencil to the Uni-ball Kuru Toga is unfair. The Kuru Toga is a game changer in so many ways, especially in the value it provides. It’s great technology for a great price. In a world where the Kuru Toga didn’t exist, the Tombow Mono Graph Shaker Mechanical Pencil might be king of the mountain.

I picked up this pencil from JetPens for its looks and expected very little else. Boy was I surprised. The first thing I noticed is how solid this mechanical pencil feels. It has some weight to it compared to other pencils in this category. The plastic barrel has a thick wall to help balance the barrel with the added weight of the shaker mechanism. I don’t want you to think this is a heavy pencil because it’s not. It just feels different than other pencils in this category.

The shaker also comes with lock protection, requiring a quick press of the clip downward to keep the shaker in place and prevent accidental lead advancement. The Mono Graph Shaker also comes with one of the largest erasers I’ve seen in a mechanical pencil, and it twists to extend, and it uses Tombow’s famous Mono eraser, AND it’s refillable.

The looks are classic Tombow too. The blue, black, red, lime, and pink barrels are stylish in their own right, but there was no way I could pass up the famous blue/white/black stripes of the Mono color scheme. So good looking.

This feels and functions like a $10 or more pencil. For less than $6 the Tombow Mono Graph Shaker is a steal and is one of the best mechanical pencils I’ve used in a long time.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Tombow Mono 100 Wooden Pencil Winners

It is fun to get hooked on new types of products, isn't it? Wooden pencils will never top some of my favorite pens but they are shooting up the charts of some of my most used writing instruments. And thanks to JetPens I am able to share awesome products like the Tombow Mono 100 Wooden Pencil with readers like you.

And the winners are:

Congratulations guys! Get in touch via the Contact page and let me know what lead grade you would like and I'll ship them right out. You have one week to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered!