Dillon's Pencil Picks

[Dillo]

Thanks for such an informative, interesting review! I am currently using the standard 0.5mm Uni Kuru Toga, and I love the revolving mechanism - I print rather than write cursive and find that it really does work very well. But I find it is too light for my taste, and because of the way I grip pens/pencils, it creaks, making me fear I'll break the plastic. I know the high-grade didn't make your pick, but might it work for me (I know that's a mean question to ask anyone!)? Or maybe the roulette?

 

I will chance that it may possibly work for you. Most of what I didn't like was the very slippery aluminum grip section. Neither my standard or high-grade creak though. Basically, the high-grade uses an aluminum grip section and metal tip cone instead of the plastic grip section and plastic tip cone on the standard model. The inner mechanism appears to be identical.

 

Dillon

[Dillo]

I purchased a Kum lead pointer sharpner that will give me a fine point on the Lamy Scribble.

Sounds interesting. What is that? I like the Scribble lead holder, but it is a bit wide for my tastes. Does the Kum device sharpen the tip without much waste?

 

 

There is not much waste at all. There are two holes on the side of the pencil sharpener. One is a 2mm and the other hole is a 3.15 mm sharpener. The Kum sharpener is also great for wood pencils.

 

This is the pencil sharpener that I bought. There is also two extra blades that come with the sharpener that are inside of the pencil sharpener itself.

 

Kum Sharpener

 

I often sharpen by taking the lead out and sticking it in a 3.0 mm Caran d'ache Fixpencil in a Gedess lead pointer. This gets me rather acute points. When the lead gets too short, I often sharpen it with a small pen-knife.

 

Dillon

[bphollin]

I admit being bashful: I didn't realize "lead pointer" was the same as pencil sharpener (I guess in the same way that "lead holder" is another way of saying pencil). :embarrassed_smile: All the same, I just ordered the Kum from JetPens along with a 2mm Rotring 600.

[SteveE]

Hey - What about vintage pencils? My usual workhorse is an old Pentel 0.5 - the model number has long ago worn off. But I also use a couple of antique Autopoint pencils. These were the most commonly used by accountants before Pentel hit the market with 0.5 mm lead. I have several Autopoints, and they are super-durable. They are even still available new, I believe.

 

One of my interesting Autopoints is a double-ended pencil. One end has a blue sleeve, the other red. IIRC, the old Arthur Andersen standard for accountants' tick marks had the preparer using red lead and the reviewing manager using blue.

[JustinJ]

I admit being bashful: I didn't realize "lead pointer" was the same as pencil sharpener (I guess in the same way that "lead holder" is another way of saying pencil). :embarrassed_smile: All the same, I just ordered the Kum from JetPens along with a 2mm Rotring 600.

 

I think you will enjoy using the sharpener. I have bought several brands but found the Kum works best. I especially like being able to get finer points on my Lamy Scribble and other lead holders.

Edited August 27, 2012 by JustinJ

[Scylax]

Thank you Dillon, much appreciated!

 

If the grip section of the high-grade is slippery, I wonder whether the roulette solves the issue. My main concern there though is whether it might be uncomfortable to hold. Does anyone have one who could give me an opinion, maybe by pm since I don't want to derail a *very* interesting thread.

 

Thanks guys

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I think with the knurled grip on the Roulette, you should be fine. The pencil itself is balanced well. The knurling would make quite a difference. I don't think it's a derailing. I think the point of this was to share my perfect pencils and perhaps get people interested in their perfect pencil or help them find it. Speaking of which, maybe I should get one to try out. It's basically a high-grade with a different grip.

 

Bphollin, lead pointers sharpen only the lead while pencil sharpeners generally sharpen both wood and lead at the same time. Some in the past carved wood away from their pencil then used a lead pointer to point the lead. Lead holders on the other hand are a subset of mechanical pencils that hold thick leads.

 

Dillon

[Scylax]

Thank you!

 

I really appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing here, and you certainly are helping me find my ideal pencil! The kuru toga is the only one I've ever actually enjoyed using, since few things annoy me as much when I'm writing as the rapid blunting and thickening of pencil lead, and the higher-end ones sound like they solve my issues with the original (which, by the way, are not what I would call problems per se; I know I have a very odd grip which has caused me to literally snap in half many plastic pens and pencils!). If you do try a roulette, dare I be greedy enough to ask for some kind of mini-review? This one is so informative I want to read more anyway

 

Thank you!

 

Helen

[bphollin]

Thanks for that clarification, Dillon. As you no doubt can tell, pencil nomenclature is new to me. This has been an education! I appreciate it. Is my understanding correct that most wood pencils use ~2mm leads?

[brh]

If the grip section of the high-grade is slippery, I wonder whether the roulette solves the issue. My main concern there though is whether it might be uncomfortable to hold. Does anyone have one who could give me an opinion, maybe by pm since I don't want to derail a *very* interesting thread.

 

The Roulette has a very nice grip. It's, well, grippy, and I've not found it uncomfortable. I don't like the plastic KTs, had clips break and they just have an overall cheap feel about them. But the mechanism is great, and the Roulette takes it to a whole 'nother level. Are Roulettes available in .3? I might just die if they are. I don't really think this is derailing a thread, I personally would love to see this pencil thread blow up into something big!

 

Thanks for the reviews, Dillon!

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

The Roulette is only available in 0.5mm according to the Uni Japan catalog. If I do get one in the future, I'll be sure to review it. I do have a review on the Kuru-toga line. I just put it up.

 

Yes, that is true, most wooden pencils that have graphite leads have 2.0 mm leads in them. Some wooden pencils with softer grade leads like 4B use thicker leads as do many colored pencils.

 

Dillon

Edited August 28, 2012 by Dillo

[a m a r g o]

Hi,

 

I didn't like the Rotring 600. It was too heavy. The Rotring Tikky is excellent though. I used to have a few. The Technica X is a neat pencil. If you look, I have two double-knock Pilot pencils here. They didn't make the pick, but they are here anyway. One is new production, the Pilot Del-Ful. If you like that style, that's quite a pencil to look at. It not only extends the tip at the push of the button like a ballpoint, it is also a shaker, and the shaker mechanism is disengaged when the point is retracted.

 

About the 1.18 mm pencil, I'm still looking. I haven't tried that many. Maybe one of these days.

 

Dillon

 

You should try the Worthër Slight, amazing quality as the aluminum version of the Shorty, but quite heavy!

 

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I find that lighter pencils are usually more suited for long writing sessions, so I have been avoiding the Wörther Slight. I'm thinking of something lighter weight perhaps.

 

Dillon

Edited August 29, 2012 by Dillo

[JustinJ]

Hi,

 

I didn't like the Rotring 600. It was too heavy. The Rotring Tikky is excellent though. I used to have a few. The Technica X is a neat pencil. If you look, I have two double-knock Pilot pencils here. They didn't make the pick, but they are here anyway. One is new production, the Pilot Del-Ful. If you like that style, that's quite a pencil to look at. It not only extends the tip at the push of the button like a ballpoint, it is also a shaker, and the shaker mechanism is disengaged when the point is retracted.

 

About the 1.18 mm pencil, I'm still looking. I haven't tried that many. Maybe one of these days.

 

Dillon

 

You should try the Worthër Slight, amazing quality as the aluminum version of the Shorty, but quite heavy!

 

 

I have been looking at possibly purchasing the Worther Slight pencil, since reading about it here

 

Dave's Pencil Blog

[a m a r g o]

Hi,

 

I find that lighter pencils are usually more suited for long writing sessions, so I have been avoiding the Wörther Slight. I'm thinking of something lighter weight perhaps.

 

Dillon

 

I agree completely on the weight issues, but I don't think that a bigger lead than .9mm is any more suitable for writing either... bigger diameters are for free drawing/sketching.

 

 

I have been looking at possibly purchasing the Worther Slight pencil, since reading about it here

 

Dave's Pencil Blog

 

It´s built as well as the aluminium Shorty; the anodised black is awesome but beware of scratches on travel, I leave it at my desk all the time, and the natural aluminium Slight finish is better suited for a workhorse pencil.

 

Wörther rules!

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I'll look around and maybe you'll see something. I find that I still use my 1.4 mm pencil for a lot of writing. I miss it if I don't have it with me.

 

The issue I have with some of these is cost. I have to pony up money that I could spend on another fountain pen. We'll see. Most pencils I have are fairly low cost, and if they break, I can just move on with life. If they are expensive, I only take the risk occasionally.

 

Dillon

[Kugelschreiber]

I had a Slight and didn't find it heavy at all. I'm not sure if I've ever found any aluminum writing instrument too heavy. Another option for a 1.18 mp would be a vintage Autopoint. There are usually a good number of them available on ebay and they normally sell for modest prices.

[rdh]

I had a Slight and didn't find it heavy at all. I'm not sure if I've ever found any aluminum writing instrument too heavy. Another option for a 1.18 mp would be a vintage Autopoint. There are usually a good number of them available on ebay and they normally sell for modest prices.

 

You can also get new Autopoints directly from the source. It is interesting that they are located in Janesville, WI. I wonder if they were related to Parker.

 

Dave

[Kugelschreiber]

I had a Slight and didn't find it heavy at all. I'm not sure if I've ever found any aluminum writing instrument too heavy. Another option for a 1.18 mp would be a vintage Autopoint. There are usually a good number of them available on ebay and they normally sell for modest prices.

 

You can also get new Autopoints directly from the source. It is interesting that they are located in Janesville, WI. I wonder if they were related to Parker.

 

Dave

 

 

I prefer the vintage as they are usually advertising pieces and often for companies, etc., that no longer exist. They make nice conversation pieces in addition to being excellent pencils. Plus, I've wondered if the current Autopoints are as well made as the vintage ones were made.

[Scylax]

Thank you!

 

I really appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing here, and you certainly are helping me find my ideal pencil! The kuru toga is the only one I've ever actually enjoyed using, since few things annoy me as much when I'm writing as the rapid blunting and thickening of pencil lead, and the higher-end ones sound like they solve my issues with the original (which, by the way, are not what I would call problems per se; I know I have a very odd grip which has caused me to literally snap in half many plastic pens and pencils!). If you do try a roulette, dare I be greedy enough to ask for some kind of mini-review? This one is so informative I want to read more anyway

 

Thank you!

 

Helen

 

Forgive me bumping this thread, I hope that's okay, but I just wanted to say I picked up a Kuru Toga Roulette last week and so far I am happy with it, but it's very different - the grip is, as someone else commented 'grippy', which feels odd at first but certainly doesn't allow any slipping! The strangest thing to me is the balance - it's a little longer than the basic version, which at first really threw me off. I'm getting used to it slowly, but I have to say I do wish it was a little shorter. It feels nice and slim and sturdy though, and functions really nicely - I'm very glad I got it, anyway. Thank you so much for the review which prompted me to get this excellent pencil