Please don't get me wrong. I was merely pointing out the pros and cons from my limited experience. I wasn't bashing FP. I like them, but, it's just not for me/my usage. Maybe more suitable for a different people/usage.

It is what I would categorize as the finer things in life. You get to a certain stage of your life and have the luxury to appreciate and enjoy those finer details. It is somewhat quite similar to that of a quartz vs automatic watch. One is better than the other at timekeeping.

I am not sure about the technology in FP and if any improvement can be made. I have yet to try a FP in a varying pressure environment either, heard that it will leak?

All in all, not my cup of tea doesn't mean it is not yours or others. Don't overlook the pros of FP too.

Looks good. Still new and unopened..

The price indicated on the price tag is almost the same as the selling price today. I guess you got a 50% off the price, or more during the close-out sale making the purchase a bargain.

Horses for courses. I did try a fountain pen about 30 years ago when I was in Form 2 or 3, bought by my parents of course. Didn't really like it and I think I made a mess out of the inks during refill. I actually prefer to write on quality ball point pens rather than fountain pens.

I have always preferred to use mechanical pencils wherever possible even with the cheap Pilots although the pen is mainly used for work purposes. I'm glad I tried the high quality mechanical pencils although the experience was a bit late for me. Better late than never though.

Good to hear the Pentel Ain Stein will be even smoother with less breakage when compared to Buncho 2B..Will try the Ain Stein 4B sometime.

Yes, the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette is metal but it really is quite light, not heavy. It is lightweight, slightly lighter than the Staedtler 925 and feels quite good in the hands. I'm getting the Uni Kuru Toga Advance as I wanted to try or own most of the good mechanical pencil models as all are different. The rotation speed of the mechanism in the Advance is 2 times quicker than the standard Uni Kuru Toga models which include the Roulette, so the writing experience between the Advance and Roulette will likely be different.

The knurled grip on the Roulette wasn't for me. Luckily I think I managed to unload it on Carousell, so yeah.

JetPens has a whole guide on these, so knock yourselves out here.

Just received the final 2 pencils to wrap it up.

Uni Kuru Toga Advance
Zebra Delguard Lx Limited Edition

The 4 mechanical pencils I have now should be quite complete. Thanks to all who responded especially junclj.



I haven't tried the Zebra Delguard yet but based on my limited experience with Uni Kuru Toga and Staedtler, the Uni Kuru Toga should be the one to get if anyone desires to own a good quality mechanical pencil. To me, the Staedtler 925 doesn't have the winning edge and feels inferior to the Uni Kuru Toga in terms of writing experience. Build quality of Staedtler is high and it looks quite elegant but that is where the good story ends.

Yet to try the Zebra Delguard but based on the online reviews and YouTube reviews, the pencil should be quite good for heavy handed users.

Should try a TWSBI if you're worried about running out of ink. it's a piston filler, with a huge tank, and being a demonstrator means you can see how much ink you've got left too.

And yeah.. paper quality does matter, but then again, hunting for good paper is part of the fun too. And it does not need to be expensive either, just need to hunt around a bit. I've seen notebooks being sold at Daiso, which are made by Kokuyo

The Pilot S30 that I mentioned earlier in this thread

thanks for the post. now i know i am not the only person who like mechanical pencil
My Lamy mechanical pencil at hometown atm...



This post has been edited by teckyuan: Apr 22 2021, 10:51 PM

Which one u reach for the most?

kurotoga . cause i scare my pencil fall to the ground by accident . i scare my lead sleeve skew haha..other pencil i just keep it in my closet . hardly used.

I initially ordered the Staedtler 925 25 05 and 925 35 07 but after receiving the latter, I cancelled the 925 25 05 and requested to exchange it with a Zebra Delguard after I found the Uni Kuru Toga to write much better than the Staedtler. Luckily the seller didn't post out the 925 25 05 together with the 925 35 07. Otherwise I would end up with 2 Staedtler pencils which will likely end up in the drawer most of the time.

Perhaps the 925 25 0.5mm writes better than the 925 35 0.7mm, I'm not sure but it didn't impress me too much when compared to the Uni Kuru Toga. I've now spent a bit of time comparing the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette and Staedtler 925 35 to the Advance and Zebra Delguard LX Limited Edition and will post my impressions in a short while.

A black Rotring 800+ had been a very worthwhile buy for me.

They sent me a Rotring 800 (silver) by mistake, and when I complained, they sent me the correct one, with a message to just keep the first one they sent to me, as it'll be too much of a hassle for it to be sent back to them.

Ok folks, would like to share my brief impressions after spending some time with few quality mechanical pencils which are considered as an upgrade to the RM3.00 Pilot pencils sold in your neighbourhood stationery stores.

Photo below shows from Top to Bottom ;
Uni Kuru Toga Roulette
Uni Kuru Toga Advance
Zebra Delguard Lx Limited Edition
Staedtler 925 35 07


Firstly, as seen here in this thread, it is down to personal preference as the pencil which I feel is comfortable may be considered as uncomfortable to another person. For instance, Synical found the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette to be uncomfortable but I find it fairly comfortable.

Comfort and looks are based on personal preference which is subjective. However, some aspects of the pencil such as the technology incorporated into it and the writing experience are objective so most people would be able to come to an agreement.

Ok straight to the point. To me, if you want something that is truly special and different, the Uni Kuru Toga would be it. After comparing all the pencils which include the Zebra Delguard with its patented unbreakable lead technology, the Uni Kuru Toga still remains as the best mechanical pencil to me in terms of writing experience. As mentioned earlier, the rotating mechanism inside the Uni Kuru Toga really works in keeping the lines sharp all the time as the lead is constantly rotated by the pencil. All other pencils which include Staedtler and Zebra Delguard write the same as the cheap Pilot, or any other pencil for that matter. The lines don't stay consistent and sharp as they get smeared and go wider after you write for a while. As a result of the thicker or wider lines due to the excessive slanted tip of the lead, the shade also gets lighter and not as dark.

As for the unbreakable lead technology of the Zebra Delguard, personally I don't find it unique as I don't usually break the leads with all pencils which I write on these days, even the cheap Pilot. Perhaps useful for people who are heavy handed who exert a lot of force on the pencil when writing on paper. I only break the leads when writing on REALLY cheap mechanical pencils, maybe those costing RM0.50 or 1.00 a piece. That was way back in time when I was in school.

In summary, for me the Uni Kuru Toga is the best pencil for writing as it maintains the thickness of the lines. With other pencils. If you want to maintain the thickness of the lines, you need to rotate the pencil 90 to 180 degrees with your fingers. Otherwise, you just continue to write with thicker and smeared lines ie. Instead of 0.5mm, you get 0.7 or 0.8mm thick lines, and with lighter shade.

Uni Kuru Toga ADVANCE vs. ROULETTE
Between the Advance and Roulette, I find that there is no difference in the function as both pencils maintain the line thickness very well. One is not better than the other although the rotation speed in the ADVANCE is 2 times that in the ROULETTE. Perhaps other more experienced users may be able to explain the advantage of the higher rotation speed in the Advance model. To me, there is no difference.

However there is a difference where the Roulette with slower rotation speed writes slightly smoother on the paper when compared to Advance. Just a small difference. It is likely the higher rotation speed which causes the lead to rotate quicker ultimately induces more friction on the paper when the lead is rotating at higher speed.

Comfort
All pencils feel comfortable to me but if I were to rank them in order, from most comfortable to least comfortable as follows;
1. Zebra Delguard and Uni Kuru Toga Advance (tie)
2. Staedtler 925 35 07 and Uni Kuru Toga Roulette (tie)

The larger diameter and smooth grip area of the Zebra Delguard and Uni Kuru Toga Advance contributed to the added comfort. The smaller diameter and textured surface of the grip area of both Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga Roulette brought down the comfort levels a little, but overall they are still fairly comfortable to write on. No complaints.

SUMMARY

I may sound like a broken record by now, but I would surely recommend the Uni Kuru Toga if you want a different and better writing experience from your RM1.00 to 3.00+ mechanical pencils found in your common stationery stores. I feel the basic models instead of the Roulette will be good enough. Perhaps the rubber grip or Gel grip version of the Uni Kuru Toga.

Zebra Delguard and Staedtler don't really feel too special in terms of writing experience but they are well made and look pretty good (metal body, beautiful design etc.). But in terms of comfort and particularly heavy handed users, the Zebra Delguard will be a good choice.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 23 2021, 10:56 AM

im amazed by this thread, i cant even remember when was the last time im writing. (im in IT line, photo/video as sides, rarely write anything)

Aha, Rotring, maybe later by end of the year or next year. Read a lot of good things about the Rotring and will try at least one model sometime in the near future. As for now, I'm happy with the Uni Kuru Toga.

Any recommendations on a lead to be used with Kuru Togas? I've used the basic one and the Roulette sometime back, stopped using because I could never find back the original lead or any lead suitable for it. I mainly use it for just note taking and writing (as you would with a pen).

Sorry, I only use the Buncho 2B with Uni Kuru Toga and all other pencils. I haven't tried the "upmarket" leads with the pencils yet.

I'm not sure about the original lead for the Kuru Togas. All the pencils came with original leads inside but I have replaced all the original leads with the Buncho 2B as I find the original leads to be too hard and light in shade. According to the seller, the original leads inside the pencils are likely HB grade which may explain the light shade and higher friction on paper.

I suppose you can use the Pentel AIN Stein 4B with the Uni Kuru Toga? The Ain Stein 4B was highly recommended in several reviews on YouTube and also 2 users here on this thread. I will try the Ain Stein 4B in due time but at the meantime the cheap Buncho 2B works well for me, surely better than the original lead(HB grade?) which came together with the pencils.

Just curious, what do you like about the original leads of the Uni Kuru Toga and how is it better than the Pentel Ain Stein 4B or Buncho 2B? Can these original leads for the Kuru Toga be purchased off the shelf?

mechanical pencil is where you go if you draft alot , but if you type a lot go get a get Cherry Mx brown keyboard . Recommend the brown switch if you type a lot . i come from blue to brown switch and find that brown is is better.

I still wonder how to define a high quality mechanical pencil is?

the smooth of writing ? that is depend on the lead you use right?

the mechanical mechanism? fast response? easy press? no stuck?

the precision of mechanical ? If 0.5mm mean can not offset even 0.01mm ?

the feeling on hand while writing? Completely solid feel ? or soft comfort feel? This one really personal prefer. Full metal vs plastic?

3 pages. Still no classify on what kind requirement of that so call high quality.