Deleted, duplicate

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 25 2021, 09:01 AM

Does anybody know if there are fake Pentel Ain Stein leads being sold in the market? I just went to Shopee and found out that the price of the Pentel Ain Stein leads vary significantly between different sellers.

The cheapest tube of Ain Stein lead which consists of 40 leads cost RM2.00. It gave me a shock as it is a lot cheaper that I had expected. The most expensive same Ain Stein lead sold by another seller costs RM27.00.

0.5mm 2B most common, followed by 4B and 3B. For the same Pentel Ain Stein 0.5mm 2B/3B/4B lead(40 leads per tube), the price on Shopee varies with different sellers as follows;

RM2.00
RM3.75
RM4.90
RM5.23
RM5.50
RM12.90 *
RM16.00
RM16.50
RM17.00
RM20.35
RM22.00
RM27.00

* the seller whom I bought the mechanical pencils from (Japanstationery) also sells the Pentel Ain Stein leads but I didn't buy from him previously as the lead only comes in 0.2mm and 0.4mm. The 0.5mm is not available. The price sold by this seller is RM12.90. I also bought a Rotring Tikky 0.5mm B lead at RM12.90 from this seller.

Surprisingly there are few buyers who bought the Ain Stein from the higher priced items and left reviews. So the question, why there is such a big difference in price between the sellers for Ain Stein leads!?? I was expecting above RM12.90 for a tube but was shocked few people are selling at RM2.00 to RM5.23.

Are the pencils great for drawing and sketching as well?

I only use the pencils for writing.

I know of those who uses them for this purpose. alternates between nibs of different sizes and softness depending on what they're doing.

I bought rotring 600 from Amazon US ship to singapore .
Cost me about Sgd30 include shipping .
Cheaper than malaysia.

A short update on the comfort of the mechanical pencils after spending a considerable period of time writing on them. I have written earlier that the Zebra Delguard and Uni Kuru Toga Advance are more comfortable than the Staedtler 925 and Uni Kuru Toga Roulette earlier due to the larger diameter. That isn't true anymore.

I now find the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette to be the most comfortable pencil to write on in comparison to all the other pencils I have. After some investigation on my own as well as a Youtube video comparison (by a Japanese) which happens to coincide with my thoughts, here are my observations. The comfort of the pencils depends on several aspects. It's not only the weight of the pencil but the grip diameter of the pencil, the portion where you hold the pencil. And lastly, the feel of the pencil when you write with it - this is largely dependent on the quality or mechanism of the pencil such as the control of the lead at the tip.

In summary, personally I find the ideal shaft/grip diameter of the pencil to be not more than 10.0mm for it to be comfortable. This is personal as others may not feel the same. There will be less control on the pencil if the diameter of the pencil is larger. For more accurate or fine writing, a smaller diameter pencil will be better than a larger diameter pencil. The large diameter pencil will be useful for taking quick notes or scribble where accuracy is not important. I find the 10.4mm diameter of the Zebra Delguard Limited Edition and 10.7mm diameter Uni Kuru Toga Advance to feel a bit clumsy in my hands in comparison to the 9.9mm diameter Uni Kuru Toga Roulette which I prefer.

Secondly, the weight of the pencil. Light pencils may be more comfortable but too light does not feel good to me. As I mentioned earlier, the light Pilot Supergrip/Rextrip felt like a toy pencil. I just checked the weight and it's 9.2g. The Uni Kuru Toga Advance is also quite a light pencil, coming in at 11.8g. After writing with the Uni Kuru Toga Advance a while and comparing it to the heavier pencils such as Roulette (15.1g) and Staedtler 925(17.0g), the Advance feels too light. I prefer the heavier Uni Kuru Toga Roulette.

With my limited experience, I have narrowed down the criteria of future pencils that I will be purchasing in the near future;
1. The shaft/grip diamater of the pencils will need to be about 10.0mm or lower. 10.5mm and above feels less comfortable to me.
2. The weight of the pencil will need to be approximately 15.0g or higher.

I have shortlisted the Pentel Orenz Metal Grip which falls within this criteria as the next pencil to purchase (Shaft diam. = 9.5mm ; Weight = 14.0g). Perhaps get another Uni Kuru Toga Roulette in black although it may be silly to have 2 same pencils.

The Rotring 600's shaft diameter is only 8.1mm which will greatly aid accuracy. And at 23.0g it's heavier than the rest too. Surely something to look forward to. I can imagine the Rotring 600 to feel solid in the hands.

And lastly, on the Uni Kuru Toga Advance (2x rotation speed) vs Uni Kuru Toga Roulette (1x rotation speed), personally I feel the 1X rotation speed of the Roulette is good enough. The quicker 2X rotation speed of the Advance model creates a slight friction as you can feel the tip of the lead to be slightly loose when writing. There's slight movement or rattling with the lead when you write due to the mechanism in the Advance, and for this, it feels less comfortable than the Roulette. The Youtube video by a Japanese comparing the Advance and basic model of the Uni Kuru Toga also find the Roulette to write better than the Advance and for this reason, recommend the Roulette instead of Advance.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 30 2021, 10:02 PM

So you are in Singapore. Nice. SGD30 is cheaper than the local price here (RM149.70). How does it feel in comparison to the other pencils you tried? I presume the small diameter (8.1mm) contributes greatly to accuracy and fine writing while the heavier weight(23.0g) in comparison to most pencils makes it feel solid in your hands. The Rotring 600 is almost 3X heavier than the Pilot Supergrip/Rexgrip.

Based on my experience doing fine line drawing, sketches and writing..., YES, A good mechanical pencil is a great tool. Too lazy to sharpen pencils all the time and 0.5 lead usually breaks if I wanna do a very dark section or bold lines, so I started using Mechs with 0.7 2B lead.

Frankly it Does everything I need to, from sketches to writing, as long as u can manage the pressure n stroke. Tried quite a few and lost too many, including from the usual 3 (rotring/faber castell/lamy). Ended up using a more economical yet sturdy pentel. Still very good service to the day and grip size works for me. Retractable or not, big or small grip, depends how careful you are with it, and how it feels in your hands.

If I can share one advice, just go to a good stationery store (or a few, depends on what they offer) and try it in your hands first, you’ll always know which one works best for you. Can buy online if there’s good offers after. Simply because, you can always switch the lead , but a good mechanical pencil will be the more important investment first. Here’s my ever trustworthy, beaten up, yet favourite one for now.


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Where did you get your case from?[COLOR=red]

Since I am not a draughter or artist and only use a mechanical pencil to write notes, Buncho 2B lead is good enough for me. Compared to other brands I find it softer and darker, even with a certain "give" whereas other lead e.g. Faber-Castell seems more brittle.

But let me shill my favourite pencil for a moment. Back in my schooldays I tried so many brands looking for a good quality pencil but when I found this model, I stuck to it for life: Pentel Caplet.

It is small, slim, short and lightweight so it can be easily held in any position for writing or drawing, and makes shading and scribbling a pleasure. Some people like thick and heavy pencils; I personally prefer slim and light, so this is the pencil for me.

Unlike many budget pencils, the nose is strongly and finely constructed, and the mechanism is built to more precise specs. I have had other mechanisms break or go out of alignment, but this pencil can easily last a decade in regular use.

The cap can be removed or clipped on top. Leaving it off makes the pencil extremely lightweight, clipping it on gives a nice counterbalance. Totally situational and preferential.

TS this website has a great write-up/reviews on different mech. pens.

davesmechanicalpencils.blogspot.com

Used to have a Ballograf Rondo Mechanical Pencil, its a true tank. Made in Sweden. It was gifted to me by a pal from there when I was studying. Lost it when I left it somewhere. It was all metal, which I liked as many of the pens/pencils I've used that had rubber/synthetic keep breaking down due to bodily oil absorbtion or by oxidation.

Found a BICs copy of it - BIC bought Ballograf




Currently using a Faber-Castle TK-Fine 9717 0.7mm. Feels great to write for me and build quality is commendable whilst the price is still obtainable. While I really like Buncho for the deep blacks and effortlessness. Though it's more prone to breakage in which the FC doesn't help as its mechanism is quite simple (outdated)

Frankly speaking . i dont think there is much difference compare to 925 other than the more heavy and more solid build (less plastic part around ).I still prefer the Kurotoga because of the rotating lead mechanism .
The reason i bought this pencil is because i just want to try some more quality pencil . In fact i get my kurutoga after i bought rotring . I am no promoting rotring has a better writing experience than other here but in case you looking for one . can consider to get one from amazon sg because the price is cheaper .Actually last time i try to check if i can get one in malaysia , but dont see any seller selling rotring brand .that's why i go look for amazon and luckily i found one .

Just checked on Pentel Caplet. It costs RM2.40 which is cheaper than the Pilot Supergrip/Rexgrip. Nice to know when you have found a pencil you can stick for life. My current favourite is the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette.

Similarly Buncho 2B is good enough for me but I'll be trying some Pentel Ain Stein soon, in all 2B, 3B and 4B before I call it a day.

I too just write with mechanical pencils no drawing or sketches. Based on my limited experience with 0.7mm pencils where I only have the Staedtler 925-35 0.7mm, the only disadvantage with this 0.7mm pencil is the lines become thicker after you write for a while. The lines do not stay sharp, and since it is in 0.7mm, the smeared lines are more prominent than 0.5mm. It is unfortunate Uni Kuru Toga doesn't have a pencil which come in 0.7mm. Otherwise I would buy it.

Pentel Graphgear in the photo. I've not given in a serious look yet but will do later.

Just checked on Davemechanicalpencils blogspot. Quite good. I noticed the author doesn't like the tip of the Zebra Delguard too, just like me. BIC Ballograph, I just did a quick check and it is not sold here in Malaysia.

THanks for the post which is useful. Now I will forget about the Rotring 600 and won't be getting it. The price is not exactly cheap at about RM150.

Good to know you also prefer the Uni Kuru Toga than the rest of the mechanical pencils. I really like writing on the Roulette.

Regarding the Staedtler 925-25 0.5mm that you have, do you have the 925-35 0.7mm as well? I was just wondering if the 925-25-05 writes better than the 925-35-07. As you might have known, I bought the 925-35-07. Although it feels comfortable in the hands and writes very smoothly, even smoother than Uni Kuru Toga since it doesn't have any rotating mechanism built into it, the lines become thicker after you write for a while. Smeared lines. Personally I don't prefer the lines to get thicker and smeared after writing, and for this reason I prefer the Uni Kuru Toga over the rest of the pencils.

I was thinking perhaps the 925-25 0.5mm writes a bit better than the 0.7mm 925-35 due to the thinner lead. I like the feel of the Staedtler 925-35 in my hands, and the smoothness is even better than Uni Kuru Toga, but the major drawback is as said above. Whenever I wanted to write, I will always pick up the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette. The Staedtler was rarely used and inside the sleeve.

Just got to know the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette is the most popular model which received the highest sales. The snapshot of the store which I bought the mechanical pencils from. The Roulette is at the top with more than 1000 sold.





Roulette - >1000 sold
Pipe Slide - 611 sold
Advance 0.5mm - 472 sold
Disney Edition - 359 sold
Basic - 192 sold
Advance 0.7mm - 120 sold
Alpha Gel - 90 sold
Advance Upgrade - 60 sold
Advance 0.3mm - 54 sold
Basic 0.7mm - 34 sold
Rubber Grip - 31 sold
Doraemon limited edition - 24 sold
Advance Puma limited edition - 8 sold

sorry . no comment on the 925 0.7 on writing perspective even though i have the choice to choose between the 3 .I bought 0.5 that from kino without considering the 2 .i never use any pencil with lead size other than 0.5 .actually i only use buncho 0.5 never try other lead from other brand .I saw some lead can cost as high as RM10 for a tube .Will try out one day after i finish my buncho .

Die lor ... terkena racun tim.