Although I love to write using mechanical pencils, I have been using low quality ones throughout my early years either in school and when I started to work. The mechanical pencils either felt too light, the leads keep breaking or become loose when I was writing, or the tip of the lead got slanted which resulted in uneven and smeared letters. Also, some mechanical pencils got broken and stopped working after a while, and they had to be thrown away.

Later throughout the years, I got a better writing experience with a higher quality mechanical pencil with Pilot Supergrip and Flexgrip 0.5mm provided by my company. They really felt good in my hands and they seem to last very long too. So far after more than 2 years of usage, they still work fine and write very well. The leads rarely break too.

The Pilot Supergrip and Rexgrip are rather cheap, about RM3.30 for one piece, surely great value for money. And the common leads from brands such as Pilot and Buncho are very cheap too, and most importantly they are good. Having said that, I've never tried better mechanical pencils and leads, hence the purpose of this thread.

Just today out of curiosity, I've actually made an online purchase for the Staedtler 925-25, 925-35 and UnikuruToga Roulette. It's not of an impulse buy as have never owned a high quality mechanical pencil before. My question is, do the leads really matter? The Buncho and Pilot 2B polymer leads only cost RM0.60 to 0.80 around that range, but the upmarket brands of polymer lead cost up to RM12 or higher.

I just bought the Rotring Tikky polymer lead for RM12.90, and there are only 12 pieces. The Buncho leads only cost RM0.64 for 24 pieces. Big price difference.

Back to the question, does the quality of lead matter, and if yes what is usually recommended? There is a huge price difference between the Buncho / Pilot polymer leads and the boutique brands from the likes of Rotring etc.

Thanks for the response which was much appreciated. I did check on the Rotring 600 but the price is almost RM150 so I disregarded it. Since you recommended the Rotring Rapid Pro, I just checked on it and the price is RM180. Wow, really high end for a mechanical to cost this much. Perhaps next time when I feel like an upgrade. It's quite a large jump from the Pilot Supergrip/Rexgrip RM3 to RM150+.

I just spent RM160 for 3 mechanical pencils. I paid RM37.50 for the Uni-Kuru Toga Roulette and RM59.70 for the Staedtler 925-25 and 925-35 each. Will see how they perform first.

As for the pencil leads, it is unfortunate I just bought the Rotring Tikky B instead of 4B. The seller only has HB and B as 2B has run out of stock. I didn't wait for the 2B stock to come next month and bought the B instead. Hopefully the blacks are not too light with B. Next time will choose 4B with other premium leads from Pentel Ain Stein.

I presume the Pentel Ain Stein 4B will have the same darkness as cheap Buncho 2B leads but smoother writing and less breakage. With regards to breakage of leads, after I used the Pilot Supergrip and Rexgrip, the leads do not break easily anymore. The leads broke a lot when they are used with really cheap mechanical pencils. The Pilot Supergrip and Regrip mechanical pencils are actually quite good for the price (RM3.30/each).

I can't wait to see how the costlier Staedtler and Uni-Kuru Toga pencils will compare to the cheap Pilot Supergrip/Rexgrip. Will likely get the shipment by next week.

Yes, 0.5mm is the best size for me as I only write with the pencils. No drawing.

For the first time I bought Staedtler 925-35 0.7mm as I wanted to try how 0.7mm will feel in the hands. I have never tried 0.7 before as I've written in 0.5 all my life.

Ok thanks for the tip on getting Pentel Ain Stein 4B leads at the nearest bookstores. I rarely go to shopping malls these days and usually purchase on Shopee. Will keep that in mind.

It is interesting you brought up about getting Rotring mechanical pencils only as collection. Similarly, I question myself why I need to buy better mechanical pencils when I already enjoy writing on the cheap Pilot Supergrip and Rexgrip pencils. They are adequately high quality to me at just a price of RM3.30. I guess sometimes we just want higher quality, to experience the slight uniqueness of these pencils, either the better build quality(metal body, retractable/non-retractable tip etc.) or slightly improved writing experience. I hope after I get the Staedtler and Uni-Kuru Toga Roulette pencils, they don't end up in the drawer or box as collection. This story reminds me of Bill Gates. He once mentioned he has many expensive cars in his garage, but he uses the Ford Focus the most as his daily drive.

Nice design of the mini holder for the most expensive mechanical pencils. Will check out the other available designs.

Just checked on the Pilot S30. Cannot find it anywhere in Malaysia, not sold in Malaysia. So I guess this must be a high end product. So I checked on the price and found that it is selling at USD150. After conversion it is RM450+. Wow, at that price I think I will put it in a nice display box and keep it as collection rather than use it for writing. 😝

I found a pencil/pen holder in Shopee which is more to my taste. However, the price is too high at RM50+ for one piece so I won't be getting it yet. The pen holders which you posted above are much value for money but it is a bit too small and cute for my preference.







https://www.google.com/url?q=https://shopee...33rUkerEzJYLDlQ

Quick one. Since you are experienced and have given good advice, I need your help again. Others can advise too if you have experience with the mechanical pencils as mentioned below.

Long story short, somehow I need to get another pencil. Won't get into the details.

I have ordered the below, shipment on the way :
1. Uni Kuru Toga Roulette (0.5mm)
2. Staedtler 925-25 (0.5mm)
3. Staedtler 925-35 (0.7mm)

If given a choice, which one will you pick to add to the collection of 3 pencils above? Pick one only.
1. Zebra Delguard standard (0.5mm) RM26.70
2. Zebra Delguard ER (0.5mm) RM37.70
3. Zebra Delguard LX (0.5mm) RM39.70
4. Zebra Delguard LX Limited Edition (0.5mm) RM69.70 picture below

5. Uni Kuru Toga Advance standard (0.5mm) RM27.70 picture below

6. Uni Kuru Toga Advance (0.7mm) RM34.70 picture below

7. Uni Kuru Toga Advance Upgrade model (0.5mm) RM57.90 picture below

Before anyone recommend Rotring 600 or Rapid Pro, I would like to leave this out at the moment as it's RM150+ a piece which is above the budget I m willing to spend. Right now I just want to try few samples below RM80.

Thanks for the response. Will likely go with the Uni Kuru Toga Advance although the Pentel Orenz was recommended since the Pentel Orenz is only available in 0.2mm and 0.3mm. If 0.5mm, it is only available in Pentel Orenz Nero version, and this Nero 0.5mm costs RM187.00 which is close to RM200, even more expensive than the Rotring 600 and Rapid Pro.

Let me warm up with the cheaper mechanical pencils first. After few months then maybe I will try the models costing above RM100 up to RM200.

The Zebra Delguard LX Limited Edition which costs RM69.70 looks good although it is 2 times the price of the cheaper Zebra Delguard LX and other models. There is no difference in the functions and it's just the more elegant metal body of the Limited Edition that adds to the price. IN other words, we are just paying a higher price for the looks only, no difference in terms of function and features. The Zebra Delguard will need to wait next round..



This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 19 2021, 12:14 PM

OK just placed order for the Uni Kuru Toga Advance model and not the Upgrade model since I wanted the rotation clutch to be visible.

Time to rest for a while before I try the costlier mechanical pencils later, maybe closer to year end. 4 pencils will ship together. Good to compare all these "upmarket" mechanical pencils to my current RM3 Pilot Rextrip and Supergril models just to have a feel of the higher quality pencils first.

Ok, a short update. Received the Staedtler 925 35 07 and Uni Kuru Toga Roulette yesterday and tested and compared the pencils to my cheap cheap Pilot Rexgrip and Supergrip (RM3 each). I'll make it short so that you guys won't get bored.

Firstly, the Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga all come with original leads, 3 leads included inside the pencils. I asked the seller if the leads are HB, B, 2B, and the seller responded by saying most likely it is HB. I find the original lead inside the pencils to be hard and slightly light in the shade, not as dark as 2B lead from Buncho. Also, when writing on paper, the harder HB lead is not as smooth as 2B Buncho as there is slight friction on the paper when the lead rubs against the paper.

In summary, even though the original leads which are included in the Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga pencils are high quality, they are not confortable to write on and the shade is too light for my preference. So I took out all the original HB leads and replaced them with cheap Buncho 2B. Much better!! Smoother writing experience with the softer lead of 2B and also darker shade.

OK. Now the quality of the pencils. In short, I find the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette to provide the best writing experience after comparing it to both Staedtler 925 35 07 and cheap Pilot Rexgrip/Supergrip. The rotating mechanism inside the Uni Kuru Toga really works. The lines always stay sharp on the paper and do not become thicker after writing for a while. Consistent thickness of the lines with the Uni Kuru Toga. I can feel the mechanism rotating the lead when I was writing as the rotated lead caused a slightly higher friction on the paper. Nevertheless, it is not really noticeable after getting used to it for a while. The writing experience is still smooth with the Uni Kuru Toga although the lead is rotating all the time. I know the mechanism is working because the lines always stayed sharp and consistent and didn't smear or become thicker.

Now, going to the Staedtler 925 35 07. This is a 0.7mm version compared to Uni Kuru Toga Roulette 0.5mm. The weight of the metal pencil feels good in the hands as I think this pencil is the heaviest when compared to Uni Kuru Toga Roulette and Pilot. After trying both Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga, the cheap Pilot pencils which are made of plastic feel too light, like a toy. Although the Staedtler feels good to hold and has even smoother writing experience than the Uni Kuru Toga (as it doesn't have any rotating mechanism), the lines do not stay consistent. Just like the cheap Pilot, the lines will go from 0.7mm to 0.9mm or maybe 1.0mm on the paper after writing for a while, then I would have to manually rotate the pencil to get 0.3mm from the sharp tip of the slanted lead, then the lines will slowly go wider from 0.3mm, 0.4.m, 0.5mm to 0.9mm c before the pencil is manually rotated by the user again.

Personally I prefer writing on the Uni Kuru Toga a lot more than the Staedtler as the lines always stay consistently sharp without me having to manually rotate the pencil.

Also, I am lucky the seller didn't ship the other Staedtler 925 25 05 to me in the first shipment (I ordered 2 Staedtler 925). For this reason I have exchanged this Staedtler 925 25 05 to the Zebra Delguard.





I don't think I'll be using the Staedtler 925 35 07 a lot but it is fine since I can use it as display. It looks beautiful and solid in dark blue.

My cheap Pilot, not worth showing here so they are hidden.


This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 21 2021, 02:00 PM

In summary,

The Pilot at RM3 a piece still writes great and value for money at its price point. The writing experience is almost the same as the Staedtler when it comes to the lead getting out of shape, causing the lines to become wider and smeared after a while before the pencil is required to be manually rotated to maintain the required thickness of the lines. However, the Pilot feels a lot lighter than both Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga.

The cheap Pilots will be great for those who like very light pencils which are still great to right on. At RM3+ a piece, you cannot complain much.

Moving up to the Staedtler 925, this one feels a lot heavier and solid in the hands due to the metal body. It not only feels good in the hands but looks better too. Writing experience, not much to talk about as there is nothing unique about this pencil other than the high build quality. Just like the Pilot, the lines don't stay the same after you write on it for a while, as the words will become thicker or smeared. Imagine the lead is 0.5mm but after writing for a while, the lines will not stay 0.5mm but change to 0.7mm or maybe 0.9mm depending on the angle of the tip.

LASTLY, Uni Kuru Toga provides the best writing experience to me. It really maintains the thickness of the lines and you don't need to manually rotate the pencil while you write. The feel in the hands is also good.

The weight of the metal body Staedtler and Uni Kuru Toga is just right as these pencils don't feel too heavy in my hands. They are still comfortable to write on.

The Pilot pencil now feels like a toy. Although it is still comfortable due to the light weight, it now feels too light. Just like a toy pencil. Still good though and as I said earlier, at RM3 you can't complain.

That's all for today. Will be receiving the Uni Kuru Toga Advance and Zebra Delguard soon. I don't think I'll be disappointed with either these pencils as the Roulette and Staedtler have met my expectations.

I originally posted this thread on the Hobby and Collectible section but it was moved to Kopitiam by the moderator.

Kuru Toga Roulette is a good pencil. Surprisingly the cheap Buncho 2B leads work well on this pencil too. Will explore the higher quality leads next time but don't think will spend much money on expensive leads.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 21 2021, 02:19 PM

Unfortunately I have not tried the Uni Nano or any other lead yet. I just received the Rotring Tikky 0.5mm B lead but have not tried it on the pencils. I wanted to get the 2B but it is out of stock and the seller will only receive the new batch by next month.

So far I haven't experienced any breakage with Buncho 2B yet. Will likely try the much recommended Pentel Ain Stein 2B (3B or 4B if available) or the Uni Nano when the time comes. I don't know what to expect with these costlier leads which cost more than 10X the Buncho leads. If it is smoother(softer) and darker in shade than the cheap Buncho, it would be good.

The original HB lead inside the new pencils does not feel good. The hard lead causes more friction when it rubs on the paper, and the shade is also considerably lighter than 2B. To me, I think minimum B would be necessary, 2B ideal. No experience with 3B or 4B but these are quite rare I think.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Apr 21 2021, 08:29 PM

Thanks. I do not have the Pentel Ain Stein leads as the seller didn't have 0.5mm 2B for sale. Only the Ain Stein 0.2mm and 0.4mm 2B are available.

Will try the Ain Stein 0.5mm 2B once the stock is available. At the meantime, the Buncho 0.5mm 2B works well enough for me. Not sure what to expect with Ain Stein 0.5mm 2B.

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.

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.

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.