Uni Kuru Toga Rotating Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm Blue

I really wanted to love this pencil, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me. Literally, the rotating lead mechanic doesn't work consistently.I wonder if it's an issue of my applying too much pressure when writing. I've always been a bit heavy-handed, which is why I went for the 0.7mm to start. However, I've been actively trying to ease off the pressure to no avail; the lead still appears not to rotate. Even when I lightly draw repeated short lines to activate the "engine" and accelerate the rotating and self-sharpening, it doesn't seem to work.Maybe I broke it/wore it down? When I first got the pencil it seemed to work as intended, but it doesn't now and this is after a quite small amount of use. I hope this is an uncommon issue, and I'll be trying replacement ... MoreI really wanted to love this pencil, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me. Literally, the rotating lead mechanic doesn't work consistently.I wonder if it's an issue of my applying too much pressure when writing. I've always been a bit heavy-handed, which is why I went for the 0.7mm to start. However, I've been actively trying to ease off the pressure to no avail; the lead still appears not to rotate. Even when I lightly draw repeated short lines to activate the "engine" and accelerate the rotating and self-sharpening, it doesn't seem to work.Maybe I broke it/wore it down? When I first got the pencil it seemed to work as intended, but it doesn't now and this is after a quite small amount of use. I hope this is an uncommon issue, and I'll be trying replacement Kuru Togas, but the above is my honest experience.

Great quality. However, not the most comfortable pencil to hold over long periods. Although, I am used to grips such as Uni Alpha Gel. The graphite sleeve keeps it from breaking. I don't think I could use a mechanical pencil that isn't Kuru Toga anymore; always having sharp graphite is the best! Good pencil overall, even if it isn't my personal favorite.

**Sub to ZevPro1 on YouTube**If someone were to tell me to use one word to describe the pencil, I would say: Great! As its name suggests (when translated to Japanese), this mechanical pencil solves a problem most people face - irregular lead shape.*Pros*- The Kuru Toga Machine is like super science.- The body design looks epic.- The grip section has ridges that increase grip on the pencil.- The Nano Dia lead is very dark and vivid.*Cons*- It's a bit too expensive. Costs not as much as a Delguard yet, though.In other words, this pencil will be my go-to for many months or years to come. Well done Mitsubishi Pencil (aka Uni-ball)!

Love the color, feels ok in the hand.I got this for solving crossword puzzles - I frequently rotate the pencil manually to keep the sharpest edge of the lead in contact with the paper. So I thought the auto-rotating mechanism of the Uni Kuru Toga would be perfect. It's a great idea, but it seems like I do a better job at keeping the sharp edge aligned than the pencil's mechanism does. You can tell it's working - they put a little logo on the rotating piece that you can watch slowly go around as you write. Sadly, it just doesn't seem to have the desired effect. Maybe a slightly faster rotation rate? I want to say that the direction of rotation shouldn't matter if the writer is right- or left-handed, or writing from left to right vs. right to left, but it would be ... MoreLove the color, feels ok in the hand.I got this for solving crossword puzzles - I frequently rotate the pencil manually to keep the sharpest edge of the lead in contact with the paper. So I thought the auto-rotating mechanism of the Uni Kuru Toga would be perfect. It's a great idea, but it seems like I do a better job at keeping the sharp edge aligned than the pencil's mechanism does. You can tell it's working - they put a little logo on the rotating piece that you can watch slowly go around as you write. Sadly, it just doesn't seem to have the desired effect. Maybe a slightly faster rotation rate? I want to say that the direction of rotation shouldn't matter if the writer is right- or left-handed, or writing from left to right vs. right to left, but it would be interesting to see if it made a difference in practice.I also bought two of the pipe slide versions, and their performance is about the same. Not bad, but not great either. I'll keep using them.

This is one of my two favorite mechanical pencils in my collection. I don't need to tell you how cool the Kuru Toga mechanism is (just watch the video), but I will tell you that this pencil is also supremely well balanced, and feels very comfortable in your fingers. The clicking mechanism to advance the lead is very soft and feels satisfying to press. It advances just a tiny amount of lead each time too, so if you are like me and instinctively click a few times every time, you won't need to always press your lead back into the sleeve a bit. I love the smoke color, and the semi transparent barrel is nice when I want to demonstrate the rotating mechanism inside. This is a must-have pencil that should be in every serious pencil collection.

When I saw Jetpens showcasing this item in one of their videos, I scoffed at the idea. Why spend extra money on a rotating mechanical pencil when you can just turn the pencil yourself?A couple weeks later and I am met with the exact problem I ridiculed the solution for. If you write at an angle and your lines are becoming too thick all the time, your lead twisting back to the position you were trying to move it from, then this might just be the pencil for you. It really does work and it has a good weighted feeling to it that I never really felt in other mechanical pencils before.But then again, I guess you could just break off the slanted piece of lead of your other pencil. Your choice!

So I bought this mechanical pencil to match with a pink seed radar eraser (also bought from you, lovely color by the way) and also with a pilot super grip 3-colored pen that I already had.But the mechanical pencil is surprisingly lightweight, it writes really smooth and fast and the color is really bright and beautiful.Also bought this to test the shipping times and my goodness did it arrive fast to Monterrey, Mexico, in just a few more minutes I'll place another order for a TWSBI fountain pen and a crystal ink bottle.Thanks for the great service!

This pencil changed my life.Well, my writing life anyway. My dad always used mechanical pencils when I was a kid, so I got used to them early. Even in grade school I couldn't understand how my classmates used those cheap plastic ones that came 10 to a pack. I rocked a Zebra back then and for many years after....until the retractable eraser/refills I used were discontinued or something and I just stopped using pencils for the most part. Because I couldn't have a retractable eraser!This is where my review will veer away from many others': I'm a huge fan of retractable erasers. I make a LOT of mistakes (for various reasons, some medical) and all the ink I crossed out or scribbled over was getting depressing. I actually stopped journaling for many years, it was that ... MoreThis pencil changed my life.Well, my writing life anyway. My dad always used mechanical pencils when I was a kid, so I got used to them early. Even in grade school I couldn't understand how my classmates used those cheap plastic ones that came 10 to a pack. I rocked a Zebra back then and for many years after....until the retractable eraser/refills I used were discontinued or something and I just stopped using pencils for the most part. Because I couldn't have a retractable eraser!This is where my review will veer away from many others': I'm a huge fan of retractable erasers. I make a LOT of mistakes (for various reasons, some medical) and all the ink I crossed out or scribbled over was getting depressing. I actually stopped journaling for many years, it was that bad. I came across the Kuru Toga and fell in love with it (except the green, which you can easily swap with parts from one of the pencils, 0.5 mm if you need all black like me).Now, I am very impressed with how well the cap erasers work. But I need the big guns when I write. I picked up one of the Tombow Mono Stick erasers (the big one) and I've been set for years.I'm sure some people may imagine it's weird using a pencil and a separate eraser all the time. But I can't live any other way now! Recently I decided to get a passport travelers notebook and my biggest hangup was how to keep my Kuru Toga and my Mono Stick in there (the Mono doesn't have a clip and I don't do pen loops). This was nearly a deal breaker because I put my pens away once I got this Kuru Toga. But alas! I got the round 2.3 mm Mono that has a clip and all is well.I absolutely love this pencil. I made it all black by swapping parts and found a retractable eraser that works for me. Yeah, there's some play in it but I only notice if I'm looking for it specifically. Having that fine point all the time makes any of the minor drawbacks more than worth it.I have multiple sets of one of these and a Tombow Mono Stick in different places all over my house. They're all I use now. I recommend everyone try it, especially if you've never tried one and you're on the fence.

Broke after about 6 months use

This was my favorite pencil (until I bought the Rotring 600). Yesterday, while engaged in sketching, the barrel inexplicably broke at the point where it attaches to the end mechanism where the lead extends and retracts. Unacceptable. It would appear that investing in higher quality, metal barrel pencils is worth the expense. My Kuro Toga cost about $9. My METAL Rotring 600 cost about $16, but I only had to buy it ONCE. Shame, because I LOVED the rotating mechanism. This would be great if they kicked up the quality and put it in a metal barrel. I would gladly spend $20 or more for such an item. This is a hint.

Probably the best 0.5mm propelling pencil out there!

I have several of these Uni Kuru Toga pencils, and I wouldn't use anything else now! The lead holder rotates a tiny amount each time you press down on the paper while you're writing. You can see this happening by watching the orange section just above the metal section- it has the logo printed in two places, and you can watch it rotate. This way, the writing edge of the lead is always sharp! They are solidly made, and come in a good choice of colours. It's easy to get hold of replacement 0.5mm leads, and I find that HB ones are a good compromise. You can load about 3 replacement leads by pulling off the button & the eraser, and dropping the replacements straight into the tube. There's not a lot more I can say about these pencils, other than that I really like them!