Yet another innovation from Japan. "Kuru Toga" means "auto-rotate pencil" in Japanese. It is indeed an auto-rotating mechanical pencil. Every time the pencil is pushed against the paper, the internal gear automatically rotates the lead 9 degrees. This auto-rotating mechanism allows the Kuru Toga to maintain a sharp point when you write. No chisel edges ever! Chisel edge also makes the lead more prone to break due to the inbalance it introduces. So no chisel edge means more sturdy and long-lasting leads. This is the other benefit of the auto-rotating mechanism.
Yet another innovation from Japan. "Kuru Toga" means "auto-rotate pencil" in Japanese. It is indeed an auto-rotating mechanical pencil. Every time the pencil is pushed against the paper, the internal gear automatically rotates the lead 9 degrees. This auto-rotating mechanism allows the Kuru Toga to maintain a sharp point when you write. No chisel edges ever! Chisel edge also makes the lead more prone to break due to the inbalance it introduces. So no chisel edge means more sturdy and long-lasting leads. This is the other benefit of the auto-rotating mechanism.
in 2 offers
The lowest price for Mechanical Pencil - Uni - Kuru Toga - 0.5mm - Blue Barrel right now is $3.51 at Skout Office Supplies, compared across 2 retailers.
The all-time low was $2.81 on 10 Jan 2025 — today's price is 25% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 10 Sept 2026.
Mechanical Pencil - Uni - Kuru Toga - 0.5mm - Blue Barrel
Yet another innovation from Japan. "Kuru Toga" means "auto-rotate pencil" in Japanese. It is indeed an auto-rotating mechanical pencil. Every time the pencil is pushed against the paper, the internal gear automatically rotates the lead 9 degrees. This auto-rotating mechanism allows the Kuru Toga to maintain a sharp point when you write. No chisel edges ever! Chisel edge also makes the lead more prone to break due to the inbalance it introduces. So no chisel edge means more sturdy and long-lasting leads. This is the other benefit of the auto-rotating mechanism.
Yet another innovation from Japan. "Kuru Toga" means "auto-rotate pencil" in Japanese. It is indeed an auto-rotating mechanical pencil. Every time the pencil is pushed against the paper, the internal gear automatically rotates the lead 9 degrees. This auto-rotating mechanism allows the Kuru Toga to maintain a sharp point when you write. No chisel edges ever! Chisel edge also makes the lead more prone to break due to the inbalance it introduces. So no chisel edge means more sturdy and long-lasting leads. This is the other benefit of the auto-rotating mechanism.
Last updated at 10/09/2026 12:34:43
Mechanical Pencil - Uni - Kuru Toga - 0.5mm - Blue Barrel
Delivery between 15–17 Sept $10.39
Uni Kuru Toga Ks Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 Mm - Ice Blue
Delivery $32.23
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
originally posted on JetPens
I purchased the Uni Kuru Toga for the rotating feature. Although I feel it does do a good job rotating the lead, I'd like those who write in cursive or want to use it to draw to be aware that it will not rotate unless you lift it off the paper. So, I think this may be better for printing, math, and technical drawings. If you are someone who draws more fluid, organic shapes or if you are someone who does not lift your pencil off the paper when you write, you probably won't see much of a difference.With that all being said, it's a wonderful little mechanical pencil. It is comfortable for me to hold. I haven't had any writing or drawing fatigue with it so far. I also feel that it is light weight and easy to carry with me to my work. It feels sturdy like I could drop ... MoreI purchased the Uni Kuru Toga for the rotating feature. Although I feel it does do a good job rotating the lead, I'd like those who write in cursive or want to use it to draw to be aware that it will not rotate unless you lift it off the paper. So, I think this may be better for printing, math, and technical drawings. If you are someone who draws more fluid, organic shapes or if you are someone who does not lift your pencil off the paper when you write, you probably won't see much of a difference.With that all being said, it's a wonderful little mechanical pencil. It is comfortable for me to hold. I haven't had any writing or drawing fatigue with it so far. I also feel that it is light weight and easy to carry with me to my work. It feels sturdy like I could drop it on a hardwood floor and not worry about it breaking. Overall, I think it is a nice mechanical pencil for the price!
originally posted on JetPens
I would love to give this small feat of engineering five stars, but I can't. It wobbles; really not helpful when drafting. Or writing. The shaft housing the lead is not fixed securely to the barrel of the pencil (I guess it can't be, to be able to rotate the lead), so when you apply pressure to it against the paper, it moves. Very disappointing. I haven't used it since I figured that out. I just started rotating my mechanical pencil in my hand between strokes, instead. Same idea, better execution.
originally posted on JetPens
I received this pencil as a Christmas gift after asking for a good 0.3 mm pencil replacement for my other $5 Graphgear 500, which I use routinely. The Kuru Toga is definitely quite special, though its unique mechanism isn't as evident in 0.3 mm as another reviewer noted. This pencil is lovely for writing in a journal when I don't need my handwriting to be extremely neat as I like it in notes (hence the cheap drafting pencil). The spinning lead does make it a little difficult for me personally to really get down and dirty with the super neatness. I write extremely compact and small, so the rotation makes it difficult to get the right heft. Also, the barrel and tip are just too wide for me to comfortably grip for said precision as I am heavy handed and hold way too ... MoreI received this pencil as a Christmas gift after asking for a good 0.3 mm pencil replacement for my other $5 Graphgear 500, which I use routinely. The Kuru Toga is definitely quite special, though its unique mechanism isn't as evident in 0.3 mm as another reviewer noted. This pencil is lovely for writing in a journal when I don't need my handwriting to be extremely neat as I like it in notes (hence the cheap drafting pencil). The spinning lead does make it a little difficult for me personally to really get down and dirty with the super neatness. I write extremely compact and small, so the rotation makes it difficult to get the right heft. Also, the barrel and tip are just too wide for me to comfortably grip for said precision as I am heavy handed and hold way too close to the tip of the pencil.With all of that said, this pencil deserves the five stars. Even with such delicate lead size, the Kuru Toga works fantastically at what it's made for. I have no problems with lead breakage, no jams (so far, heh), and the eraser is pretty decent. Even though it's not the best pencil for my personal grip, I'd recommend it to anyone who writes -- it provides a great break for the regular scribbler.
Mechanical Pencil - Uni - Kuru Toga - 0.5mm - Blue Barrel
Delivery between 15–17 Sept $10.39
Uni Kuru Toga Ks Mechanical Pencil - 0.3 Mm - Ice Blue
Delivery $32.23
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
I purchased the Uni Kuru Toga for the rotating feature. Although I feel it does do a good job rotating the lead, I'd like those who write in cursive or want to use it to draw to be aware that it will not rotate unless you lift it off the paper. So, I think this may be better for printing, math, and technical drawings. If you are someone who draws more fluid, organic shapes or if you are someone who does not lift your pencil off the paper when you write, you probably won't see much of a difference.With that all being said, it's a wonderful little mechanical pencil. It is comfortable for me to hold. I haven't had any writing or drawing fatigue with it so far. I also feel that it is light weight and easy to carry with me to my work. It feels sturdy like I could drop ... MoreI purchased the Uni Kuru Toga for the rotating feature. Although I feel it does do a good job rotating the lead, I'd like those who write in cursive or want to use it to draw to be aware that it will not rotate unless you lift it off the paper. So, I think this may be better for printing, math, and technical drawings. If you are someone who draws more fluid, organic shapes or if you are someone who does not lift your pencil off the paper when you write, you probably won't see much of a difference.With that all being said, it's a wonderful little mechanical pencil. It is comfortable for me to hold. I haven't had any writing or drawing fatigue with it so far. I also feel that it is light weight and easy to carry with me to my work. It feels sturdy like I could drop it on a hardwood floor and not worry about it breaking. Overall, I think it is a nice mechanical pencil for the price!
I would love to give this small feat of engineering five stars, but I can't. It wobbles; really not helpful when drafting. Or writing. The shaft housing the lead is not fixed securely to the barrel of the pencil (I guess it can't be, to be able to rotate the lead), so when you apply pressure to it against the paper, it moves. Very disappointing. I haven't used it since I figured that out. I just started rotating my mechanical pencil in my hand between strokes, instead. Same idea, better execution.
I received this pencil as a Christmas gift after asking for a good 0.3 mm pencil replacement for my other $5 Graphgear 500, which I use routinely. The Kuru Toga is definitely quite special, though its unique mechanism isn't as evident in 0.3 mm as another reviewer noted. This pencil is lovely for writing in a journal when I don't need my handwriting to be extremely neat as I like it in notes (hence the cheap drafting pencil). The spinning lead does make it a little difficult for me personally to really get down and dirty with the super neatness. I write extremely compact and small, so the rotation makes it difficult to get the right heft. Also, the barrel and tip are just too wide for me to comfortably grip for said precision as I am heavy handed and hold way too ... MoreI received this pencil as a Christmas gift after asking for a good 0.3 mm pencil replacement for my other $5 Graphgear 500, which I use routinely. The Kuru Toga is definitely quite special, though its unique mechanism isn't as evident in 0.3 mm as another reviewer noted. This pencil is lovely for writing in a journal when I don't need my handwriting to be extremely neat as I like it in notes (hence the cheap drafting pencil). The spinning lead does make it a little difficult for me personally to really get down and dirty with the super neatness. I write extremely compact and small, so the rotation makes it difficult to get the right heft. Also, the barrel and tip are just too wide for me to comfortably grip for said precision as I am heavy handed and hold way too close to the tip of the pencil.With all of that said, this pencil deserves the five stars. Even with such delicate lead size, the Kuru Toga works fantastically at what it's made for. I have no problems with lead breakage, no jams (so far, heh), and the eraser is pretty decent. Even though it's not the best pencil for my personal grip, I'd recommend it to anyone who writes -- it provides a great break for the regular scribbler.
**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.
No faults as a mechanical pencil. My gripes come with the Kuru Toga Engine that I payed extra for.Look, it works; if you have a Kuru Toga and love it this will do the same as the others. However my issue comes with the mechanism when using it to write in cursive. It really hardly works. I find myself having to rotate the pencil just like any other normal mechanical pencil would even though the mechanism is supposed to alleviate that. I guess I'll keep using it and hope it works but I won't like the price I had to pay for the premium internal apparatus.
Like others, I bought this mec-pen because of the rotating lead feature. What I didn't expect was to love it so much! I've used other mec-pens, but I keep coming back to this one. The bright green color makes it easy to find in my bag, so I can always have it at hand.I use this as my daily writing device, in a dotted leuchtturm1917 notebook. It doesn't smear at all. I'm left-handed, so using any pencil is fraught with the dreaded silver hand -- something that has never been an issue with this one. While I can faintly see my writing on the reverse, it is not distracting. It writes so smooth, and it never makes any annoying scritching noises.
worked great, just as intended. the lead rotating mechanism works perfectly. I'd had complaints about it in the past, such as it being uncomfortable to hold, but nothing a cheap pencil grip couldn't help. it was my absolute favorite pencil I've ever owned until a few months ago.. it broke. The plastic chipped causing the inside to pop out because of the spring. It stays put fairly easily when held in, and I put a piece of duct tape on it as a temporary solution, but it's really disappointing how easily it broke, considering I'm not terribly rough on my art and writing supplies. It gets two stars because it worked well and was nice while it did, and also partly because I suspect it wasn't because of the design, more the cheap clear plastic of this color.
