A New Stationery Brand Is Born: KAYOU+

General Mechanical Pencil Discussion
41

I like the ridiculously tiny pocket clip, reminds me of the similarly small one on the Pentel Graph 1000 CS (PG 1003) I was given some years ago; I wonder why they did not provide a pipe clearing pin with the tiny eraser. The wobble on the pushbutton is instead less appealing.

The price seems quite high, and this is a key aspect: either it is an excellent product, or one can find much better vintage models at even lower figures.

3 Likes
42

Seasar has done a critical review of both models. Worth watching with the AI English track:

3 Likes
43

Too expensive, nothing justifies this price in a normal MP. The Pro version starting price is more expensive than a Dive’s starting price. The plastic one should be priced like a Graph 1000/Smash. For me, it is pass.

44

Lots of details in Seasar’s review…

  • The grips do not share common parts - the nubs on the standard protrude less and feel less tactile than the pro.
  • Even the erasers (w/o pins) are not the same for both
  • Grips are not interchangeable for Pro / Standard models
  • 5000 yen standard model feels too light for the price, does not feel ‘premium’.
  • The lead degree dial on the standard model is plastic on the outside (visible seam line)
  • Pro model has a great grip but the weight and balance makes it unsuitable for long writing sessions (IMO, the same problem the rOtring 600 has, coz it was not designed to be a work pencil)
  • Button rattles on the Pro model, should’ve come with an o-ring dampener

Methinks KAYOU+ made it unnecessarily complicated. The grips should have more commonality and if they were interchangeable, it could’ve prodded some of us crazies to buy one of each to make a ‘Goldilocks’ custom.

4 Likes