Thanks to Knockology member provided catalog screenshots, I finally have some model numbers I’d long missed.
The most popular of the MONOTECH line is the 1000 series. It’s kind of a “rounded” rOtring 500. Very nice quality. Super smooth mechanism. The 500 is notably less popular, though and interesting curiosity of design. A metal knurled grip mated to a squared off rectangular plastic body. The notable weird element is the lead hardness wheel. Most makers have long gone with the selector that orbits the circumference of the pencil, either on the body or on the eraser cap. This obtrusive plastic wheel is of course very easy to select, but for some odd reason TOMBOW made the numbering raised and unpainted. They should’ve stamped it into the plastic. As such, in low light, it’s very hard to see the selected hardness. Kind of useless if you ask me. I think what I’d do in practice is to paint the selections I’d often choose and leave it at that. Anyway, I had just one of these in all black, in the 0.7 mm lead size, and contemplated trying to collect the whole lead size range. I’m just not enamored enough with the design to do so… but the 2.0 mm size has always intrigued me and so an opportunity came up to get one on the (relative) cheap.
I cheated a little here… as the SH-1500LP in 0.3 mm was bought way earlier last year. The newer acquisition was the SH-1500LP in 0.5 mm. It came in a drafting kit with various compasses and templates. While my first love for the torpedo design started with Uchida, TOMBOW’s design always grabbed at me… and I finally got both sizes. Frankly, the going market prices are unrealistic for the actual product, IMHO. But it’s the rarity in play. And that gentle torpedo shape is just so damned… sexy.
Next up is the brushed steel EXTA with gold accents that has not gotten much love. I guess the colorway combo is off putting for a lot of collectors. But I like it. It’s very well made. I now have a few, so I’m half-tempted to take one and sand off the gold plating on the clip and nose cone to see how it might look.
Moving over… there’s 2 Keshiman pencils, one near mint with sticker and one with signs of use. These are really well made and a little heavier than you might expect. AFAIK there’s no other twist eraser pencil out there made fully out of metal. And because of that weight, the lead pipe guide is a bit vulnerable like the rOtring 600. Sadly, if you drop and bend it, and can’t fix it, TOMBOW does not have replacement parts. This model came out in 1982! And I believe it ended in 1988. I find it remarkable how many in very good condition have survived. They used to be pretty commonly found, but have recently started to become scarce. I should note that the eraser extension mechanism is excellent. Very smooth. And it’s easy to replace eraser cores. The original light blue one is “extinct” and is slightly smaller than the current MONO eraser made by TOMBOW, and you can sand it down a little to fit. I did so. Worked like a charm.
The next one is the SH-1000 AV. I took a chance on this, knowing very little about it. Someone on Reddit said they got one and that it was quite decent so I grabbed one in original box. It’s certainly decent. The click mechanism is a touch loud. But I love the rubber grip. It’s reminiscent of the OHTO Gripper, but better.
Lastly, the TRAD. I’d long wondered what it meant. Initials? Like, “Tombow Righteous Architects & Draftsman”? 
Nah. It’s actually quite simple. TOMBOW wanted this to be regarded like a tribute to “traditional” writing instruments. It has a thoughtful sliding pipe guide. It’s lightweight. It comes in two stately colors–silver and a kind of gunmetal. It has a large beefy clip. And inside is a rather large eraser, more than twice the size of your usual emergency eraser. TOMBOW was thoughtful enough to make a ballpoint companion for the mechanical pencil. They’re pretty decent but not really sought after, so you can periodically pick them up for good prices in NOS condition.
) by this product line, and by how easily it surpassed even series like the rOtring 500 or 600 one; the balance seems somehow impeccable, and even the wheel has its own charm, regardless of its actual usefulness.
