After spending much of my free time hunting pencils the last few years, I realized that my want list was gradually becoming stagnant. eBay dried up a couple years ago for most searches and hunting on Japanese sites is a bit draining for me because of the logistics, lack of buyer protection, etc. Still, I wanted to get some grails off of my list so that I would not keep obsessing over them and could move on to other facets of the hobby. Thankfully, the season of deciding to move forward on some premium vintage items coincided with them coming to market. Japanese pencils were purchased through Buyee and the PD was through German Ebay.
Last spring/summer was the Freematic spree of auctions. Despite many searches, I had never before seen one for sale so I was psyched at the chance to try for one. I thankfully won an auction. Freematic is a very unique and coveted item, but it feels like a cheapie. Compared to the solid feeling of the Flicker, it feels flimsy and hollow. No gravitas or pomp. Just a tube with a sliding mechanism. Sticker says 1,000 yen, and I guess that makes sense. The finish on it is very precious and reminds me of Pentel Technomatic.
The 5050 is a perfect tool. No frills, just finesse. It feels just like it looks. Since I am a drafting pencil nerd and a unique mechanism nerd, this one is really special to me. Carbon fiber is a cherry on top. I am glad that Uni is currently bringing the highest tech to pencils and I hope they can find it in their hearts to stuff the amazing features of the Dive into something as awesome looking as the 5050.
PD Classic is less of a âtoolâ than the 5050. It feels like something that was meant to be seldom used, or used for short durations of deep purpose - an executive desk instrument. Heavy. Super luxury and quality for the sake of luxury and quality. The twist to extend tip has buttery smooth, silent action. A work of stationery art. The HermĂšs handbag of mechanical pencils. (Thanks for helping me find this, Heath).
And the H-5005. I didnât win big on this. I saw this âshelf-wearâ one sitting on Mercari for a less-than-absolutely-insane price and bought it because that opportunity just does not come along every year. Photos were dark and it felt risky, but after purchase I asked Buyee to take pictures before shipping it to ensure it was a genuine article. However, per the pictures, the seller and Buyee shipped it with the tip extended so I was worried it would arrive bent. Thankfully it arrived in fine shape. In hand, it is a serious machine. The retractable action has the precision of a nice handgun (not an endorsement of deadly weapons). It is hefty, and I now understand more clearly how the Automac is the descendant. Besides both being double knock automatics, they give a similar in-hand impression due to their diameter, length, and heft. They are proportional siblings. The cap and deployment have a similar size and dynamic push, respectively.
I didnât have much time with these after opening them last week at my shipping address in the US. A short holiday and now I am back in Taiwan awaiting the next rendezvous.
