Dropped by THINK store after work yesterday and saw that the MONO graph fine had arrived. I picked up the sample and really liked the feel of the coated grip and also the forward weighted balance. Decided to get one silver in 0.3mm first.
I had read the press release about the ‘new’ coating that was inherited from the recent premium ZOOM models, and also about the ‘drop lock’ for the twist eraser. But the part I was most excited about came from user posts that showed the tip-cone-grip was a one-piece metal construction. This seemed to be taking a page out of Pentel’s Smash playbook.
Looking inside the grips, the Fine is obviously brass. I don’t think Pentel has switched the Smash away from brass but the insides look ‘silver’ instead of a golden hue. Holding the two in hand, Tombow’s piece feels heavier. (Sorry, I do not have a digital scale.)
Lastly, the drop lock mechanism on the Fine prevents the twist eraser from ‘clicking’ and dispensing lead during use. This is a real upgrade over the Zebra Delguard ER’s puny eraser stubs, and also a step up over the now obsolete MONO graph zero.
All in all, I think the Fine is growing on me. I will return to the store and pick up the black and 0.5 as well.
Because the upper shaft is plastic, Tombow can easily make their signature MONO color version with blue/white/black stripes over a clear body. Looking forward to this model having a long production life.
Yeah as pearsonified said this is an upgraded version of an already excellent pencil. I’m super excited for it.
How’s the coating like? Is it on the monoblock of metal? I worry how this pencil will stand heavy use… I’m not the biggest fan of this recent coating trend.
I know, right? The proof is in the pudding. I hope I won’t be shocked by some X post from Japan showing the coating peeling off just weeks after launch, etc… as happened with the Staedtler Hexagonal’s coating.
There’s just no accounting for usage habits…
I’m continually numbed by the number of dropped, scratched and destroyed pencils on Reddit. Especially folks who actually managed to SNAP their pencils in half through heavy use.
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT:
A green service by Tombow: when your MONO graph fine’s grip wears out, trade it in for a new one at a low fee of 300 yen. The worn grip is then recycled.
It’s a shame the Zero kinda got lost in the sidelines as the main MONO graph and lite series ramped up in the colorways. One thing about the Zero that I noticed: the knurling, while nice to the touch, lost its shine quite quickly. Perhaps another casualty of economic reality?
I still wish Tombow would develop a lead holder for their excellent Irojiten color lead pencils. I could get behind a MONO graph color series in a big way.
