Recently got around to sorting out a backlog of acquisitions from 2025, and along the way reorganized my favorite automatic lead advance pencils… Ok, ok, semi-automatic! Because all of mine still need some manual clicking to advance the first stick of lead through the clutch. I think it will stay this way as I have very little appetite for the full-auto monsters like the Staedtler Micromatic 
First up are a couple of alpha-matic joining the gang, namely antracite and titanium. I’m not sure why but the 2 plastic alphas have retractable tips while the one on the titanium alpha is fixed. I am quite happy with this number and will probably not be searching for the black / gold rarities.
Next up, four not-so-toxic Pilots. The Automatic HAT-300S-S is probably the furthest I will go for this grouping; the 5005 will remain unobtainium for the forseeable future. A couple of interesting points: the Automatic has the drafting style tip of the TK-matic but it is the Automac that inherits the TK’s grip. In the hand, the etched grip of the Automatic is quite tactile, and I actually prefer its feel and weight over the heavier feeling Automac.
Also, while both of my Automac date to the same year—the metallic black from Mar 2015 and the diamond-silver from Sep 2015, they actually have DIFFERENT clips…
And here’s my small grab bag of Pentel automatics… sans the kingpin QX, natch. I have yet to stress test the Technomatic, Technopress or Technoclic, but I did push the Orenz Nero 0.3 to the max. TLDR: it works just fine, and the 0.3 lead size made the slight scratchiness feel organic to the writing experience.
While I enjoy the high-tech styling of the Orenz Nero, the Orenz AT is actually more comfortable compared to the ‘12-sided serrations’ on the former. The switch to a resin clutch hasn’t resulted in any perceivable downgrade in auto-performance either, so it might take another 10-15 years before we get reports of the AT’s true durability.
Lastly, I just wanted to share a couple of quirks of the hard-to-find-at-a-reasonable-price PN55 Technopress:
- This little gem has a twist grip to lock the clutch and retract the tip, and to unlock.
- To manually load the first/next stick of lead, you pull back on the grip… and when you do, it reveals a small metal sleeve underneath with milled edges. Just that tiny bit of cool steel under all that plastic!
