Scheaffer Ultra Finepoint Discovery

Something about this pencil has consumed me in recent weeks. I’ve fallen in love with the 0.5mm black plastic variant and I cannot sing its praises enough.

To start, I bought it on a whim because a woman I purchased from on eBay had a collection from her father that she had been selling and didnt quite know how to price them. She sent me a picture of her pile of pencils and to my surprise there were 2 Pilot H-1005 in there, along with many others that stood out and some that didnt stand out as much. I tried my best to help her and as i understand she had success and was grateful. She offered me one of her H-1005 as a gift at a steep discount, so i obliged. I received the pencil and i am happy with it.

I am constantly searching and getting creative in my searches so that i can maximize the exposure to pencils that wouldnt be found otherwise. For instance i have discovered that searching “sharpencil” or “sharp pencil” really changed things in what i can find, mainly searching on proxy services. Through this i found a listing for a Scheaffer pencil that i described in the “Whats on your Desk” thread. I found this pencil to appear visually similiar to the H-1005 so i wanted it. Through that i discovered that its seemingly mirrored by the brand Sailor in a later version. I have purchased this pencil though i havent received it yet.

Ive since bought the metal version of this pencil which is a bit heavier but it is thinner and i cant seem to grip it as well, so i will stick with the original. Also, i discovered that i am not as happy using the 0.3mm variant, though that is probably because of my fat, arthritic, tin knocking fingers just being too aggressive. (which may be why i LOVE 0.9mm pencils)

Moving on to the meat of why i am writing this. Ive also bought a Pilot Automac, and a Kurutoga Dive. I bought those because i had to understand the concept of an “automatic” pencil since i have been mislead through the titling of the Pentel P200 series all of this time. I also chose those because i could possibly find them more affordably than i could a Faber Castell or the Pentel QX that i cannot even find a picture of as easily, let alone purchase. The Scheaffer seemed to operate like an automatic even though it didnt get recognition for it, so i had to dig deeper.

I found them both, i received them both, and i dislike both of them in comparison to the Scheaffer.

To be fair, had i not found the Scheaffer first i truly might like the Automac because of the weight of it and the automatic ability of it and it is definately a pretty pencil. But i dont think i would have ever liked the Dive. It does operate as intended and i found i like it best in its “max” setting, but it does not write at all angles like the Scheaffer does and it is so freaking scratchy on the paper while i am writing that it drives me crazy. The scratchiness is probably its famous stay sharp mechanism, but even still i was not happy with its weight or the fact that it had a cap. But, i will say that i really liked how the cap just “snapped” right into place like a magnet (probably a magnet) was pulling it.

Long story not so short, I will probably just resell the Automac and Dive to pay for my habit because i have no need staring at them in the case. They hold no sentimental value to me.

Moving forward my view has been altered. Ive been eyeing up Scripto pencils of late and im wanting to see how similiar they may be to a counterpart within a more expensive tier.

Also, i am rethinking how blindly im “coveting” new pencils for my collection. I read reviews on some of these and think “Oh Yvonne? Can i get your number?” and then find that i dont really like the french. (maybe someone will get that reference)

I messaged a couple people a while back about pens and i got responses from some. One response i got, among a few that were helpful, was that i should just get what i think i like, that they dont like to reccommend things.

I can “see” what it is that they meant by that now.

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great post! when you have time can you post some pictures?

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Unpopular opinion: the Pilot Automac is too heavy for its own good. But, but, but… it is so well made! And a double knock! Plus automatic feed! And very, very tiring to use, especially when you do not stop to click it once in a while.

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Great post. Seems like double knocks are a good avenue to keep exploring.

You are right about search terms. There are so many little word search tricks that produce results.

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I like the Automac. I find it a smoother writer than the Orenz Nero 0.5 mm. Yes, it is a bit hefty, but I tend to like that as most of my pencil use isn’t for very long periods at a stretch. I guess for someone writing multiple pages in a session, they find it a little uncomfortable over time.

I was told you know about pens
I’m looking for a pen
I don’t like a thick line, I think I like ball point (is roller ball different?)
I’m looking at the Ohto pencil ball
I’m looking at alot honestly
I’m also considering the Quattro but it’s a heavy entry fee
I also don’t like fat pens
I don’t know what kind of ink I like

I didn’t respond to your query a while back because it was rather peculiar to me, coming with no prior introduction, and questions scattered in many directions. And you seemed unsure about many considerations. It’s hard to even know where to begin, if you don’t know the difference between ink types (ballpoints, rollerball, gel pens, etc.). The type of ink will dictate a lot on what you choose. Also, there’s capacity (smallest being D1, largest being the full size rollerball/gel type). Then there’s aesthetic considerations, like color, materials, design type (minimalist, industrial, artistic, luxurious, etc.). There’s also the choice of vintage (or discontinued) and modern (current production). Last but not least, a budget range. As you can see, so much to consider. So, the better approach for yourself is to narrow down your criteria, find a few candidates, and then seek out reviews to see what people think. And if you still have questions, ask in forums like Reddit and here. If you like a pen that you know I have, I can answer any quesitons you might have about it.

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I understood, no worries, I messaged you and two others the same message basically because, as you said, I was scattered. I still am really and still know very little in the differences in any of those things but I am pretty sure that I don’t like gel ink. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten. I’m ok with it though. I’ve found a cheap pen for now that I like alot.

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It is now confirmed that the Sailor is exactly like the Schaeffer. More so the metal barrel variant. There is nothing about them that i can tell the difference between except that it has a plastic bottom which is easier to grip than the metal. Also, the Sailor is more likely to be a more expensive purchase if you dont take the time to research.

I still pick the original black plastic Shaeffer.

small detail that i noticed is that “Japan” isnt written on the back of the Sailor.

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Cool post on X showing an original advertisement for the Sailor Cartridge Sharp:

https://x.com/syake1505/status/1911768682184978714?s=46&t=OplFvNWwNQDS4Ixwdp9hQw

P.S. I couldn’t find this post via search because I spelled the brand as ‘Sheaffer’, not ‘Scheaffer’.

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Ive started to find, exactly as the picture shows, that there are many variants of the same pencil and i almost went down the rabbit hole on a couple until i found out they made a longer version. In the post you see them as silver but there are others that arent silver but theyre difficult to find and too expensive for me to jump into yet. I cant figure out a model name to help narrow the search. Once i can establish what i consider a “good price” i will definitely be buying at least one of them.

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