Thoughts on METAPHYS?

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All I’d ever seen was the 3Way. I saw that Damdeok has METAPHYS 2mm holders in 3 different colors (LINK). Apparently they’re nearly “unobtainium” these days.

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I have the 2 mm lead holder in silver and (soon) the 0.5 mm in black.
I think I’ve said this before here or on the subreddit, but the lead holder has what I consider a significant design flaw: the clip end rests on the barrel, and because both are made of metal, you start scratching the barrel from the very first knock. 3 - 4 knocks and you’re seeing bare metal. I’m not at home but I can take a picture of that later to illustrate.

I’m hoping he 0.5 mm version won’t suffer the same fate, because there seems to be a rubber/plastic ‘accordion’ section where the clip meets the barrel.

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You might want to disassemble the pencil and then apply a strip of clear tape where the clip would rub against the barrel.

How do you like the weight of these? Did you find these from a local source in Germany?

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Yeah, probably will do that. My temporary solution has been a little strip of card, but it looks fairly tacky, so the tape is a better idea.

They’re on the weightier side, considering the metal construction. But I’m partial to that anyway. They seem to be very well made.

Both of them I found on Mercari!

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I think it’s the clip that draws me in.

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The 2mm holders aren’t too rare. The multipens are still sold on the website nowadays. The 0.5 MPs are the rarest.

The paint tends to chip very fast from the front. I’ve seen cracked fronts as well. The quality doesn’t seem to be there and it’s mostly design for the sake of design but I can’t speak for sure. They’re beautiful though.

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Echoing the thoughts of other folks here…

I have a few of these including the BP, MP and leadholder. They look cool but aren’t super practical IMO. The grips are relatively thin and slippery, especially on the glossy finish white and orange. The silver and black are matte finish, so a little grippier. The clip looks great, but is not too comfortable to knock on. I was unable to use the MP for a longer period of time. Best reserved for photo shoots :slight_smile:

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Thanks…

I appreciate the design, but given these usability issues… and at this price… I’ll pass! I’d much rather have an Espana.

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2mm holders in silver,black and white appear regularly on mercari for reasonable prices.

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I have the three way in white, two 2mm (silver and white) and an orange 0.5mm (that someone decided to accent with their own paint abilities).

When you mention “unobtanium”, are you referencing all? Or…?

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Once I learned of the brand I’d always wanted the MP in orange or white - the glossy colors were really eye catching compared to the matte silver and black. But as it was, in 2015 or so, the line was already being phased out. Ended up with a ballpoint in orange as my first Locus.

The clip’s friction on the body is a definite issue, but the style is so intriguing, I took it in the same spirit as a cranky Italian supercar.

Eventually settled for an MP in silver, and picked the leadholder in white over the multipen. I felt the leadholder stayed true to the design language of the curved tip better than the multipen’s dome design.

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I had two or three 2.0mm but eventually sold them (I think I still have a used 2mm in White somewhere). The design flaw pointed out by @Stu is real but it didn’t bother as much as not being able to use a lead pointer because the clutch or whatever was going on inside didn’t have enough strength to hold the lead stick while I was sharpening it… Not sure it’s the same with all pencils, maybe mine was defective somehow, but it’s pretty evident if you think about it: these sort of push through 2mms without a clutch that rely solely on the retainer ring to keep the lead in place must be all on the brink of failure when you exert a rotative force on the lead stick…

I sometimes suspect the r800 2mm will to do the same and I will be disappointed so I’ve never sharpened it :wink:

2mms are my fave pencils btw.

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Finally got some METAPHYS writing instruments, for a decent price. A 2mm holder (racheted) and multi-pen. Surprised how heavy they are. From the look, I thought maybe a plastic shell. Anyway, I really would’ve preferred the orange, but the silver popped up for a good price.

The multi-pen functions very much like a Sharbo X. There’s no detent in the retracted position, but extended has a nice detent. Instead of 2 ballpoints plus pencil, there’s 1 ballpoint, 1 pencil, and 1 repeating eraser. The eraser is very thin. I’m hoping refills can be found from more than one source.

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I didn’t get the multipen but I believe the eraser is similar to a Tombow MONO Zero 2.3mm

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I posted this to Reddit, but thought it might be appropriate here.

I removed all the paint from my 0.5mm (it had paint added from the previous owner). I took a risk and just started carving it off with a razor blade. The shaft revealed itself to be polished stainless steel, the cap a more matte steel. (The razor made zero scratches).

Overall I’m quite happy with the result.

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I really like the way it looks.

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Thank you!

It was a dumb move that I am quite relieved paid off :sweat_smile::rofl:

Generally hacking at an MP yeilds LESS than desirable results.

The two finishes of steel baffles me though… seems strange, EVEN if painted over…

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The quality and rotation feeling of Metaphys multi pen is pretty good, but I don’t think it’s good for practical use. The tip dosen’t extend long enough, plus a round head of the pen, make it difficult to see clearly at where you are writing on. Another little annoying thing is, as you keep rotating, sooner or later that eraser will get smudged by the ballpen next to it. But it’s still excellent works, having this level of design at a relatively low price

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To answer your points, @Linus2K, I am able to see the tips of the 3 implements in the multi-pen when extended. But yes, it’s not as full a view with a more narrow front end. The pencils and lead holder are much better in that regard. Despite these being straight tubular designs, the semi-matte surface provides a reasonable amount of grip.

In all of these, there’s one really annoying flaw – the clip. I like the artful “hoop” design, but the clip rests on the surface of the body… and as it moves, it does create wear spots over time. Both of my examples show this. The 2 mm holder is the worst, because it freely rotates. But, that’s really only a concern if intending to keep a “near mint” example. With regular use, it becomes wabi-sabi.

The 2 mm holder is beautifully made. When you unscrew the nose cone piece, exposed is an impressively bold looking piece of machined brass, containing the clutch. The clutch lock ring is HUGE! Largest I’ve ever seen on a ratcheted holder like this.

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I think I figured out what drew me in about that clip… the rOtring 900.

The rOtring 900 clip bugged me when I first saw it. It looks to me like an afterthought. And then that long fat “plug” at the end of it, to act as a friction grab on fabric… doesn’t look like an elegant design.

The clip on the METAPHYS is more in line with what I’d have preferred to see on the rOtring 900.

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