Amongst the Big 3, I think Uni has been the most consistent in ‘always’ having some sort of mechanical pencil dedicated to colored leads. While Pilot has their Color ENO in 0.7, I think Uni prefers 0.5.
I’m not sure if this version of COLOR SHARP is the first or oldest for Uni, but it is definitely the most interesting design to me.
The black PVC carry case holds 6 MPs with color coded bodies and a shiny chromed plastic grip. The mid-section ring simply says ‘COLOR 0.5’ and has no other displayable function.
In the set are 6 tubes of color leads: Brown, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. Truth be told, the formulation of these leads are slightly waxy. As a result, the original leads in the 6 pencils can become stuck over the decades. I had to clean out the clutch on my red pencil to get it working.
Also in the set are TWO removable clips. I won’t pause to think about why 2 is the right number to the designers at Uni.
Undoubtedly the real appeal of the Uni COLOR SHARP is… the way the rainbow array acts as pure eye candy when presented as a set.
I had started with the smaller 3-color set in Red, Blue and Green, and only recently acquired the full set of 6. From what I remember prices have fluctuated from 8000 to 12,000 yen for the full set.
Lastly, I present three related Uni MPs that share the same silhouette as the COLOR SHARP series. These are pure drafting models, with the mid-ring changed to a lead degree window. The half-clear model with black grip is in 0.3mm, while the light blue and dark green versions are 0.5mm.
I have tried swapping the mid-rings and chromed grips to make ‘COLOR SHARP’ versions in light blue and green but alas!… there ARE slight differences in the way the metal ring is formed.
Does anyone have model number info on these beauties? 