I think I’m going to open this one for this weekend’s session.
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Interesting. “Floating lead protector.” Is that their language for a sliding pipe guide?
Also, they mention a “red indicator” for low lead. I take it there’s some kind of clear window in the body, like a band near the joining between the top/bottom halves, similar to what SAILOR produced for a short time? I’m guessing there’s a red disc inside that will stay up until the last lead starts to get used, allowing the disc to shift downward until it’s visible in the window.
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Let us know how it goes. I’d be interested to know your thoughts about it, compared to something like the TOMBOW MONO.
My experience? While I love the skeleton TOMBOW MONO having the large extendable eraser, the clip for manual advance is rather clumsy… because you often have to change rotation of the pencil to get to it. Of course, it has a shaker mechanism, which works well… but it’s rather loud. The Karakazoe01? It’s relatively quiet. Noticeably so, probably less than half the noise. But, I find I require more shaking force & repetition to get the mechanism to engage & advance a useful amount of lead. The MONO is easier to shake and generous, but is loud about it. Manually advancing feels a little more premium with the Karakazoe01. One other thing… because the MONO locks by reverse shifting the clip, you can’t manually advance it when locked. The Karakazoe01 locks only the shaker, not the manual plunger… which could be considered an advantage or a detriment, depending upon your needs.
One other thing I wanted to add… the Karakazoe01 is a more handsome looking pencil, despite being very similar in design to the MONO. The clip is metal and thin, which is more elegant. And the shaker mechanism has this large tubular component that you can see sliding back and forth. You can just sit there, tilting the pencil back and forth, observing it move inside. It’s kind of meditative, actually. You can tilt slower or faster, changing the movement rate. And no lead is advancing while this is happening, of course.
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@DarkwingDuck posted the instruction pamphlet for it a bit up this thread:
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That ad is awesome.
To update, I did receive the 0.3 and I was not as happy with the pencil, though it did work exactly the same. I still use the 0.5 EVERY single day and I am still surprised by how much I love it.
I am surprised there isn’t anything in these ads that addresses the pencils ability to continue to write even when it seems there’s no lead, and then continues to write at any angle for a very long time before I do one single click to advance again.
I plan to do an update after I receive the Sailor but I’m still waiting for the rest of my orders to come in to ship that.
I also want to throw a bit of my opinion on the Pilot Automac on top of it all in reference to this pencil because of its automatic mechanism. I do receive that pencil on Monday.
This Shaeffer has excited me in a direction with pencils I hadn’t experienced since my P209. But even then I just liked that pencil and it created a hunger for other Pentel pencils within that framework.
This pencil makes me feel like I’m on to something I haven’t been told before and I’m just figuring it out for the first time. It’s interesting something so simple feeds into that part of my brain that wants to learn more.
More to come for sure
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New shipment arrived… filled in a few gaps.
The real oddity here is the Mitsubishi BP, 2nd from the right. I think it might actually be polished aluminum, as it’s very light. Either that, or it’s very thin stainless steel. I discovered a model number, “SD-301.” The shape is very reminiscent of the MX-300 double knock, the one that is the twin of the MX-100 (in terms of shape and clip). Of course, no spiral groove pattern–completely smooth. And, the clip isn’t quite right. But otherwise so close.
Other thoughts:
I really like the Zebra FX series ballpoints. They’re pretty rugged… and rather common, so prices are fairly cheap.
The Newman woodgrain drafter is lighter than I thought it would be, but construction is really nice. Very stately looking pencil. Good mechanism. I wish there was more info about Newman… so hard to find out production years.
I finally found a PILOT H-2085 with a wood grip that looked nice to me. So many have “washed out” or weird wood grain patterns, or the cut grooves aren’t quite right (too shallow, or some light chipping). This doesn’t have the sticker, but I’m not hung up on that. It’s near mint.
The LAMY Scribble BP is very nicely weighted. And the mechanism has NO click sound. It’s a little weird at first. But I’m glad to finally have a black accent version. The MP is too pricey relative to the matte silver accent version, but still hoping to find a deal someday.
Zebra’s BX and MX line is actually quite good. Solid kit. The MX reminds me of a Grandee Priere… only it’s not a twist retractable.
And finally, the Newman Model 5. It has an interesting lightly etched pattern to it, reminiscent of a Pentel Scepter. I overpaid for my first one, as me and other bidder didn’t know how common these were. But they’re pretty easy to find. I got this one in a group lot that was under ¥2000 (which included that Mitsubishi BP).
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Did you score the mx on mercari? I think its a great find.
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Yes, the Zebra MX was offered up along with a BX. The price was very reasonable. The build quality is stellar. It’s even superior to the PILOT Grandee Priere. The Priere has plastic parts to its mechanism. And while it has that keen advantage of being retractable, there’s always the concern of moving plastic parts rubbing and thinning or possibly cracking over time (although PILOT uses a very high quality plastic). ← ERROR. Well, this is a surprise. I have a gun metal finish Priere and it has some plastic parts inside. This steel version? No. All metal.
Out of curiosity, I unscrewed the nose cone of the MX and extracted the mechanism. Wow. It’s so overbuilt! And it has a larger eraser inside, that’s definitely much more usable than those mini-peg erasers you usually get in modern mechanical pencils. I will have to do a focus piece on the MX and BX together (plus a direct compare to the Priere in polished steel, which I also have). The BX is very well built too. Rivals the PILOT Laureate.
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Finding the ‘right’ woodgrain (or none) in a 2085, or any woodgrain pen(cil) can be hit or miss. For current production items, you just can’t tell from an online listing using a standard product photo – you’d have to see it in person at a shop to decide if you like it. I’m more like you in that I prefer not to have any unusual swirls or burls, but it seems these are actually treasured by some collectors. This is also why I hesitated so much over buying a Craft-A wood MP when they were ‘only’ 6-7000 yen a piece… could never find any listings with pictures of the actual grain.
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I recently picked up the new wood grip Kuru Toga. I was willing to pay a bit more than MSRP because I loved the wood grain a specific seller had on Mercari.
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True. That’s what tied me up a bit on acquiring the TOMBOW Exta Deluxe with wooden grip. There were so many variations and the really light “bleached” looking ones turned me off. It took a while, but I found a few darker ones. I think it’s white birch, and then the other wood for the ¥5000 gold accent model is some kind of maple. I wouldn’t mind a nice burl if it had some aesthetically pleasing pattern. But I’ve seen a number of them where the pattern looked “broken”, possibly due to how the wood was cut for it. And with others, the stain was too light for what I prefer. But speaking of burls, there’s a seller called “evewoodcraft” who makes grips for various pens in rare woods. Some truly beautiful work that definitely introduces uniqueness.
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I’ve been trying to grab a 2085 but unless I want to pay a minimum of $70 they seem to be out of my grasp. They’ve since went higher than that it seems.
Yeah, depends upon condition. I overpaid a little for mine (LINK), given that it didn’t have a sticker. But the pencil having a little more signs of use can bring the price down another 20%. In any case, based on what I’ve seen over the past 6~8 years, they’re showing up less… so what you pay is all about how long you plan to wait. I’ve been waiting 3~5 years to find one with the wood condition I wanted.
Yeah, you did the right thing though if you want that pencil. I passed up an auction that ended just above 70 then the next week another went at around 78 then the next week they’re in the 70s and still have days left. I messed up I guess.
Is it a much of an upgrade over the h1085? What is your opinion of it?
Honestly I could stop looking for it if it isn’t anything other than pretty.
No, it’s not a huge upgrade from the H-1085. I think it has the same mechanism. It just has a wooden grip. As for my opinion? I overpaid and probably shouldn’t have gotten it. I much prefer the Tombow Exta Deluxe. The wood quality is superior. True, it has more of an executive appeal than drafting, but I like the touches it has, like the matching wood on the eraser cap.
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It’s enticing. It’s kind of like the film version. I found the HF605 on eBay for a hyper inflated price but I got excited because I get excited over pieces like that and I got to wondering whether it’s actually much different from the H585. They don’t look so dissimilar. What would be the actual difference?
I like your interest in Zebra as well. I’ve been finding their products to be comfortable and well made. I only point it out because I never really thought of Zebra in that light.
If I may ask:
Why is Wood an appealing addition to a mechanical pencil?
I only bought my H2083 in order to complete my collection of the product line. It IS a great MP. I’m simply confused.
Kori Toga just introduced a wood variant. The Postdraw…. What is the appeal when other materials last longer, do not wear. I’m quite confused.
That’s a good question.
Firstly, I think these companies choose a very good quality wood and it’s well treated. I think that helps make the wood resistant to wear.
Secondly, the wood is organic. And in terms of holding it, there’s a more “natural” feel, than when gripping plastic or steel.
Thirdly, is aesthetics. Wood can look really attractive, when done right.
Suffice it to say, there’s more work involved in using wood like this. There’s the selection of candidate wood stock. Then there’s the treatment, shaping, and finishing. Then there’s the mating of the wood to the other materials (which is usually metal but sometimes plastic). It introduces more overhead than with plastic or steel, so that usually means more cost to the consumer.
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