When it launched in 2008, the SHIFT M5-1010 included 2 limited first run colors in red and white. I remember learning about them around 2014 or so and being crestfallen when Jetpens listed them as no longer available.
To be sure, the SHIFT is not an outstanding design. There is some wobble when the tip is deployed, and the twist lock mechanism felt like brittle plastic clicking into equally brittle plastic—not reassuring at all! And for a modern drafting pencil, Uni decided not to include a lead degree display.
But…! It was a full set of fine lead widths, from 0.3 to 0.9 and included 0.4 to boot. And the colorful mid-sections in shiny tinted chrome was pure eye candy. Was its core concept ‘drafting for dilettantes’?
Anyways… I picked up a black first and licked my wounds. I gradually added a couple more of the silver ones in 0.4 and 0.9. And eventually filled out the ranks. The red and white took some patient waiting but were completed earlier this year when a minty fresh white SHIFT was offered in its original baggie.
For all its shortcomings, I think SHIFT is one of Uni’s last forays into a ‘premium’ drafting pencil series. In 2009, they released the no frills M-552 and we haven’t seen any more new drafting designs as Uni shifted to general purpose MPs with the Kuru Toga. Earlier in 2025, Uni announced that SHIFT would be retired. So, don’t wait too long if you’ve had even a passing interest in this series. 