Customer Reviews

this is a very stylish pencil. it looks good, and is fun to introduce to people. the only problem i have with this pencil personally is the weight and materials used. i was actually expecting a much heavier pencil. the whole aluminum deal really isn't much of a plus in my opinion. because of this material, the pencil is lighter, and is not very lustrous or shiny. of course this is just personal preference. if you like the feeling of lightweight instruments, then this is probably for you. the features of this pencil are functional, and i am really bummed out that they took out that feature that lets the guide pipe have a maximum lenght (watch the video if you dont know what im talking about). so be careful cause this is a slightly different pencil than the one shown in the video.

this is a great pencil, but its not good enough to justify the price.

I bought 0.3 0.4 and 0.5 1500P from JetPens a few weeks ago and I used them more than once both to draw and to write notes. I have to say that this pencils have great features, but, as other reviewers wrote, they also seem to use low quality materials. Using them you really can't justify the price, in your hand they really seem too much "cheap". I really think that this 3 pencils are not wort the 75$ I spent for them.

So very mixed... Everything about this pencil is great, except for the pencil itself. The design, the look, the features, the ability to customize are all great. The quality of the pencil itself however is extremely low for a pencil at this price point. When you advance the lead or remove the eraser cover it seems like the internal mechanisms are loose and moving around inside. The internal pipe seems like a piece of plastic they took out of a cheap pencil & put in this expensive one. I must admit I really like the grip, and I do like the ability to change the guide pipe length. Plus the fact that the pencil comes in 0.4mm is a definite plus.

I think I would hate to be a pencil designer for Ohto- this is a fantastically designed pencil that does not live up to its potential because of poor quality construction. I have pencils that cost much much less that are better made. There is a lot that I really like about this pencil, and reading reviews from a couple years ago people rave about it, but the quality of the pencil I recently purchased does not justify the premium price.

Careful, the video shown is for a slightly different model (PM-1500S) and not this model. You cannot customize the guide pipe length to a specific maximum. I was looking forward to this feature so I could always get the same guide pipe length when I used the pencil.

I like the pencil otherwise. It is nice to be able to change the led feed length to fit my writing style.

These are great for writing, i've been using them for my math homework. This one is probably the best ones out right now cuz they have lots of features.

.Can someone tell me why jetpens only have one type of 0.4mm. I went around City (in sydney) looking for 0.4mm and they didnt have any. Apart from their rarity, i would prepher this over the 0.5mm.

I've been using this pencil for several years now. The original one I got in the mail was bent just above the grip. JetPens replaced it immediately free of charge. Awesome service. For me this pen is well balanced and allows perfect customization of the lead advance length. The notched metal grip allows non tiring precision control. For detailed work & light initial sketching I appreciate the lightweight for using 0.4 or 0.3 leads. If you prefer heavier writing implements I'd recommend the Pilot S10s or the Zebra Tect 2ways.

is this pencil worth it for the money?

I actually bought two of these pencils, a first and a second generation. I liked the feel of the first generation, its heft, and all the adjustability so for a time I was willing to overlook the fact that it kept breakng the lead inside the shaft. After a time I had my fill. I figured it might be just my particular unit so i bought a second and now this one will not advance the lead and makes a crunching sound where there shoud be a crisp click. I am very disappointed with the quality of these pencils. To give you an idea of how disappointed I am I will tell you that this is the first internet review I have ever written. Be warned.

This pencil is terrible. OHTO ought to be embarassed to sell this pencil at this price. The quality is horrendous. The lead breaks inside the pencil when adjusting the feed mechanism. Half of the grip is smooth, the other half is rough and nicley knurled like it is supposed to. How did this one ever make it past quality control, I have no idea. But buying this pencil was a great way to prevent me from ever buying another OOHTO product ever again.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy this "pencil" I agree with most of the other reviews in saying that this thing feels like it was made of aluminum foil. I dropped this pencil once and the guide pipe bent, the eraser cap broke off, and the whole was bosy was disfigured and bent. It is incredibly easy to bend this pencil.

Even though it looks really cool, it's absolutely NOT worth the money.

Bought this pencil a couple of months ago. I was interested in it because of the adjustable feed and guide-tube and the hefty looking knurled grip. What I discovered after using it for a while is that it is rather poorly built. There is a significant lack of material holding the grip end of the pencil to the back end. I put the pencil in my pocket and sat down to later discover that it had bent. It bent back easily enough though. The guide-tube also became bent after a fall from my desk. And finally, in order to use the eraser, you must remove the eraser cap and replace it. This is not ever an issue with other pencils, but with the Super Promecha, replacing the eraser cap often results in inadvertently advancing the lead.

Very cool looking, but not a very good pencil.

I draw storyboard frames all day with this machine and so far I can say (after a month) this is one of the best mechanical pencils I've used. Rock solid lead position, weighted just right and a beauty to behold.

I had three major problems with this pencil:
1). The day I got it, the eraser cover/lead indicator broke (I dropped it, but that was the first and last time I did so, and who doesn't drop their pencil at least once in their life?). While this provided little inconvenience other than being visually unappealing, it indicates a poor material quality.

2). The second issue I had with it was that the lead dispenser adjustment feature slowly began to "drift" towards the tip of the pencil, by this I mean that the piece was sliding (not twisting) in such a manner that eventually, to keep the pencil at the same lead-dispensing level, there was a physical gap where the twistable section ended. This is difficult to describe with words, but the end result was that it became more difficult to adjust the lead dispenser as time went on, and it was again visually unappealing.

3) The third and worst issue I had with this pencil was that as time went on, the lead dispersal became more difficult, in that pressing the eraser to release more lead would often time fail entirely. The best way I can describe this is with the analogy of prairie dogging; the lead would simply push out slightly before retracting back into the shaft. End result being that the pencil became completely useless.

I have just recieved my Promecha and its sturdy and FULL METAL, also i made a HD video for this, it was my son talking so don't get mad over that please. The video is on Youtube and its called "Super Promecha" it will be uploaded by tomorrow hopefully.

BTW -> Its a review video

I got this pencil for drawing and it works like a professional drawin pencil it works realy good :)

Do not buy.

Don't get be wrong, the drafting pencil write wells, the only problem is that it is poorly built.

The adjustable portion to adjust the lead length SIGNIFICANTLY takes away from the durability of the pencil. My pencil has bent right above the knob to adjust the lead length (the odd little notch above the pencil grip).

Other than that rather significant problem, it works well and it well build - I would strongly suggest saving the few extra dollars and buying the ProMecha 1000P instead - you might not be able to adjust the lead length, but because of that it probably won't snap in half ...

I recieved this pencil today and thought I'd share some initial impressions:

I was rather leery at first about the sturdiness of this pencil, given my expectation that the guide pipe moved in and out of the body but was more than plesantly surprised. It isn't the guide pipe which moves but the entire assembly from the knurled gripping area to the outer sleeve which protects the guide pipe.

I was attracted to the fact that you could vary the amount of exposed guide pipe and the fact that you can adjust the amount of lead advanced per button push. I've long since gotten used to double-clicking a pencil and then tapping in the lead to adust before resuming so I've been wating one of the Steadler Regulators. The only down-side to getting the Steadler was the fact that they had fixed guide pipes. While the fixed GP promotes strength and durability, I've had too many incidents which caused damage to those oh-so fragile components from drops or bangs. This in spite of the fact that I tend to be very cautious with my pens and pencils. So a retractable GP has always been pretty high on my list of desirable features for any pencil. The fact that I can advance the point guard and grip instead of retracting the GP means I don't have to face the compromise of strength for the sake of protection.

While the lead adjustment was initially somewhat inconsistent, it soon "wore-in" and provides uniform feeding now that I've used it for a little while.

Since its arrival, I've given it a real workout. I've used it to complete over thirty sketches and have gone through two leads. Overall, I'm very pleased.

A previous reviewer mentione that the build quality seemed to have suffered compared to a previous version of this pencil. While I can't make any such comparison myself, I have to say that I was expecting something a bit sturdier than this struck me as being when I first began familiarizing myself with this pencil, but so far it has impressed me.

Another previous reviewer commented on the oddity regarding the hardness indicator and I have to agree that it's rather annoying that I can't indicate anything softer than "B" since I usually use HB, B, and 2B leads but it's not something that's going to make me absolutely insane.

The price is rather steep for most people, but I look at pens and pencils as tools since I use them on a daily basis for work. Given that the cost of one of these is 1/10th as much as I paid for any one of most of my pens, it seems quite reasonable to me. The cost involved doesn't bother me so much since I look at them as work-related investments... and tax deductable. ;-D

I'll try to remember to write a follow-up after I've abused this machine for a while.

I have been collecting drafting pencils for over 25 years and this is hands down one of the best.

I really like this pencil. It feels very good in the hand and writes very well. I did not like the eraser assembly that much though, kinda cheap for such a pricey pencil. I rarely use erasers on pencils like this so not that big of a deal.

This is my number one preference for a quality metal barrel drafting pencil. I draw portraits with this pencil and have had zero problems with it after 4 years. The lead never slips, and is made sturdy. I agree completely with the above review. I use many drafting pencils as a caricature artist; sizes range all the way up to 3 mm. For small detail work, there is not a better drafting pencil that I have experenced yet

this is the best pencil, i have ever used and i am pretty confident that i will never use a pencil better than this. I use it for school work. I used it for 5 straight hours and it feels great in my hand. the grip has the fine diamond pattern which might be uncomfortable for some people, but most guys will not even notice it. the pencil is all metal. the lead length controller is very nice feature. the extended -retractable- tip makes it near impossible to break the lead even if you are purposely trying to.

the money i spent on this pencil is money well spent.


i say go for it, it is worth every penny

The weight and build quality of this pencil is fairly good, but not the best. The lead sleeve isn't as snug as, say, a Pentel and it's not as solid as the Rotring pencils, but on par with the price.

The biggest concern I have is that Ohto decided to revise the entire pencil apparently without notifying anyone. If you bought this pencil back at the end of 2012, you may have one of the "older" models with a more pronounced knurled grip and chalkier finish.

The latest iteration of these pencils have a super smooth and noticably shiner aluminum finish, rounded corners on the adjustment window near the middle of the pencil and most importantly - the knurled grip is no longer a knurled grip in functionality, but only in looks. It's as though they missed a step in the manufacturing process and didn't create a 3d surface in the knurling part. It's basically just a smooth aluminum surface with channels or grooves cut where there should be knurling. The end result is a grip that is very slippery and quite honestly not on par with the previous version of this pencil.

Can't recommend it anymore, even though it used to be a really nice pencil. If they fix the grip, it'll be fantastic again.

Excellent drafting mechanical pencil. I am using for this one for about a year, no problem at all. Thanks for everything.

I bought this around Oct 2012, others have said that theirs differ, but mines just like how they describe it in the video. I dont use this a whole lot, bought it more for the mechanical aspect of it. It really is a fun pencil to play around with the features. Though once its set, really no need to keep changing it. Heres my review.

Pros:
Length - On the longer side, not really an issue, I have bigger hands, but really any length on drafting pencils isnt an issue to me.
Pipe - Adjustable. For me, I have it extended out as much as it goes. Why, because I can.
Tip - Decent enough, looks different than other drafting pencils, not by a whole lot, but when you have numerous drafting pencils as I do, you tend to see the differences. Works well enough.
Grip - This is what controls the pipe length, which is cool. The width of it is just right for my fingers. Its more wide than most drafting pencils, feels great when I hold it and use it. The knurling is on the less aggressive side, its there, hasnt slipped from my fingers when writing, not like my Alvins but it works. The grip knurl length is fine for me, works for my writing style.
Lead out adjuster - Works, made in a way that when you're writing it out mess with it, unless you have a really unique writing style. The fact that you can adjust the lead out length is awesome, as brands spit out different lengths, and depending on what lead softness you're using, you'll want to have it spit out at different lengths. So this is a HUGE plus in my book.
Rubber Rings - More for looks, yes you "can" take them off, but you'll have to purposely take them off. I dont feel them using it, looks cool.
Clip - Above standard, stiffer than most. You can unscrew the portion above the clip to take it off, but I dont see a reason to do that. More for looks, which isnt bad.
Lettering - Decent enough, havent used it a whole lot to tell if it'll wear off easily, seems like it'll last a long time.
Cap - on mine, its a tight snug fit. One of my pet peeves is having caps fall off my pencils, this one doesnt seem to be a problem. HUGE plus. Has a color system for different lead size, small, but there. Easier if the pencil is vertical than laying down. Plus, the cap looks better than other drafting pencils.
Eraser - Has one.
Weight - Its on the heavier side, though pencil weight isnt an issue with me, whether it be light or heavy.
Finish - Its nice, but I do see where it shows scratches on it. Not a big deal, its going to happen if you use your pencils often enough.
Lead Indicator - Has one, plus in my book. Its on the smaller side as far as a quick glance. But it will stay in place, its a little awkward at first to change the lead softness (might take a whole min to figure it out) but once you put it on the softness of your lead, it will stay there, HUGE plus.

Cons:
Grip - Though it works just fine for me, it could be about another 5mm longer.
Bulky - Its bulky enough that it wont go into my elastic holders very well, not a big problem, but enough for me to carry it other than my pencil pack.
Cost - Although I realize that it cost money to make a more mechanical featured pencil, still on the pricier side.
Cap - Biggest grip, the cap movement, really its the lead compartment that the cap attaches to that moves a lot, and if you shake this pencil back and forth, you'll hear it. Frustrating when you pay $25 for it.

Overall:
This is a great pencil, though like mentioned, others have gotten different pencils than what the video shows. As for mine, I dont regret buying it, I have the 0.7mm, would like to get 0.5mm as I use a different 0.9mm pencil for certain personal reasons. I think its great to use, though I dont use it a whole lot, kind of on that "I dont want someone stealing it" reason as to why I dont take it to my work. But when funds are more plentiful, I do plan on getting different lead sizes.

This pencil is one of the best pencils I have ever used when it comes to drawing...but it is very badly built for the price. My friend bought one and I have bought three the first one I bought it broke at the lead adjust part and the shaft I thought it was because I had just put it in my suit case and some how it got broke during the trip. so I had ordered 2 more for the two different leads I use and well guess what it broke too. It's a very good pencil just built very badly if you do decide to buy this pencil make sure you keep it very very secure or it will break. My friend broke his in less than a week. not worth the money for the quality of the pencil is poor...I've had dollar store pencils last longer.