Customer Reviews

As someone who has a degree in Industrial Design, I just love highly technical pencils. So I bought two of these (black and silver), and they are now my preferred pencils out of my collection (more than 30, mostly contemporary, with some NOS vintage ones). These are very handsome pencils, especially in black (the silver version is a little less slick looking, just because of the color).

The lead really rotates, and you indeed end up with more even lines and a cleaner writing as a result of the mechanism. The grip area is really well made, out of high quality and precisely machined aluminum, with very precise tolerances; the genuine attention to quality shines! A little window in the the grip area is open to (barely) show a (very) small part of the inner mechanism; on this orange plastic part of the mechanism, there is a printed Kuru Toga logo that wheels past by, while you use the pencil and the mechanism become active.

There is a slightest 'floating point' feeling to the lead, as the little black part on the tip, to which the lead rod is attached (see the close up picture of the nib), is directly mounted to the internal 'Kuru Toga Engine', which is a spring-loaded clutch. That black part hence 'moves' inside the pencil for a fraction of a millimeter (you barely see it) each time you hit the paper, activating the spring-loaded clutch, which rotates the lead. But in all honesty, if you don't concentrate to see it and feel it, you don't really notice. I hope this internal engine is made of wear-proof plastic (such as Polyamide-imides - check it out on Wikipedia), and has been rated to write for a long time, as I sometimes wonder what will happen if the internal clutch's ratchet teeth become dull.

Two things I regret on this pencil: I wish the upper part of the body was also made of the same nicely machined aluminum, and I wish they had put a more, I don't know, "hi-tech" looking clip. Then this pencil would be the p-e-r-f-e-c-t mechanical pencil!

As it is, at the price, this is the best value out there, as far as mechanical pencils are concerned. I plan to buy several more, as I am too afraid that Uni will either stop making this particular model (aluminum is expensive!), or lower the quality of the inner components in the next iteration of the pencils.

I just bought this, as well as the Pipe Shift Uni pencil. I actually like the Pipe shift better kind of, it's really close tie.

This pencil is more evenly balanced, and the mechanism that gives a straight line is really cool. I had to write and pay attention to notice the feature though, some may not notice it. But you can see the lines are more consistent etc...

The ONLY reason I give it 4 starts instead of 5 is because it's not 100% metal body, only the bottom half is. And the "nib" is not retractable, though I know that would be difficult to do since it already has the other mechanism in it.

This is an incredibly solid pencil, and annihilates any other pencil you would find in the USA (I'm from Indiana) or wal-mart Etc...

I do prefer the Pipe shift for some odd reason though; i think it's a different concept and I like the fact that I don't have to worry about breaking the nib.

You really can't go wrong with any of these pencils from Uni. I plan to get some more in different colors, and maybe try out the Pentel graphgear

Very high quality mechanical pencil at a good price compared to what I have seen. What I love about these pencils that have the Kuru Toga engine, and it actually works! I have been collecting pencils for a while and this pencil has been standing out quite well. It has a nice weight to it and it has pretty good balance. I just wish that this had a full metal (aluminum, I guess,) body. I don't know if anybody else is experiencing the same thing, but my only complaint is that the eraser cap, after some time, gets kind of loose and even to the point that sometimes when you are flipping it over to use the eraser it would just fly off.

This pencil is Wonderful. I would so give it a five, but there are certain no-no's but it's not that big of a deal. Tbh, i would give it a 4.5, not a 4, but since the rating system only have whole numbers...
Well I remember that someone had already address the issue about the mechanism's function. True that it's an amazing mechanism; i use it and it certain did the work, but like when putting at an angle and that you don't press the pencil down for the mechanism to move, the pencil's lead will get somewhat dull until you lift the pencil up. Still, i kinda write things and put pressure on the pencil, so this isn't a bad thing for me, but something i write lightly, so this happens. Still, it's a wonderful pencil, it works the way it suppose to work, i've been writing with this pencil ever since i got it from the mail. i didn't have to turn my pencils around all the time.
The appearance of this pencil is very nice, slick, cool, slim, and really smooth. Some people say that it's not different from high grade version, to me I don't have that, but from the look of it, this design was made for people that want a better grip of the pencil. I've heard elsewhere that the high grade was made of silicon materials, and some people lost the grip while holding the pencil.
To me, i like the grip, i slip my pencils a lot so i was glad i ordered this version. And also, I like the look of this version better. The high grade one isn't aesthetically appealing to me... (lol).
Imo, you should really take care of the pencil. The price isn't a cheap price for a pencil, but it was worth it (for me and for those who likes to write nicely and neatly). The technology of this pencil is top notch, and it's also a beautiful pencil. Nobody want to lose their $ right? :]

Overhyped

Auto lead rotation is a great concept and I decided to give the Kuru Toga Roulette a try. Upon using it, however, I've realized it's not for me.

I write in small block letters and try to be very neat and precise. The slight movement of the tip (about 1 mm) that triggers the lead rotation might sound insignificant, but it's enough to give the pencil a spongy, slightly unstable feeling in use. This makes it harder to write precisely and it's tiring as the hand tries to compensate for the sponginess by varying downward pressure. If they came up with a way to rotate the lead with no tip movement, that could be a winner, but as it is now, it's somewhat of a gimmick IMHO.

For different writing styles, it may work well. It's probably well suited to writing in Chinese or Japanese characters (flowing, angular strokes) or cursive.

The pencil does what it was designed to do. Lines are indeed a bit sharper and more consistent in thickness with this pencil. Whether this is worth the awkward feel depends on the user. Most people have a habit of rotating the pencil anyway, when it feels like the tip of the lead has flattened out. Fit and finish are nice, but could be better (for example an all metal barrel) for the price.

My order also included a Uni-ball Shift Pipe and a Uni-ball Alpha Gel Slim, both of which I much prefer over the Roulette (they're also priced similarly). If you want to try a Toga, I'd suggest going with the cheaper version first.

If anyone wants a Roulette in mint condition, look for my soon-to-be posted listing on ebay!

I love this pencil and i really do.
but after 3 months, the rubber part inside the tip, which hold the lead from falling out,
become loose and it bothers me a lot.
i expected a full metal body but it was a plastic [most disappointing]
if this was Full metal body like you can feel the coldness and heaviness when you hold it,
then i would love to buy all the color series.

when it worked well, I really liked about feeling of writing because it was different

I don't get all the hype over this pencil, or its "Kuru Toga" mechanism... First off, the pencil's action is kinda sloppy: there a lot of dead play when you push the cap before it engages the clutch and moves the lead out. You feel and hear a cheap spring compressing at the top of the movement. Its *click* sounds thin, cheap and imprecise. You're far from the positive action characteristic of well engineered pencils.

The barrel is not bad, but I wish the top part were also metal. The tiny bit of plastic surrounding the lead pipe looks out of place in a $16 pencil.

As for "Kuru Toga", it's more of a novelty gadget than a useful feature, in my opinion. It's picky about the angle at which you hold the pencil: too shallow and the mechanism won't engage, too steep and the benefits of a rotating lead are negated. It never seems to keep up with my writing and I need to rotate the pencil myself anyway. My particular pencil will also always stop rotating after 3/4 turns, requiring me to push the lead with considerable pressure to restart it. However, I suspect this latter problem is a very rare issue.

I'm giving this one away. On the plus side, the lead this pencil comes loaded with is fantastic. I'll be buying some to use in other pencils.

I was really quite excited to test out this mechanical pencil (I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur, having a collection of over 50 of them), but I was very much let down when it arrived.

First off, the build quality left a lot to be desired. Mind you, I wasn't expecting too much for the $, but it just generally felt plasticky and unbalanced. Worse, clicking the pencil to advance the lead results in an awful, jarring metallic "ping" sound, as opposed to a solid click. It's likely due to the clutch mechanism for auto-rotation, but regardless: it's truly, truly awful. Plus, the "squishiness" of the tip (needed to activate the auto rotation) simply makes the pencil unusable for prolonged precise writing.

This one's going back in the mail.

It WORKS! As an mechanical engineer, I was a bit skeptical how effective the spinning lead would work, but even with light (for me -admittedly a hard writer) touches the lead does turn. The little window, as you could guess, is to show that its working properly. As necessary for drawing schematics I was used to turning my pencil manually in my hand - this pencil will eliminate any need for that now. The one drawback I do see is that the threads holding the nib section to the body is plastic - not that plastic is bad, I just expected the entire pencil to be metal. I cross-shopped it against a Rotring 600 (ignored the 500 due to its plastic body) and I although I can't honestly compare it, I am NOT second guessing my choice.

great pencil at a great price.

this is an excelent pencil. I use it for mathmatics where I am the most heavy handed and I haven't broken the lead yet. It has nice weight in the lower half of the pencil but is not so heavy that it is cumbersome to write with. it doesn't work well for me as a general writing instrument as I hold it at too low of an angle for the mecanism to operate correctly. Still 5 stars for this great pencil

I ordered this the day after receiving my two "normal" Kuru Togas. As far as pencils go, this is definitely the nicest pencil I've seen at this price. The construction is very good and it has a very nice weight and balance to it. The Kuru Toga mechanism, put simply, is something that no pencil I buy from now on will be without (unless something better comes along). 100% recommended.

Way Cool ....love the Kuru Toga ....picked this one up couple days ago and its very nice....lightweight well balanced love the gnarled grip.....only problem I have is its only available in a 0.5 .....I want an 0.7 version.....other then that I love it :D

The best mechanical pencil I have ever owned. The Kuru Toga is not a drafting pencil and does not promise to be one, but as a general purpose every day use pencil, you are hard pressed to do better.

I have 4 of these in both styles with the knurled and the smooth aluminum. I have had them for more than 6 months. Love these pencils and are my number one got to 99% of the writing I do in a day which is a lot. So far they have worked flawlessly and one is even showing wear as it is used so much. Really the only problem I have with them is keeping them. I don’t know how the engineers made & hide legs on them but they seem to walk away a lot!?... To the next office down or into some ones shirt (haha) cause no one admits to taking them. Ok back to serious… So far they are pretty tuff if anyone is wondering. I have dropped them many times (even on the tip) and they all work like there are supposed to. As long as your printing and not making looooooong continuous lines it’s a great pencil. If you’re thinking about getting one think about how you write. You have to lift you pencil off the paper often i.e. print not cursive.
A couple changes I would like to see is a full metal body and (the upper half is plastic) and maybe some creative gratuitous unique body materials i.e. high grade stainless steel or exotic metal something that does nothing for the pen but make it cost more for the people like me that don’t mind spending money on the unique and different.

Okay so here's the thing with this pencil. First of all the auto-lead rotation works fantastically, but there is more to this than meets the eye. The pencil hold 0.5mm lead, but it wont write like a regular 0.5mm pencil because of the mechanism. I would say it's more like .35mm with the engine. If you do not like thin lead it is not for you at all (luckily I am that type). The pencil is incredibly stylish in both black and silver, and the knurled grip is extremely comfortable. The center of mass of the pencil is very near the middle making it perfectly balanced and all the more comfortable. The only true downside I see to it is that the grip might scratch other pens and pencils in your collection, but this can easily be solved by buying a good pencil case. I truly believe that if you like thin lead this is the best pencil you could possibly find for yourself EVER!

What a great pencil! Writing is a lot better with this pencil, and there is less strain on your hand. The center of gravity is close to the grip. It feels like a premium pencil. My favorite by far. MWAH

There have been comments about the looseness or "play" in the end of pencil around the lead pipe. The roulette is the second Kuru Toga I have used and both have the same characteristic. I find that it does not present a problem when I write a lot, such as when I take notes or write printed words on a paper. Where I find it unacceptable is when I am working math problems or doing any type of precise drawing, such as electrical schematic symbols or mechanical drawings. The slight movement of the pencil's lead pipe makes it difficult to draw straight lines or lines that are in close proximity when precision is required. I normally switch to a drafting pencil for those uses.

The main benefit to me of the KT is that I don't have to rotate the pencil around to keep a sharp edge on the paper. This, of course is what makes the pencil unique. It works exactly as advertised. Presently, I am using it for most of my writing because of this benefit.

The biggest drawback which I have not heard mentioned, is that the pencil only seems to hold a total of two leads. Moreover, when the pencil is completely empty of leads, and after you insert the first one, the second lead will not go down into the interior of the pencil far enough to let you push the eraser into place without contacting the protruding lead. To get the second lead to go down far enough, you have to put the end cap on without the eraser in and click several times to get it to move down some distance. After all this, you can finally put in the eraser and replace the end cap. I assume there is something about the design of these pencils that only allows them to hold a few leads. If not, then I have been unlucky enough to have bought two defective units out of two.

As far as I know there is no way to completely disassemble the pencil to find out if there is lead jammed up inside it that may be keeping it from holding more lead.

If you write a lot with a pencil and you can deal with the drawbacks mentioned, I think you will be satisfied with the Kuru Toga.

Very good balanced. Comfortable in long time writing.

This pencil is the best. I just love the way how it feels when u write.

i have both the silver one and black one, both work very well and the mechanism works. the black one looks a little to black and i prefer the silver one. The balance is amazing and the knurled grip is nice, but i wish it came in the colors of the high grade, i like the silver grip and black body :)

At this price point is hard to find a better value !!! The pencil has awesome build quality and is also very interesting. Somebody complained about the clip and upper body of the pencil however this is not a $50 plus pencil. I was very surprised by the metal barrel :). Only Lamy has nice clips actually.

I'm thoroughly satisfied with this pencil, it's balanced so that it's tip-heavy, making it much easier on my hand during extensive writing, and I don't have to rely on the knurled grip. That way, I can have all the traction of a knurled grip without feeling its prickly prickliness. The clip is small and out of way; it's not like I'll keep it in my pocket, with its non retractable tip.

Also, it looks slick, very slick.

This is by far my favorite pencil of all time -- it's slim, has a knurled grip, and the rotation mechanism that can't be beat. However, I'd warn against carrying it in anything other than a pencil bag or in a backpack, as the cap slips off easily in my pocket you can't replace the cap without buying *another* Kuru Toga!

This pencil is excellent! The weight feels very good in my hand and the auto-lead rotation system works just as advertised. This will definitely be my pencil of choice from now on.

very nice pencil with a great weight and the grooves feel much better to write with in contrast to the version of this pencil with the smooth barrel.