Customer Reviews

haven't broken the lead yet! Works as advertised. I take a lot of notes working at a help desk and I used to keep a stack of #2 pencils that I'd crank through by the end of the day. This pencil rocks. Buy it if you like a clean, constant line. I can't say enough good things about it. Buy some spare erasers, just to have them on hand. Me, I use a separate eraser, but I have the feeling that I'll have these pencils for a long time!

I am not a pencil expert as many other reviewers appear to be. What I can say for the Kuru Toga is it is the first mechanical pencil I have ever been able to write with for an extended period of time with out continually breaking the lead. I have a heavy hand when writing and I have never been able to experience the joy of writing with a fine piece of lead without wanting to poke my eyes out with the pencil instead of continue writing. I can't say it the lead rotation device throws off your extreme precision compared to other pencils but I can tell you it is noticeable in that it does rotate the lead helping to keep it sharp. The pencil delivers as promised and compared to many other (cheaper) mechanical pencils I have been nicely surprised, I finely understand why people love to write in pencil. There is something unique that is not found in any type of ink pen, it is a pleasure hard to describe, I find it very soft and calming. It makes my writing even more relaxing than previously experienced. And becasue this pencil helped me to learn that wonderful lesson I give it 5 stars... Excellent review and highly recommended.

I take notes for middle school students all day. I have this pencil and a Original Series (0.5). This my go-to pencil I use (2B or B) lead. This is nice and dark and very thin. I have no paper digging that sometimes happens with HD leads.

This pencil is simply wonderful. A must have for any serious collection. The engine is definitely a love it or hate it kind of thing. I got started with the 0.5 and moved down to this, so I was used to it from the start. Over all it's wonderful and it helps the lead last longer.

its a late of money i can buy this pencil but i love it its nice to buy
a pencil that low i love it

I am a big fan of mechanical pencils and have bought over 15 different mechanical pens from jetpens, they are all good quality and this one I got it just last week and have been using it! XD Super fine! <3 Really love the pen! :) When I write on paper it started to feel like as if it was moving but the feel is just awesome! >3<

This is one of my favorite writing implements of all time. I have a collection of Pentel Quicker Clickers that I've been hoarding for years since they are becoming scarce. I decided to try this pencil as a replacement because I just loved the looks of this pencil. I don't tend to write in print much so the auto lead rotation is kinda wasted on me but I am so happy with this pencil. It has a good weight and balance. The clip is sturdy and effective. The eraser is pretty small but I always have an eraser on hand and hardly ever use the ones on the pencils so this is not a huge minus for me. Anyway, it is a joy to use. I highly recommend.

I love the .5mm in this pencil; it's the best I've seen in decades of looking, so I ordered a .3mm which I also use a lot for note taking in the field and at the core logging tables. I was very disappointed that the .3mm does not have the knurling where you hold it,k as I work with damp or wet hands a lot and that knurling really aids in contro. Seems a very nice pencil though. And I still don't like their green erasers because they just don't erase as clean as the softer white kind. I really need to find a replacement white eraser for these pencils.

This pencil is amazing. The rotating mechanism works perfectly and with 0.3mm lead writes incredibly smooth.

The lead lasts incredibly long and you can write extremely tiny/fine with this pencil.

The only con that I have for this pencil, is the difficulty to obtain 0.3mm lead (that is, without ordering it online)

Great buy! Highly recommended

Bought one of these in Japan... It's pretty great. The lead definitely does rotate, although in practice it's not quite as good as they would claim - while the point probably isn't as sharp/long as it would otherwise be, the mechanism by no means gives me a tip in the middle. Then again, maybe that has to do with the hardness of the lead.
What I really love about this pen, though, is its weighting. It definitely feels solidly built and its weighting feels perfect to me.

The Kuru Toga mechanical pencil is a love/hate type of pencil. If you do disassemble your pencils often, you will find that the Kuru Toga jams rather easily, and the Grip part is not removable; its a small inconvenience that shouldn't bother most people.

The grip is not that "grippy", rather " slippy" ( slippery), and always feels like the Kuru Toga will slide out of your hand. The only colour available for the 0.3mm Kuru Toga is baby blue, just not my cup of tea, I highly dislike the feminine color, however that's just me. If you use the Kuru Toga for extreme small handwriting, you will find that there is a small wobble in the tip, a little annoying. Also, if you have too soft of a lead, then the Kuru Toga's engine wont keep up, and you'll end up with a dull piece of lead. I'd recommend an HB or harder lead hardness, for your Kuru Toga's engine. Also I recommend the 0.3mm Uni-ball Hi-Density pencil lead. If you write in cursive, the engine doesn't rotate that frequently, reducing the effects of the Kuru Toga's engine.

As you always have a " sharp point " with the Kuru Toga, the pencil always feels a little bit scratchy ( The feeling when you start writing on the sharp edge of the lead ), however that's not too big of a problem for me. The tip on the Kuru Toga's engine does not retract, so forget about putting your Kuru Toga in your pockets.

For writing purposes, the Kuru Toga works well, however for drafting purposes (The Kuru Toga was not made for drafting) , you feel the wobble in the tip more, you could use it for drafting uses, but the engine wont rotate, meaning you'll rotate it yourself. I understand that most of the consumers of the Kuru Toga wont use it for drafting, so this paragraph should be meaningless for you.

If you press hard and advance the lead too much, then the rotating mechanism wont prevent you from breaking the lead.

Its actually easy to clear jams, @mmartir, to clear the jam just disassemble the tip, pulling the black part out ( Yank it out ) and remove the lead with a long thin needle ( Needle to clear jams ) and push the needle inside, taking the lead out. If you don't now how to clear the jams, the it'll be very frustrating to try because the Kuru Toga is not your average pencil. The eraser is good quality, however a bit small for my taste. I recommend block erasers for writing/drafting purposes. The clip works well & stays attached to whatever you attach it to.

Thank you Jet pens for your super quick shipping & delivery! Even with the basic shipping option it arrived to my house in Florida ( From California ) in less than 5 days!

- Omar

I LOVE THIS PENCIL but the lead rotation takes a while to get used to

The Kuru Toga is made well but the rotating gimzo is definitely an acquired taste. It's definitely not for me. I suggest you try the pen before you buy it'll either be a love or hate relationship, nothing in between.

I take notes for students during the school year. I take a lot of notes. This was a great pencil except it jammed twice. The first time I spent 2 hours trying to un-jam it. The second time after 45 min I gave up. Some day I will try to fix it. I do love the pencil (I used B lead only)

to B_e ill buy it from you :)
email: matttcheeww@gmail.com
Anyway love this pencil been wonderful to me :3

What a disappointment! I just got this pen and the lead breaks very easily. It didn't seem to make any difference what angle the pencil was at nor the type of paper I used.

Does anybody want to buy this thing from me?

This pencil broke on me after only using it for a summer school class.

I absolutely love this pencil. I just ran out of lead today and tried to write with another pencil when I realized how great it is.

My teacher recommended it to me, and it's all I use now. I can't stand to use other pencils which write slowly, are too thick, and chip off. This pencil writes like a ballpoint pen, and the weight is very nice. It's auto sharpening features works perfectly and over the last month it has only chipped off once.

The two things I dislike about this pencil are the fact that the grip is a bit slippery (but not so slippery it's unusable, at all,) and I'm constantly worried about it stabbing me in my pocket. The tip doesn't retract, and it's a little sharp, which makes it a bit frustrating to carry in my pocket.

Overall, I love this pencil, and couldn't use another.

My favorite pencil. I'm amazed it works as well as it does.

Note: To do its trick it needs either harder lead, a light touch, or for the pencil to be picked up. But only one of these. Example: If drawing a two foot line with soft lead, the lead might flatten out, or even with harder lead if the pencil is pushed down with much pressure.

If you don't have one, get one. Heck, if you're at Jetpens you have a collection anyhow probably.

To the guy who asked what the difference is, I'll answer.
I ordered both and got them today.

The high grade one's grip is a little slick in comparison to the older one, so I'd say the older one is easier to hold on to. The old one's kuru toga device is also easier to activate, I guess you can say. You don't have to press down as hard to make it rotate.

I bought the pencils to draw with and noticed right away that they're better for writing. If you're using them for sketching, it probably won't rotate as much until you do a dark line. Not a problem though because you will end up doing dark lines, shadows, etc. Now for writing, it works like a charm. Very nice.

Anyway, the high grade one feels nicer in my hand, it feels a little heavier and it's nicer looking. The older one is just plastic. They're both awesome though, but if you don't want to spend 15 dollars, the older one does just as good as a job, as long as you don't mind the plastic frame.

I'd definitely recommend this pencil to anyone. If you're writing a lot, this is the best one you can get probably. If you're sketching or drawing, I don't know if this one is the best but it's definitely the best I've used so far.

I love the way the pen writes, very smooth and even once it's been through a couple cycles. Makes writing a long essay readable from beginning to end. The only complaint I have is the grip. It is uncomfortable for long periods and is very prone to slipping. I wish I had waited for the Roulette to get back in stock before purchasing a Kuru Toga (or the now available Alpha Gel). I'd still recommend this pencil line to someone without a doubt, but maybe not this exact one.

This pencil is excellent. I've been using it for a month and it has so far functioned perfectly and exactly as described.

The high grade version works just as well as the original but, in my opinion, it looks better and its additional weight provides a better feel.

I would recommend this pencil to anyone.

The spring inside really works its amazing this thing is the greatest pencil in the world but the grip is a little wierd fellin when you sweat on your hands mate. But over all its amazin. Hope you all buy it mates

Good pencil priced right. Looks good, grip works fine for me, works as advertised. Kuru Toga engine is more of a novelty than necessity for me, but very cool anyway. Writing in cursive somewhat reduces the effect of the auto-rotation, since you activate the action less often. Glad I bought it.

I am very picky about pencils, after reading reviews on this pencil on JetPens and PenAddict, I decided to try one out. I am very pleased with the pencil. I do not find my writing experience to be "mushy" at all. As far as the hole on the grip goes, I am working on training myself to write with the hole facing up and not turn the pencil as I am prone to do. I cannot wait to use it more, I am thrilled about how consistent my handwriting looks so far.