Customer Reviews

i dont get it, jetpens will give you the pencil, a little pack of lead, and two extra erasers for a lower price than if you bought the pencil alone. overall a great pencil, elegant, pro design, and one of my favorite pencils next to the shift pipe lock from uni

You get lead! This pencil is just the best. Its light and I think just the right thickness. When I draw, thats the exact opposite of what I want but when I'm taking notes, it's just so nice. I think I would get angry and stop focusing if I went back to a normal pencil. Everything about this pencil feels great. Even the knock. The only thing that I'm not fond of is how there is a little suspension, less than a millimeter, but it is necessary for the turning mechanism so get used to it. There's no reason not to get spoiled by this pencil. Just buy it now.

Kind of a 4.5 - the grip is odd, but useable, I may try a High Grade one. But as for the pencil itself, and the mechanism? Like another reviewer, I find I'm not using anything else. I tend to have a heavy hand when writing, especially in pencil - like I expect it to be BLACK like a pen, darn it. :) But I was doing a large amount of writing in pencil last week, scheduling, and two days in, I realized I hadn't broken the lead, not once. It may possibly be a higher-quality lead than I normally have, but I don't think that's all of it, if any at all. Pleasantly surprised that the mechanism isn't a gimmick.

i love my kuru toga! sometimes its hard to switch between this pencil and others because others dont rotate the lead. sometimes i notice myself unconsciously rotating the pencil while im writing

Great mech. pencil. I have this and the more expensive version, and I actually prefer this one. It is light weight and has enough thickness to be comfortable in your hand.

I bought my Kuru Toga Starter at a retail store, because I found the pinciple of the internal lead spinning mechanism appealing, as normal mechanical pencils (especially ones that require thicker lead) require you to continually rotate the pencil shaft to maintain a crisp point. After extensive use, I was extremely delighted with how consistent the lead point was, the I decided to buy several more through JetPens. I was also surprised to discover other unique things about this pencil:
-The body is plastic, yet has a very unique feel, it feels wonderful in the hand
-Although having no true grip, the wave pattern in the plastic near the point allows for very comfortable use, I prefer this over standard grips
-The push top mechanism feels very satisfying, odd to say, but I enjoy running down the point only to feel the satisfying lead advance actuation
-theres a certain give the lead tip has, that takes some getting used to, but ultimately, it leads to a better writing angle (imo)
-not sure if it's the lead that comes with the pencil, or the pencil itself (or a combination of both) but writing with this pencil is EXTREMELY smooth

The rotating mechanism works wonderfully and I won't use a regular non rotating mechanism unless my Kuru Toga is not available. I have the 0.3mm and 0.5mm Kuru Toga (0.7mm on order) and they are all the best mechanical pencils I have used. I use the 0.3mm for fine work and the 0.5mm for regular work although I find the 0.5mm a touch fine (my son thinks the Kuru Toga 0.5mm is perfect).

The 0.5mm lead has about 3 times the volume of material than a 0.3mm lead and they last quite awhile before having to advance the lead. The Kuru Toga advances the lead a relatively short amount compared to some other mechanical pencils and that helps reduces breakage. The only time they break is when I don't let the lead wear right down before advancing.

Once the lead pushes past the advancing/rotating mechanism it is best to advance a new lead and throw away the rather long bit you just pushed through. I tried using up the non rotating lead by pushing it through from behind one click at a time but small pieces of the new lead kept breaking off inside and eventually jammed. I unscrewed the end to clean out the dozen or so bits that collected in the tip.

The 0.5mm Kuru Toga makes the slightly thinner line than a standard mechanical pencil, almost the same as a standard 0.3mm.

I don't bother using the eraser as you have to remove (and lose?) the cap. I guess it's okay for emergencies but I try to keep a standard eraser handy. Having spare leads included is a real bonus and they are strong and dark.

Great Value.

This is a great lead pencils that suits my everyday needs. It is perfect for taking notes and the lead that came with it never broke once. The rotating mechanism works as advertised. This is my new favorite lead pencil and i highly recomend you get one to.

This is probably the best pencil I have purchased so far. It has proven that it not only rarely dulls, but is useful in numerous drafting assignments, such as drawing writing and shading. Although, I should probably start getting used to mono drafting pencils...

Overall I like this pencil and use it regularly. However, I feel like the rotating mechanism is a bit of a gimmick that doesn't really do anything for my particular writing style. The pencil is very reliable, and the feed mechanism is great. I bought this particular model to try out the line before deciding to purchase one of the premium models. I decided that the rotating lead feature isn't enough of a benefit so I will consider other pencil lines in the future. That being said though, this pencil will remain in my daily carry case for the foreseeable future. It is certainly worth buying to try out to determine if it fits your style and needs before purchasing a more expensive Kuru Toga pencil.

I thought, "Huh. Seems like a good idea and it's not expensive. I'll give it a try." After using it for several months, I kind of hate my other mechanical pencils. Okay, I don't hate them, but I don't want to use them anymore. It's not so much the quality of the writing, (which is definitely better with the KT); it's the quality of the act of writing. That was awkwardly worded, but I think you know what I mean. The Kuru Toga is now my favorite mechanical pencil. Guess I just have to buy more.

I have to agree with the previous reviewer. It is very convenient that this starter set is cheaper than the original kuru toga sold by itself, with no spare leads or rasers. I got this two days ago and I'm totally in love with it. I imagined it to be light, loose, and to have a cheap feel. I have underestimated this tool because, it has a good weight, it is very compact and sturdy, and has a VERY solid click. This pencil may not look like much, but it has a very high-quality feel to it. The lead is magnificently smooth and VERY low-wear. The mechanism also works nicely. Good pencil, good lead, so if you want a cheap lead-rotating pencil, this is the way to go.

I have never seen the mechanism work but i don't watch it and it comes with diamond infused lead

I bought these for my two brothers (an engineer and an engineering student) who both do not share my obsession of writing instruments and notebooks. They love this pencil so much that they won't let me get my girl cooties on it--mature aren't they? I have the Alph-Gel Kuru Toga which uses the same rotating mechanism, and I can't bring myself to use any other mechanical pencil.

I absolutely love this pencil. The rotating mechanism keeps the lead sharp, which is helpful because I have small handwriting. It's a bit confusing why the pencil+lead+erasers costs less than if you buy just the pencil alone, but that just makes it more of a reason to buy it! The lead that comes with it is awesome and durable. I strongly recommend this pencil as a pencil fanatic that has tried many others before.

i have owned one of these pencils for a long time, and it still work! Truly, i dont really care wether or not the mechanism works (even though it does). Anybody who puts that much thought and innovation inside a writing tool, they get my vote. Uni is always one step ahead in all other companies, therefore, it is my favorite company. Dont think about it. This pencil is cheap and VERY nice. A MUST BUY NOW!

it seemed like a pretty good pencil but the engine is not as good as i though. it barely spins and i still need to spin my pencil around

I've owned a lot of mechanical pencils but I have to say this is one of my favorites. UNI-BALL please combine the Kuru rotating mechanism into a pencil with a wider barrel, heavier feel, and added a practical eraser (like on the Pental Twist-Erase)!

(just saying) u can get this at office depot in the stationary section but it's lyk $10.49 (4 hawaii) so just get it ere and get sumthing else so u cancer free shipping :D lol