Customer Reviews

Solid pencil, however doesn't hold up very well aesthetically when used as your daily throw-in-backpack pencil. After using it heavily over a year, the paint on the upper part of the barrel (which is plastic), has worn off significantly, showing the milky white plastic underneath. This doesn't cause any usage issues, but it does make it look rather ugly. Another issue is that the locking mechanism becomes loose after heavy use, diminishing the pencils ability to lock in place. While this doesn't prevent me from using the pencil, it does cause minor issues such as dropping the pencil and having the tip retract because the locking mechanism can't hold up to minor concussions.

Not terrible I guess, but not nearly as nice as Pentel's graph-gear 1000, which costs the same and is also retractable. The cheap plasticy feel ( the upper barrel is plastic if you couldn't tell) doesn't really detract from the usability, but if chintzy doesn't bother you why spend so much on one pencil? A few minor cons: the taper to the point is a little steep for my taste, and the eraser is TINY, like even smaller than pentel's be-careful-you-don't-accidentally-inhale-it erasers. Also, when the tip's retracted the upper barrel slides around loosely, which is kind of annoying.

Seriously, just get the pentel pencil, it's universally better.

I draw all day and this tool is a joy to use- weighted just right and well constructed. Lead holds firm with solid mechanicals

After receipt and use of the Pipe Lock pencil for several days, I believe that Uni-ball has a solid winner! The pencil is very well balanced and the knurling on the grip is just about perfect - not too course, not too fine, making it very comfortable for long periods of use. The shift lock mechanism is smooth and flawless, and is extremely useful for those of us that must stick the pencil in our pocket on a regular basis. Very well made!..

An excellent pencil. I am a high school senior planning on using this pencil all throughout college, if i can keep it from being stolen that is.

Pros:

- Metal, but somewhat soft grip: It's odd, but the knurled grip, though metal, feels almost soft to the touch. It's less fatiguing too, because it does not give like other soft rubber grips.
- No lead wiggle: The lead sleeve perfectly holds the lead, so I feel no wobbling of the led, making writing to feel much smoother overall.
- Distance between grip and lead: I prefer to hold my pencil lower, where most other pencils' grips end. This pencil gives you this option with a shorter head than most.
- Sleek design: Just look at it, it's so sleek.
- Plastic body, metal grip: This gives a nice weight to the pencil and shifts the weight toward the tip, which feels solid while writing. Though plastic, it doesn't feel cheap either.

Cons:

- Lead sleeve retracting mechanism: If you like to write with a lot of lead advanced, then you should push the lead back in after use, because the point of the lead might stick out after retracting the lead sleeve. This isn't a huge problem though, but a problem nonetheless.
- Price: This could be a con if you tend to lose pencils often, but if not, this pencil will last for many years. I believe that it is an excellent investment to buy a comfortable pencil or pen.

I LOVE THIS PENCIL!!!
I am a sketch artist and an amateur aerospace designer and I have never come across a drafting pencil that is even half as good as these. I know that the price tag on it might seem like a bit much, to any beginning artists out there, but if I had a choice between this pencil and its weight in gold, I would be tempted to choose the pencil. More so than the gold.
I bought this model, the Shift 0.9mm Silver barrel with Red Accent, 0.5mm grade-B Uni-ball NanoDia and 0.9mm grade-B Uni-ball Shu Leads, and the E-Knock eraser. I would be more than happy to buy them all again.
The pencils are great, they might seem a bit heavy when you hold them in your hand, but when you start writing/drawing/sketching/drafting you will start noticing a key difference that makes this pencil unique (besides, of course, the Shift locking mechanism, which has yet to fail me, and its aesthetically pleasing design). The single most helpful aspect, as I believe it to be, is the weight distribution of this pencil. If I were to hold this and an X-acto knife in my hands, without looking, I couldn't tell you which one was was so precise, that it could be used to perform open-heart surgery, and which one was the X-acto knife! The majority of this pencil's weight, like a scalpel, is centered around the grip. This means that when you use it, controlling the tip of the pencil will seem like an effortless task because your fingers will naturally support the weight of the grip (where most of the weight is). If this does not make enough sense, please just take my word for it, buy one of these wonderful pencils, and see for your self just how great they are.
Now when it comes to pencil leads, I like to stick with the same brands. So it seemed only fitting for me to buy Uni-ball leads. Out of all the pencil lead brands that I have used [Foray(6/10), Pentel(8/10), Sharp(7.5/10), Ticonderoga(8/10), etc.] no brand has kept its promises as well as Uni-ball has, thus far. The 0.9mm grade-B Shu leads will only break if you intentionally overload them (or if you write like you're trying to kill the page and the desk beneath it!). The 0.5mm grade-B NanoDia leads are also pretty strong, for their size. Both lead types are extremely low wear (each lead lasts a long time before needing to be replaced) and erase very cleanly with the E-Knock, which I will get to next...
When I was looking for a good eraser I wanted to stay with the Uni-ball brand because, in the past, I learned that using one brand of lead and a different brand of eraser had a tendency to make erasing more like smudging. With the E-Knock eraser I never have that problem so long as I am erasing a mark from a Uni-ball lead. I am not currently sure how well the E-Knock erases most other brands (it doesn't erase Ticonderoga lead quite as well as it erases Uni-ball lead, I have not yet experimented with any brands other than those two), but I am fairly sure it can handle at least one or two other mainstream brand names. It erases with wonderful precision, I would recommend buying it with the Shift drafting pencil, because the eraser on the pencil doesn't look like it would last very long.

I really, really like this pencil. As an English teacher I write a lot (not "allot") of comments to my students. I only write my comments in graphite. I have had this pencil for one and a half years, but it feels as if I purchased it yesterday. This was a great buy, and I highly recomend it for other teachers, students, etc.

I have this one and the silver version in 0.5 It's a cool looking pencil, and the metal grip is awesome. Give's it a bottom heavy feel.

If I were going to nitpick, it would probably be on the plastic top portion, but overall, it's that plastic that gives the bottom heavy feel the pencil. and it's awesome you can retract the tip and put it in your pocket.


If only they could combine the retractable tip + kura toga mechanism, made out of metal, that would be the ultimate pencil.

This pencil is quite pretty and writes very well - unfortunately the main barrel is plastic, and the silver paint comes of very quickly just from being in a bag with other pencils or a pocket. I've had my pencil for two weeks, and it the barrel is already quite worn down. I was hoping, at this price point, that it would be similar quality/construction to the Pentel Graphgear 1000 (which I love) - the barrel on that seems to be more of a metal construction and doesn't wear down, even over a year of use. I guess I'm sticking with the pentel!

After receipt and use of the Pipe Lock pencil for several days, I believe that Uni-ball has a solid winner! The pencil is very well balanced and the knurling on the grip is just about perfect - not too course, not too fine, making it very comfortable for long periods of use. The shift lock mechanism is smooth and flawless, and is extremely useful for those of us that must stick the pencil in our pocket on a regular basis. Very well made!..

For a while, my dad hated these pencils. he thought there was no comparison between them and Ticonderoga pencils(for some sick, twisted reason). He had never used this pencil before, and we did a test between them. Once he started writing with this Uni, he was immediately hooked on it. I love this pencil, its lead width is superior for writing and it doesn't snap like the 0.3mm I have. It writes really smoothly and doesn't leave your hand tired after hours of drawing and writing because it is so well weighted at the bottom end. The locking mechanism is awesome for protecting the pipe and it is one-hand-friendly, you just have to know how. Cosmetically, the paint wears out on the top after a while, but that has absolutely nothing to do with its performance. For writing and drawing, go with this. It will never let you down and will last you for ever.

This is a great writing tool. The unit itself is rather light (weight) with a great twist locking mechanism. One can actual lock the pencil two ways either with the tip extended or with the tip retracted. First time around I purchased the black and red units and I recently ordered and received the next day the white and blue accent units. This is a really great writing tool. You won't be disappointed.

Superb customer service is so hard to do right...time and time again but Jetpens makes it look so easy!

Absolutely the best.

I got this pencil a few years ago when I was in Japan - definitely one of my favorite things I got there, and absolutely the best pencil I have ever used! The weight is perfect (heavier and lower than most pencils, as has been mentioned), it has a sure grip, and the locking feature.. works. When you lock it away the tip is totally protected, and when you lock it out (ie for use) it will never close unexpectedly. Plus it's just a cool feature. Aside from that, the tip is the strongest pencil tip that I have experienced. I tend to use my pencils somewhat strongly, and this one has developed 0 problems in more than 3 years of use!
The shaft is plastic - something that I personally have no qualms about. It doesn't feel thin or weak, and is simply overall another of those perfectly designed Japanese products. I payed around $20 when I bought it and thought it was kinda pricey, but now that I've used it I would gladly pay much more. Save yourself the frustration of other pencils and just get this one!

Good pencil - feels heavy on the tip which I like and the concept is interesting.

I would pay up to 50$ for this design if it was constructed entirely of metal. This pencil is everything I need on my job as a fine carpenter including the .4 size and beautifully knurled grip so necessary to exact marking in my line of work. I have not yet broken the plastic upper casing but do worry about my tool belt crunching it at some point. That said I dont think it will suffer any ill effects outside of my world!

I found the reviews to this drafting pencil helpful as well as truthful. If you're considering a drafting pencil, keep in mind that they are precision instruments and must be treated with extra care and handling. Some pencils are sturdier than others, the differences may lie in your own grip and writing posture. I keep this pencil at my desk in a pen case box. I've gone through several lead refills and it still works like new. I would not recommend it as traveling pencil where you would throw it in a briefcase or have jostled in your shirt pocket.

It's a standard drafting pencil, with its best feature being the pipe holding the lead retracts.

I really enjoy using this pencil. The locking mechanism is tight and sturdy and the grip is just right concerning the roughness. The finish of the white is basically flat - no gloss or shine what so ever, so it tends to get dirty quite easily. The clip is very sturdy and clips onto my shirt pocket with a "snap" so I know I won't easily loose this gem.

All in all a good buy. You won't be disappointed.

This is a great pencil. It has a "bottom-heavy" feel which lessens the force needed to apply the pencil to the paper. The metal bottom half of the pencil (knurled) grip is amazing, it's my favorite feature. The upper part is plastic made, and you can definitely feel that the bottom portion outweights the top portion by a lot.

Like someone else said, when the pencil is locked and the "nib" in retracted ,the pencil has "loose feel" due to the pipe shift mechanism. But when its loaded and ready to go, it has a TIGHT feel.

It's a great concept, and great way to protect the nib and allow it in your pocket. It writes great, and because of the lower weight, you don't have to apply that much pressure. It's really cool looking too, I purchased the one in silver.

I only give it 4 stars because if the upper body where made from a metal, and more tight feeling, it would be perfect.

This is a fantastic pencil! I bought this pencil as it has a very aesthetically pleasing design, and Uni-ball is a great pencil/pen maker. It knurled grip is very comfortable, and I personally have not found a position when writing where it is even remotely painful. The lead it comes with is Uni's NanoDia and it is strong, and smooth, it isn't the darkest lead, but it good enough for my everyday printing and cursive. The build quality is very good to excellent, the shift mechanism is smooth and easy to use. The body is made out of red plastic and it feels a little soft but it is durable and should hold up to most reasonable stresses. It's weight is centered more towards the bottom but is by no means unbalanced, and to me at least, is of a perfect weight.

best pencil i have ever had. It's great for drawing and writing. Since my old one got stollen at school :( I bought another one and it's great because I don't have to worry about were I put it because you can just stick it in your pocket.

The Uni-ball Shift wins my vote for most innovative design. It is a very stylish Drafting Pencil that will have people asking you where you bought it mostly in part to the unique locking mechanism.

Pro's:
-Locking mechanism works flawlessly.
-Grip is very comfortable for writing and drawing despite looks.
-Very stylish design.
-When locked in use mode the pencil is very sturdy and the weight very well balanced.

Con's:
-Top part above the grip is plastic that feels very cheap.
-When pencil is locked in non-use mode, the piece that is revealed (blue in this case) also seems very cheap and it feels as if it can break very easy.
-No lead indicator.

Overall:

I must say that overall the Pro's outweigh the Con's and this is a very solid piece to add to any artist or writer's collection, it is a wonderful piece to own.

This is my absolute favorite pencil ever. I am a student with allot of knowledge on Japanese stationary. This is definetely the best mechanical pencil I have ever used.


Pro's:
Great grip
front weighted
guide pipe is protected


Con's:
Top half is plastic
No lead hardness indicator



The cons don't matter to me that much I was just pointing it out for some picky buyers.


Overall: It's a great for its price. It'also a nice sturdy pencil, I highly recommend it for students who have heavy note taking.

This pencil looks solid, with upper tubing made of plastic and the lower part nice, solid metal. However, the twist-lock mechanism inside is made of plastic parts that snapped and broke after 3 months of daily use.

Great design, but I find myself not using this pencil as much as the Staetler 925-05, the locking mechanism on this pencil is a little counter-intuitive for me and there are stages of the lock as you twist it, I would prefer more of a push/pull design on the lock. If you have ever used a twist style retractable pen this pencil seems to function similarly but in an opposite direction from what I am used to. I will say that there is NO play in the tip when you are writing with it, it doesnt rattle or anything, so as far as a retractable pencil this is the best design I have seen. But I do wish that the Twist mechanism was more one hand friendly.

I will add that to extend you twist it till it stops, then pull it out (spring loaded so it pushes itself out) and then turn it one more click till it stops again, same for reverse, except opposite directions. To me the twist is counter-intuitive and I would expect to turn the pencil the opposite way to extend it so it would be more friendly if using only one hand.

I've been using this pencil daily for half a year now, and it is by far my number one favorite pencil to use. My other Uni alpha gels are untouched because of this. The writing is always precise and sharp, the mechanism to retract the tip is genius, and it is heavy! I would have to say this is one of the few pencils that is worth every penny of the 15 dollars that I paid.