Uni Alpha-Gel Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil, 0.5 mm, Black Body (M5858GG1P.24)

I love the pencil, the lead this company produces, and the lead turning mechanism that makes this product so awesome. I use it mostly for drawing and I tend to grip hard ( Subconsciously for some reason ) onto pencils so drafting pencils with hard plastic or metal grips leaves my digits with callouses and strained fingers in a very short session of using other pencils.It's very easy to write with and lives true to its function, to keep a decent edge on every stroke. It's great even for drawing ( Although it gets some getting used to, sometimes I like the flat edge for shading but very small drawback ).I've always steered clear of pencils with loose components ( Tip and Frame as moving parts ) due to the idea that it would have some 'play' during use, but it feels just right and I don't notice it feeling loose on contact with paper. All in all, I would recommend this to my friends and family. I've bought many pencils being a stationary freak, this is quality worth forking out the extra dollars instead of buying something cheap that might not last you or satisfy your needs as your go to pencil.1+ Year Update: The gel grip and the pencil overall is still intact, no noticeable wear and tear ( I used to hate Dr Grips because of that, with their grips turning yellow and breaking away like a gum eraser ). The moving parts are still working just as good as the day I had purchased it. I use this pencil for doodling as much as I do for general writing.I have read about people having issues drawing with this due to shading, but I have not experienced any difficulty working with the pencil. It might have something to do with the way I shade my work with minimal lifting of the pencil.

Very impressed with this pencil. I have large hands so the skinny pencils sometimes start to make my hand ache. This is thick enough that it is comfortable for long spans of time holding it. I love that it stays sharp by rotating the lead each time you lift the pencil. The only improvement I could think of is figuring out how to incorporate a larger eraser. Great pencil. I would recommend.

I LOVE this pencil!!! I found a recommendation for this pencil on a magazine link that came up when I googled it. It does what it says it will for sure!The grip is soft, has the soft smooth feel of silicon, and has a decent weight to it. It does write smoother and more consistent than the other mechanical pencils in my arsenal, with the same size lead. I should add that I don't do anything where my writing is super important, I'm not a writer or designer or mathematician, I mostly just take notes. BUT I do feel that it is important that my writing utensil works on the first try every time, that my hand doesn't hurt or cramp up from the shape, and that at least I can read it, and this certainly fits the bill.The only cons I have noticed are:* The tip doesn't retract, so it will poke you if you slide it in a pocket, haven't had it bend tho* The eraser is TINYI would definitely recommend this pencil, and actually did buy 2 more for my friends who prefer pencils as I do.

I was watching a television series on Japanese design and one of the episodes covered stationary supplies including pencils like this one with self sharpening lead and immediately wanted to get my hands on one to try myself.I bought a regular Kuru Toga for work and this Alpha-Gel for home use. I've been impressed with the engineering of rotating lead mechanism and showed it off to my co workers who also though it was cool. If you wanted to test out whether the lead really was self sharping peel off a small piece of tape, mark the edges, and stick it to your lead tip. Every time you press down the lead it will rotate slightly keeping the writing tip sharp.I have found that it works as advertised and keeps the writing tip sharp. Grant it probably not that big a difference to the average user I enjoy the small attention to detail provided by this pen.Overall a nice pencil and I prefer this to other pencils in the price range like a Dr. Grip. If only it had a bigger eraser!

THIS PENCIL IS LITERALLY THE BEST!!!!! I was so pleased. My writing appears clearer and more organized and the grip feels so squishy and comfortable. I recommend buying this as a freshman in high school so you save more money in the long run. I'm in college so I don't really need a mechanical pencil (professors won't allow them for test taking), but this is so worth the purchase. The lead is really durable too. The eraser is about the only con on this thing (its REALLY TINY and shouldn't be used). But that can be solved with a large eraser. I recommend this to everyone. A very pretty and clean cut pencil design. Don't expect tooo much from this pencil, like it'll save your grade or anything because at the end of the day it is exactly that. A high-quality, yet affordable pencil.

The problem that I have with the Kuru Toga line is that the tip always has felt loose. Now don't get me wrong, the rotating lead mechanism is great and by no means does its design impact the precision. It just gives the pencil a lesser quality feel. Unlike other Kuru Toga's. This pencil understands the limitations of the mechanism. This is the thickest kuru toga and with good reason. It's designed for comfort and long writing. I don't say it's the most comfortable pencil to write with(that still goes to its sibling, the Alpha Gel Grip Shaker), but it doesn't even stop there. The barrel that the rubber grip sits on is made of solid metal. Not only does that give the pencil a balance that's essentially perfect, but it also helps give the mostly plastic build a nice durable feel.So to conclude. If you want a pencil that you'll enjoy writing for hours with. There's no better choice. With both a Kuru Toga mechanism and an Alpha Gel Grip, you really can't go wrong.