u/IchiramenPotato

When the UNI M3-552 does Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

It's just a very same tool, but the Gundam and the Japanese text have a charming effect on this pencil. Besides, the blue color is, well my lacking of vocabulary, very Gundam. It also goes well with the mechanical keyboard Varmilo RGBY ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ. With this, my Bandai Namco pencils group has unintentionally increased its number, together with the Nocfree metal and Sindbat.

Performance wise, nothing special about this pencil 😅 fixed sleeve, a bit slippery grip, brass clutch... Not something I carry everyday, but a nice piece in the lot.

Testing some white leads, 0.9mm is the smallest I can find, from various branches for tailors. They (the leads) turn out super great for writing. It seems that sometime online reviews are not enough to judge: no waxy feeling, no brittle and no smudging.

The GG500 acts as a storage tank for the standard graphite leads from other pencils, I tried my best, it can store up to 8 leads at the same time.

Pentel P209 always get the job done.

An in-production leadholder, sometime mentioned as tool for construction.

It's hard to find a full metal leadholder nowadays, this pencil has metal clutch, clip and grip; the rest is plastic. The knurling on the grip on the smooth side, despite their rough look. The body is sticky plastic.

The color is nice though. Also, it's cool to see leadholder 2.0mm still relevant.

Made in Japan.

I'm always curious about pencils equipped with auto lead advance ever since I heard about the KT Dive and Orenz Nero, and even more after I tasted the greatness of the Faber-Castell alphamatic and TK matic. So for the Sun-star Nocfree Metal it's not an exception. To be fair, there is more than the auto-advance that make this pencil interesting to some : the metal body, the grip design and the Bandai Namco name itself.

Some here have reviewed this pencil (1, 2 and 3), so I just give some of my thought after a few months using it as a short review.

It only comes in 0.5mm, and the pipe is not fine enough. For comparison, let’s look at the Pentel Orenz Nero, which actually cares about the relative size between the guiding pipe and the lead itself. On the Nocfree Metal, we see a clunky design.

The cone is brass, the body is aluminum, and the cap is plastic. The internals and the clutch are also plastic, rendering the center of gravity slightly toward the tip (the yellow dot in the second picture). A hard shell covering an elastic internal gives me the image of a snail. And I hate snails.

The grip is useless; they replaced one slippery thing with another slippery thing. The bare aluminum grip is actually better than those parallel plastic lines.

No eraser, means no mistake allowed.

The cap has a small hole through which lead could theoretically slip in/out since there is no eraser, they say it's for reloading leads into the pencil without removing the cap.

The writing experience is not bad. The tip is very responsive, and since the pipe is not overly refined but well-chamfered at the edge, the scratchy feel is negligible. Regardless, I write mostly on Midori MD paper, which is normally smooth enough to boost every pencil to a whole new level.

Overall I think this is not a bad pencil, but it isn't an exceptional one either. I feel like Sun-Star made this pencil to be given away as a gift for someone buying a Gundam.

Just another day, I found out there is another style(*) of the Baignol et Farjon (French ancien leadholder, predescent of the Criterium) and some discontinued items. I thought it worth taking a picture of them.

I use all my tools, but sometime these lost pieces are too precious (spiritual values), they bring up hesitation and anxiety...

(*) There were actually 4 styles, from this post.

Well if I ever write one.

Some of these tools have quietly followed me through every stage of my life, from long nights at university as a student and researcher to my current work as an engineer. It has ups and downs (love-hate is a real thing in drafting lol), but the brand is permanently etched in my brain. Just as a mechanical pencil is often called a Sharp シャープ in Japan or a Criterium in France, to me, drafting has always just meant rOtring.

The rOtring 600 is the one piece that has truly weathered the years with me. My daily work is almost entirely FEM, CAD, and BIM now, but whenever I have a quiet moment to practice my "ancient" manual skills, it’s such a treat to pick it up again.

I’m not a serious collector or a hunter of rare models, I just tend to pick one up whenever the right tool crosses my path at the right time. But thanks to the inspiration from this community and r/RotringMuseum, I realized I’ve gathered quite a collection over the years. Thought I’d share a photo of the tools that have kept me company.

I remember some time ago in this sub, someone asked about opinions on most beautiful metal body pencils. I gathered mine in silver color. But it's too late to join the discussion now, so I make it as an excuse for a new post instead.

Criterium 2403 2mm : timeless design, super convenient and sturdy lead holder, pencils may come and go, but this one stays in my pen case.

Caran d'Ache Ecridor 0.7mm : look a bit more posh than the Criterium, a very well made one from Caran d'Ache

Criterium multi ballpoint pen : not a pencil but the body looks cool, I'm still struggle to convert it to a pencil, it's been a few years, this pen stay on the desk as an emotional support.

Marquise 703 2mm : from 1910s, it makes me believe if we use a mechanical pencil with care, it can stay strong for generations.

Rotring 900 0.7mm : in a metal body pencil talk, Rotring 900 must be there by default.

Just discovered the Zebra Rint recently. The closest I've experienced is the Pentel Orenz. I think it's a good idea to write a short review by comparing these two fine examples.

Two sliding-sleeve mechanical pencils for people who like to write without being afraid of lead breakage. Both have plastic barrel, brass clutch. RINT is a bit lighter but not so significant.

The pipe/sleeve : This part is what the ORENZ and the RINT are all about. I tested them on Oxford and Midori papers without any problem, my writing style doesn’t produce any scratchy feeling, but it does make noise, and that noise is music to my ears. Interestingly, the sliding pipe on the ORENZ can be removed without any effort. Meanwhile, the RINT’s part refuses to pop out, but its movement is extremely smooth. On RINT, the sleeve is a combination of a fixed part and a moving part which render the whole sleeve a bit longer, I like this approach, as it makes even easier to see where the tip is, useful for drawing small details, 4~5mm exposed (a bit overkill, as ORENZ has already been doing this job very well, 3~4mm exposed). RINT features one of the longest pipes in Zebra’s history.

The cone : ORENZ's cone is 100% metal, RINT's has metal tip and a plastic part for the rest. This was intentional from Zebra, the dark resin coating is to reduce reflection, hence helping to concentrate on writing better. It has curves inward as it meets the metal tip, further clearing the “visual field”.

The barrel : nothing much to say, ORENZ has many colors, RINT has some variations. Luckily I found my favourite pigment on both, presented in this set of photos.

The eraser : for those who care, ORENZ’s eraser is much longer and usable, while RINT’s is shorter (and cuter imo), more likely acting as a lead stopper.

The cap : RINT has a hole on its cap. Not a wow factor, but it reminds me of EU requirement which I strongly support.

The clip : ORENZ has its own design and RINT has a very basic design. From my experience, ORENZ’s clip is very easy to rust.

Supported lead sizes (in mm) : ORENZ 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7, RINT 0.3 0.5

Some French stuff today 😁

The SNCF Leadholder is a piece of industrial history that bridges the gap between mid-century French engineering and iconic office stationery. For decades, these specialized leadholders were standard-issue equipment for SNCF (French National Railway) employees, from engineers drafting rail maps to conductors marking logs.

There are two main designs: the anodized aluminum (early version, pre 1980s) and plastic barrels (after BIC's acquisition of Conté in 1979). The text on the barrel is normally S.N.C.F and a specific inventory number.

They share the same quality of those Criterium in the past, as the result of the collaboration between SNCF and the Criterium brand, by Gilbert & Blanzy-Poure (later Conté and then BIC).

For many French people, the sight of a metal hexagonal pencil with "SNCF" stamped on the side is a nostalgic reminder of the "Glorious Thirty" (Les Trente Glorieuses): the era of rapid French modernization and the birth of the TGV.

My "> 60% white" setup, to make pencils rotation more fun, or when temporarily tired of black sets and colorful ones.

Those not so obvious pencils without name printed on the barrel:

• Top left : Rotring Altro 0.7mm, has lead auto advance mechanism, shares its body design with the infamous Rotring 900.

• Bottom right : Caran d'Ache lead holder 2mm Mario Botta

• Top right : Caran d'Ache 849 Alpine Frost 0.5mm, introduced last Christmas, 2025.

• Mid right : Tombow Zoom L105 and Itoya 110

The rest of the pencils are posted so many times here.

Received a Rotring 600 with unsaveable broken pipe.

Decided to sand it down to make a cone tip.

Now having a Rotring 600 for taking notes.

A beautiful mechanical pencil with some special fine-tuning for technical drawings, as expected from the Techdraw2 line of Luddite. There are other color of the leather such as black, blue and grey, I went for the classic leather color.

Technical info :

• Grip diameter 8.5mm
• Length ~142mm
• Weight 18g (come prefilled with 3 HB leads)
• Sleeve 4mm - non retractable Lead indicator : B HB F H 2H 3H 4H
• Lead diameter 0.5mm

This is a fine piece for technical drawing: fixed sleeve, no rattlings, great knurled grip texture (5th image), lead indicator supports very hard lead which is convenient for drafting. The leather is advertised as genuine and seems so (I'm not expert anyway), an unnecessary decoration but nice to have. The cone tip leaves a cylindre of 3.5mm length and 4mm diameter, usable for drafting tools (Leroy lettering or Standardgraph, for example).

The decorative lacing on the body won't affect the feeling when holding this pencil, but its alignement vs the clip may trigger some OCD. Anyway the clip is super easy to remove, just like other Luddite pencils. The leather is very thin, how did they do that? Removing the clip too often may damage it, so take note.

I like it, cool for occasional drafting session. Feel a bit luxury like the Faber Castell e-motion 1.4mm and the ystudio 2mm (personal taste of course). A huge plus point that I appreciate is how Luddite make the lead indicator part: clear, sturdy yet very easy to modify.

A fun mechanical pencil that can carry up to 50 leads. It supports 0.5mm size, no eraser, light, fun color, metal clutch. Diameter of the barrel is 11.5mm. Length is 115mm.

I counted the prefilled leads in my pencil, 44 leads, must be random, but impressive nonetheless. The total weight (44 leads included) is 8g. Pas si mauvais.

Been using mechanical pencils with hexagonal barrel a lot recently, I find myself enjoying this barrel as much as the round grip, like the ones I posted before.

Nothing really special, it's just like the classic Noris: no accidental rolling, grip well in hand.. guess sometimes we just need simple thing. So I gathered some and made a quick group photo.

Right to left

Rick Powell leadholder 2mm

Tombow Kino Monogatori 0.5mm

Caran d'Ache Black Code 0.7mm

Criterium 2603 and 2403 2mm

Troika 0.7mm

Drehgriffel nr 2 Bullet Journal (I actually hate this style of taking notes, silly me) 0.7mm

Staedtler Hexagonal 0.5mm

Rhodia Script 0.5mm

Kaweco Special Brass and AL 0.5mm and 2mm

Last ones are generic pencils or so that I can't remember for now, my bad.

Fedra was a German manufacturer based in Norderstedt, near Hamburg. The company was most active from the late 1940s through the 1970s.

The Fedra Precision 9020 is a classic example of German mid-century engineering, specifically designed for the professional drafting and architectural market. While Fedra is no longer a household name like Staedtler or Faber-Castell, its instruments are still highly regarded for their build quality and distinct aesthetics.

You might have seen this leadholder before. In a move typical of the era, Fedra acted as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for Alvin. Many Fedra leadholders were rebranded and sold in the United States under the Alvin name, which is why you may find identical designs with different logos.

Four on the right

The Koh-i-Noor Totiens K33 is a bit of a hidden gem in the stationery world, often overshadowed by its more famous cousins like the Toison d'Or 5900 or the Versatil 5201. It was primarily manufactured by Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth in what was then Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). The name "Totiens" (Latin for "so many times") was used to emphasize the durability and refillable nature of the pencil. In an era where wood-cased pencils were the norm, marketing focused heavily on the fact that the holder was a lifelong tool.

Three on the left:

Meanwhile, the name "Bohemia Works" is synonymous with the era when Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth was nationalized in Czechoslovakia. During this period (roughly 1945–1990), many of their iconic pencils were branded under the "Bohemia Works" label for export and internal distribution. "Toison d'Or" (Golden Fleece) was Koh-i-Noor's high-end sub-brand. Using this name on a Colorama pencil signaled that it was intended for professional graphic artists and cartographers who needed precision color work.

For pencils with the "Bohemia Works" stamp, we are holding a piece of Cold War history. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Velvet Revolution, the company reverted to the Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth name. Some collectors I know often seek out the "Bohemia Works" versions because they represent the peak of Czech industrial manufacturing during the mid-to-late 20th century.

That's it, guess I've talked too much! Till next time!