OHTO MARUTA SHARP MECHANICAL PENCIL REVIEW

I rarely review pencils here (I probably should've picked a different name than 'The PENCILcase Blog'!), but that doesn't take away the fact I can often enjoy a nice mechanical pencil, leadholder or even woodcased pencil from time to time! The one we're looking at today is quite an interesting one: the Ohto Maruta 2mm mechanical pencil! Thanks to Papier & Stift for sending it over!

Why is it interesting? Well it's basically a mechanical pencil, disguised as a woodcased pencil. I suppose the reasoning behind this design is quite simply to create a different aesthetic. It could also be a sneaky way to trick die-hard woodcased pencil users into buying a mechanical one, although I doubt that?

The Maruta, which is Japanese for 'log', looks and feels like a generic jumbo-sized woodcased pencil with a round profile, silver ferrule and pink eraser. But push the eraser, and a 2mm pops out from the front! 

For a 10$ pencil, Ohto put a surprising amount of effort in the details. This genuinely looks like a woodcased pencil from afar. All the metal parts are nicely machined and have a satin finish. The tip of the pencil is actualy 'sharpened' into a cone, which transitions into the metal tip. The wood received a clear coat of laquer, and the brand and model name are stamped in brown paint near the ferrule. The overall product is simple and clean, just like the average #2.

Top to bottom: unsharpened Blackwing 602, Ohto Maruta, Lamy Lx, Lamy 2000, David Hayward hexagonal leadholder.

In terms of size, the Maruta is short for a pencil, but normal sized compared to other pens or mechanical pencils. It measures 13.6 cm (5.35") without the lead extended. The diameter of 1 cm (0.39") is comparable to the dimensions of a jumbo pencil, which makes it easier and more comfortable to grip than a normal woodcased pencil.

It's lightweight, but not as light as a pencil due to the metal parts at the front and back of the pencil (It's slightly back-weighted, but not to the extent where it's actually noticeable in use). The wood has a very nice, smooth satin finish. While this is nice to look at, it's a bit slippery in the hand.

As I already said, the machining on the metal parts, such as the 'ferrule' is actually really nice, especially for a 10$ product. Everything fits nicely, but the metal push button does rattle quite noticeably. The button can be pulled out to refill leads (or you can just push a new lead in from the front), and the eraser can be replaced.

The knock mechanism advances the 2 mm lead by approx. 1.5 mm each time. The lead has little to no play inside the metal tip. 

As far as the writing goes... The choice of 2mm leads is useful for drawing or sketching but I also like to write with pencils like this because the leads are available in a wide variety of grades (I prefer HB or B for general writing, a balance between smooth, dark lines and point retention). The Maruta comes with one HB lead in the pencil, which I found kind of soft for HB, and rather dark. I swapped it out with my favourite 2mm lead: Staedtler Mars Carbon HB. Of course there's plenty of other lead options, you could even get some coloured leads in this size to play around with! 

For just under 10 euros (via Stift & Papier) which translates to about 12.5 USD), the Ohto Maruta is a fun pencil that won't break the bank. It's very well made (Japanese quality!), especially given the price. And I like that it takes 2mm leads, which is something else from the usual 0.5mm mechanical pencils. 

Note: This product was provided by Papier & Stift, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

MODERN FUEL MECHANICAL PENCIL 2.0 REVIEW

What do you get when you completely over-engineer a standard boring BIC Matic mechanical pencil, and make it into a sleek, minimalist metal design piece? That's the first question that came to mind when I first saw the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil version 2.0! 

You might wonder why and how you'd possibly over-engineer a pencil that's based on a cheap disposable plastic pencil? Well, Andrew from Modern Fuel proved that it's possible indeed, and he did so in a most impressive way: enter the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0! 

This isn't Andrew's first rodeo with his mechanical pencil -as the '2.0' suggests. It's an improved version of the design he launched a couple years ago on Kickstarter. Once more he aims to create a heirloom quality product with a combination of great aesthetic and quite clever engineering. Let's dive right in! 

The eraser can be replaced with a  capacitive stylus tip, or a nut if you prefer the more minimal look

Designwise, I've always found this a fascinating pencil. Of course the strong aesthetic resemblance to the classic Bic Matic disposable mechanical pencils has a lot to do with that sentiment. The Mechanical Pencil, just like its' predecessor, has a slender design with gently rounded and tapered shape towards the tip. The recogniseable knock mechanism with exposed eraser on top defines the entire design.

Ok, I guess they probably don't like me constantly comparing this to a cheapo disposable BIC pencil. I just can't help see the resemblance between the two. To make things very clear: apart from an aesthetic resemblance, the two are in no way comparable, believe me! Maybe look at the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil as a BIC Matic on serious steroids, CNC'd from solid metal, and built to last. 

Straight away, a light patina forms on the brasss pencil

For version 2, Andrew stepped away from aluminium and brass, and branched out into a couple new metals to make things a bit more exciting. You now have the choice of four metals: titanium, bronze, copper or stainless steel. Bronze appealed to me most, as it's quite an uncommon metal in the pen world . It's a copper alloy just like brass, but it has a more reddish color. Which metal you choose obviously has a huge influence on the feel and balance of the pencil, but more on that later. 

A brushed finish is applied by hand on each pencil. I quite like that hand-finished aspect about it, it shows that the maker really puts care and time in his product. The brushed finish also does an excellent job at hiding the seam between the nose cone and barrel, which is almost impossible to see at first sight. But then on the flipside, it doesn't exactly do much in terms of comfort, unfortunately. It can definitely get a bit slippery at times, with the straight cylindrical barrel and smooth finish, which is something to keep in mind when making a purchase decision. 

L to R: David Hayward Hexagonal, Kaweco Brass sport, Parafernalia Linea 2mm leadholder, Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0, Lamy Safari mechanical pencil, Lamy Safari fountain pen.

In terms of size, the Mechanical Pencil is relatively large and slender, a design that seems to work well in general with (mechanical) pencils. It measures 14.5 cm (5.7"), and 0.95 cm (0.375") in diameter. As mentioned earlier, the choice of metal sets them apart in terms of weight. Titanium is lightest, at 27g, followed by stainless steel (42g), bronze and copper both being the heaviest at 47g. I personally tested the bronze version. The heft is surprising for such a slim pencil, but I didn't find it too heavy in use.

Perhaps the most important aspect here is the build quality. This is really the strong suit of the Mechanical Pencil 2.0. The entirely metal build feels rock-solid, especially in this heavier bronze metal, and everything fits together with tight tolerances. There's the tiniest bit of play between the barrel and mechanism knock, which may cause some rattling at times. But it's subtle, but definitely not a deal breaker. The mechanism is where version 2.0 gets the biggest upgrade over the previous itteration, with an all-metal custom removable mechanism (available in 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9mm lead thicknesses). 

The new mechanism also meant a complete redesign of the pencil's interior, so dissasembly of the pencil is now a bit different... and not so straightforward! When I say over-engineered, I'm not kidding: this thing is HARD to dissasemble. The eraser can be pulled out, after which you can unscrew the push button ("knock") using the included hex wrench. This step is where I failed a couple times, as you have to unscrew the knock while keeping the wrench and rest of the pencil steady. The front tip of the pencil unscrews next, which is kept in place with a rubber o-ring. After that, the mechanism can be removed from the barrel.

Being able to dissasemble completely makes it easy to service the mechanism or replace broken parts (IF something breaks, but I doubt that'll ever happen). Aside from the practical aspect, I also just really like the technical complexity of this product, but hey I'm a nerd!

The mechanism, as I said, can be had in 0.5, 07 and 0.9mm versions, and can be purchased separately. Mine came loaded with the 0.5mm version. For mechanical pencils, I prefer a smaller lead size like this, as I like the fine line it produces. The mechanism works smoothly, and the knock is relatively silent. The sleeve is retractable, perfect for those that want to pocket carry their pencil (a detachable clip is included with every pencil, so you can clip it to your shirt or pants pocket). The included HB leads are very smooth, even though they seem to be of no particular brand. The marks are legible, not overly dark but well-balanced. 

A pencil as precision machined and designed with such meticulous care as the Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil 2.0 is not something you come across every day. Admittedly, it might be a bit overkill, but it's really cool nevertheless! The Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil retails for 180$ (for copper and bronze options), 200$ for stainless steel or a sloppy 250$ for the all-titanium version. But as of the moment of posting this, you still have a little under three weeks to snag one up during the kickstarter campaign for a more manageable 80 USD (or 130 USD for the titanium). 

For the price, you do get a complete package that includes: a cork pouch, spare erasers and stylus tips, extra leads, a nut, hex tools, a detachable clip and scotch brite to remove small scuffs and scratches

To be honest, the price tag is a bit of a stumbling block. Having had the opportunity to play with this prototype partially made me reconsider my initial impression, but I still think it's slightly too expensive. The end result is quite stunning though, and you definitely get a quality product for what you pay. If they could press the cost to keep the MSRP at the original Kickstarter level, I think it would be more manageable for a larger audience. As for now, it's definitely not the ultimate pencil for everyone, but for those that can appreciate a clean design and on point engineering, this could be it! 

Note: This product was provided on loan by Modern Fuel, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

METALSHOP TIMBERTWIST BULLET PENCIL REVIEW

Pencils are nice, but it can be so annoying to see your favourite pencil transform into a useless stub. Last year I reviewed the Metalshop Twist bullet pencils (read the full review HERE), which has proven to be the ideal solution to this problem.

But of course functionality isn't everything, a good design is almost as important. That's why Jon from Metalshop recently released the Timber Twist bullet pencils. A new take on the bullet pencil with a wooden barrel and aluminium parts. 

The Timber Twist is essentially identical to the Twist bullet pencil. Functionality, design and even even weight all remained almost unchanged. If you want to read more in depth on design, measurements and performance, you can head over to my review of the original Twist, the idea is still the same. 

The addition of the wooden section means that the pencil extender is now made from four parts: the bullet, a front section, a wooden barrel, and an aluminium top section. I was somewhat worried that this would mean a noticeable change in the weight and balance, but since the aluminium parts don't go all the way through the barrel, it remained pretty much exactly at the same weight. In terms of durability I guess the solid metal Twist is still the strongest, but the Timber Twist can definitely take a hit. 

The Timber comes in three wood types. The darkest is walnut, the warmer brown wood is Mahogany, and the lightest wood is red Oak. All wood types are polished, but the character and depth of the grain remains visible. The Timber twist is a more stylish take on the Twist bullet pencil, and steps away from the utilitarian -purely functional- design of the original, without losing any functionality.

Of course, all parts are interchangeable, so you can still mix and match with different bullet materials and colors. I chose to leave them all in the aluminium finish because I like the sleek look of the shiny aluminium in combination with wood, but of course that choice is entirely up to you.

The Timber Twist is a welcome addition to the Twist bullet pencil offering from Metalshop. As I said it offers a bit more flair to your everyday carry, but with an equal amount of functionality. The Timber Twist bullet pencils start at 46 USD, which isn't cheap for a pencil 'accessory', but it'll give your pencil nubs a second life and it'll prove more useful than you'd think as part of an EDC.

Note: This product was sent to me by Metalshop, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

BARON FIG ARCHER PENCIL REVIEW

Baron Fig started as a Kickstarter project for a minimalist design notebook in 2013, the Baron Fig Confidant. In the few years of being in business, they expanded their product line to where they now offer four minimalist, core products. With one hardcover notebook, a series of softcover notebooks, a pen and now a woodcased pencil, they offer the essentials you need to write, draw or doodle.

The final addition is the Archer, a woodcased pencil, following the same minimalist design found in all Baron Fig products. Minimalism is their core business, and that starts right at the beginning, with the packaging. The dozen pencils are presented in a small grey tube with a clean graphic design of the pencil along the length. The first thing everyone -including me- seems to think when you see the packaging: 'No way twelve pencils are in there!' And yet when you open it: sure thing, twelve pencils tightly packed together!

The cedarwood barrel casing of the Archer pencil is finished with a semi-matte, grey laquer that is advertised as anti-slip. It doesn't have a rubberized feel to it, but it is indeed nice to grip (if it's less slippery than other pencils, I don't necessarily think so). The end of the pencil is topped off with a matte black dipped end. I'm personally a fan of erasers ends on pencils from a practical point of view, but here they chose to go for the most minimal finish.

The baron fig and arrow logos are screen-printed right underneath the black end on opposite sides of the pencil barrel. Whereas I miss the eraser (and wish they went for a slightly less minimal approach in that area), I can definitely appreciate the simple and cleanly stamped logos.

The cedar wood casing sharpens quite well, and the graphite cores sit nicely centered inside. The HB hardness (the only hardness available) is a balanced option for writing and drawing. In comparison with some other pencils (Faber-Castell Grip 2001, Rhodia #2, Palomino Blackwing classic, Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood) I found it to be noticeably more crisp and sharp. It gives a bit more feedback when you write, which makes it feel like writing with a harder H pencil, but the line darkness is comparable to other HB pencils. I personally quite like the more tactile writing experience, point retention is quite good, I could easily write half an A4 page on smooth Rhodia paper without having to sharpen (YMMV if you use different paper), but of course for longer writing sessions you should still keep a sharpener at hand.

For a first venture into pencils, Baron Fig certainly did a great job. Their background of pristine, minimal design shows through in the clean and tidy look of the Archer. Their minimal approach means you won't find an eraser, which is something I missed, but in return you get a well-balanced, light pencil. The HB graphite core isn't the smoothest out there, but it keeps a sharp point and it leaves behind a dark line.

At 15 USD for a dozen pencils, Baron Fig certainly hit a decent price point between the really cheap (but lesser quality) school pencils, and the really expensive pencils (like Blackwings), I'm eager to see more... and in fact there will be more! Baron Fig just launched their subscription system, in which they will release a new special edition of every product they make (that's right, FOUR special edition products every season!), including the Archer, (you can check out the subscriptions HERE).

Note: These pencils were sent to me by Baron Fig, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

PARAFERNALIA NERI PEN & LEADHOLDER REVIEW

If you think about it, Minimalism is somewhat of a strange beast. In our modern day society where everything has to be bigger, better, more efficiënt and what not, minimalism does the exact opposite by going back to the absolute basics. In the pen business, there are quite a lot of brands that aim at producing minimalist writing utensils. Yet not every brand is willing to go really far with the minimalism philosophy. Why? Well, because we humans are used to comfort, and minimalism takes away those 'unneccesary' features that provide comfort.

But do we really need flashy features? No. And I'm glad Parafernalia took the challenge and risk of going to the bare minimum. 'An exercise in minimalism', Parafernalia calls it, which is a great way to describe what minimalism is all about. 

The Neri is a pretty nondescript item if you first see it. It's a grey anodised cilinder with a brass thumb screw and a conically shaped tip, and that's it (minimalism, right?). Both pen and pencil are pretty much identical, except for dimensions. The aluminium barrel is available in three anodized colors, aluminium, anthracite (this one), and black. Because this is a collab between Parafernalia and InternoItaliano, both companies logo's are laser-etched at the back of the barrel. The branding is quite prominently visible, yet both brands have a logo that goes quite well with the minimal theme, so it doesn't really distract from the overall appearance.

Let's talk about the most prominent -and only- feature on the Neri writing instruments: the brass thumb screw. Parafernalia/ designer Giulio Iacchetti was inspired by the mechanism used in compasses for the mechanism in the neri. unscrew the thumb screw, pull out the lead or pen refill (or let gravity do the job for you), and tighten the screw again. It's a bit weird at first, but with some practice it's actually possible to use single-handedly.

Both writing utensils are almost identical in design, yet there's an easy way to tell them apart by looking at the dimensions. The pen measures 13.3cm (5.23 In), and has a 1cm diameter (0.39 In), whilst the leadholder measures in at 12.8cm (5 In), and a width of 1.2cm (0.47 In). It's a subtle difference, but it succeeds in giving both pieces a completely different feel in the hand. The addded width of the leadholder (similar to how most leadholders usually are a bit 'fatter') provides a more relaxed grip, perfect for doodling and sketching. The Neri are machined from a solid piece of aluminium, which gives them just the right amount of heft. The leadholder is slightly heavier (33g) than the pen (28g). But in practice I find the difference negligible, in fact I find that the ballpoint feels 'denser' in the hand. 

Because both are relatively compact, they feel nicely balanced in the hand. If I had to choose, I'd say the sightly wider leadholder is a bit more comfy, but the difference is minor. The only thing that can cause discomfort, is the thumb screw. My grip is always a bit higher up, which is ideal in this case. But depending on how you hold your pen, it could get in the way. On the other hand I also found the thumb scew to provide some grip, because the otherwise smooth barrel can feel a bit slippery at times. 

Because of this, rather vague, description of how it feels in the hand, I'll put it differently: if the clip placement on the Pilot Vanishing Point annoys you, the thumbscrew on the Neri pen and pencil will probably get in your way as well. If you though the VP was uncomfortable, this might be something to consider when looking at these. 

The Neri pen takes D1 refills, because of course the refills have to have a straight cillindrical shape due to the unique mechanism. D1 refills are quite widespread, and come in a good variety of colors and types. The ballpoint comes supplied with a single medium black schmidt refill. Schmidt makes some pretty good refills, so I didn't feel the need to swap it out. 

The 5.6mm leadholder obviously came with a 5.6mm lead, that feels a bit firmer than the 2B leads I'm used to. Another small detail that shows the amount of thought put in the Neri, is the small breather hole in the pen body, which prevents the refill from getting stuck inside the barrel (not that the tolerances are that high, but it's still good that they thought about the possibility). The leadholder has a slightly wider opening, so small variations in lead thickness won't cause issues (some brands, including Parafernalia, advertise their leads as 5.5mm, but those are essentially the same). 

With the Neri, Parafernalia showed, once again, that they are really good at designing awesome products. The Parafernalia Linea was, and still is, my absolute favourite leadholder (Linea review HERE). The Neri, both pen and pencil, show that minimal design -in some cases- can be taken pretty far without sacrificing too much comfort or functionality. That being said, I'd still mainly recommend the Neri products for their design and cool-factor. If you want something purely functional, and design doesn't bother you anyway, you might have to look elsewhere. 

Prices vary slightly here in the EU, there's InternoItaliano (the company for which this model was designed), that sells them at 42 EUR per piece, or 80 EUR for the set. One of my sponsors, Fontoplumo, also happens to carry Parafernalia, and has the Neri for 49 EUR per piece. (Non-EU peeps of course have the benefit of not paying VAT!). Prices are on the higher side, especially for Parafernalia, but as I said they're worth a shot if you like good design.

Note: This product was provided free of charge by Parafernalia, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared here are completely my own! This review does not contain any affilate links.

THE LISTS

People are often intrigued by 'the best' of everything. Why not? I mean, if you're going to spend money on something, why not do some research to find out what will get you the best for your money! 

That's why, from now on, you can find -what I think are- the best fountain pens, pens, pencils, inks and accessories on 'THE LISTS' page. These Top 5's feature all products that I think are the best you can get, at least for the moment! You should of course, always remember that these lists are my personal opinion, and that my preferences are most likely different than yours. However they can still give a good general idea! 

PS: I've done reviews on a lot of the products featured on The lists, so you can click through to read the reviews. If I haven't done a review about a certain product, I'll probably write about it in the near future!

PPS: The ranking of each item within the top 5 has no specific meaning or value, they are all considered roughly equally good.

I hope you like what I came up with!