You have to hand it to Japanese designers. The Uni-ball Kuru Toga was a game changing pencil design with its auto lead rotation mechanism. Decades of uneven pencil leads were whisked away in one fell swoop! The Tomobow Olno Body Knock isn’t going to change the pencil game as much as the Kuru Toga did, but with novel pencil design a rarity these days this is an interesting option.
The word Olno is a play on the Japanese word “oru” which means to fold or bend. The Olno Body Knock has a unique design mechanism that allows you to extend the lead by simply bending the body of the pencil. Admittedly, just reading those words it doesn’t seem that great or interesting. In practice though it works flawlessly and will change the way you want to advance lead.
No matter which orientation you hold the pencil at you can advance the lead with a bump of your hand. You don’t even have to move your fingers from the writing position. The small bit of leverage you can create from your grip against the cusp of your hand is all you need.
For traditionalists, there is still a top knock button to push if you prefer. The eraser is found underneath the knock, and is the one weak point of the pencil. It has to be removed from the barrel to be used, but is so small it is difficult to handle. You will want a stand alone eraser handy if you are using the Olno regularly.
It is difficult for a pencil to leave a lasting impression on me, but the Tombow Olno Body Knock is a fun and functional choice. Be sure to check out Brian’s review at Office Supply Geek for another look at this great pencil.
