When I review a new color or style of a product that I’ve already reviewed many times, I am looking to answer two things: 1. Has anything about the core feature changed, and 2. Why would I choose this model over any other within the same series of products?
In the case of the Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil, the mechanism is the core feature, with its auto-rotation lead system, and this model is the premium barrel Metal version, in this case a brilliant Orange.
The best thing I can say about the Kuru Toga mechanism is that it works. When first introduced 18 years ago, I had my doubts. But what Uni built and executed was nothing short of game-changing for the mechanical pencil industry. All these years on it has proven to be a rock-solid technology, establishing itself as one of the best mechanical pencils on the market.
With a known winner on their hands, Uni has since branched out with all shapes and sizes of mechanical pencils with the Kuru Toga mechanism inside. From its basic plastic barrel beginnings, to the behemoth that is the Kuru Toga Dive, Uni leaned in to this product in a big way. And I love them for that.
The Kuru Toga Dive is … something.
While the “best” Kuru Toga is up for debate, I’ve always recommended the Standard or the Roulette for anyone looking to give one a try. The former being the basic plastic barrel entry-level Kuru Toga, and the latter a step up from there with a metal knurled grip and a more classic engineering-style barrel design.
Given those basics, and amongst the wide range of available choices, where does the Metal fit? For starters, its difference lies in the name. The full metal barrel aluminum barrel comes in four anodized colors, with faint grooves throughout the barrel, and more pronounced grooves in the grip section.
The design is stunning, but I find grip section slippery. The micro grooves work against each other in this area because they are too close together, essentially giving the feeling of a smooth metal grip. That can work, but not well with dry fingers. Your mileage may vary, but I want my grip to lock in more than that.
Locking in with the Kuru Toga is important, because to get the full benefit of the mechanism, you don’t want to rotate the pencil in your hands. The pencil does all the work as you write, and you can verify that it is working by the porthole in the barrel that changes from orange to white as you write.
My personal favorite, the Wood model, compared to the Metal.
Lastly, Uni is doing Uni things with the Metal by slapping a Limited Edition tag on this series. They have been reasonably available so far, but do come with a premium $36 price tag. That’s still $10 cheaper than my favorite, the Kuru Toga Wood, but if you want to try the Kuru Toga experience for the first time I would still recommend the $5 Standard or $13 Roulette, both of which give you the full experience at a fraction of the price.
Despite the premium, I do like seeing Uni continue to experiment with this series. Some newer models have an auto-advancing lead system alongside the rotation, and others, like the Metal, have a nib damper that mitigates tip wobble. And the Dive? Well who knows what the Dive is, but I’m glad it exists. Now if they would just make more of them!
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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