[Pen/Pencil Review] The OHTO Sharp Pencil – Forest Green – 0.5mm
It’s no secret that I have a wide-ranging love all kinds of writing instruments (or this blog wouldn’t exist). And I go through cycles where I want to write with a certain KIND of instrument. Gel pen, fountain pen, pencil… But when it comes to pencils – it’s sometimes more difficult. Mechanical pencils give a good solid performance and are refillable, etc. But there’s also something satisfying about traditional wooden pencils. Sometimes I use wooden pencils to feel like I’ve accomplished something by the wearing down, but it’s also seems wasteful of resources.
Which may be why I gravitated (jumped on with both feet?) to the OHTO Sharp Pencil on JetPens. It’s a mechanical pencil with a 0.5mm lead in a forest green wooden pencil body with a pink eraser cap that is also the lead advancement mechanism. It’s the best of all the worlds.
The body is the traditional hex shape with a short “sharpened†point with about a 6.5†length, which is shorter than a traditional unsharpened wooden pencil, but long enough to be comfortable in the hand. The diameter seems to be the same – but maybe a bit narrower – than an analog hex pencil, so you might need to add a pencil grip to give it some ergonomics.
The lead is a traditional 0.5mm HB – I still prefer 2B – but is sturdy. The tip mechanism is brass. And the mechanicals are inserted into a wooden hexagonal pencil. Lead is loaded into a barrel under the eraser button The eraser button is solid but I’m not seeing replacements for them, so maybe use an external or cap eraser. The button fits into the classic crimped metal top to the pencil.
This is a pencil that has to be ordered from a retailer like JetPens. This is still a Japanese line and not yet widely available in the US. I accidentally ordered two – but that just means I get twice the joy – and they come in three colors – dark red, forest green, and brown. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but not horrible – since it’s mechanical and can be refilled with the lead of your choice.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It works just like any other mechanical pencil. Click the eraser, get decent lead out, retract. I haven’t had a lot of trouble with breakage of the lead.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a wooden pencil body with mechanical pencil guts. As with any wooden pencil, there are no ergonomics, but the wood has warmth that plastic doesn’t.
3. Material – 1 It’s strong quality wooden body with solid mechanics with the eraser button and brass tip. It’s well designed.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It’s solid, but I’m not seeing eraser replacements, which is a drawback. If you want to keep it all working, you have to use a separate eraser at some point.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – You have to get this online – or if you find a store that carries OHTO, let me know. It runs $4.60 on JetPens, which means it’s not a cheap pencil, but it’s also not ridiculous. If you want the convenience and longevity of a mechanical but the feel of wood – this is your pencil.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
