I still have a few things from a past JetPens order that I haven’t reviewed yet. This mechanical pencil is one of those – the Pentel Orenz. The Orenz comes in a 0.2mm lead – so I had to try it…

Apparently I have a “sweet spot” when it comes to fine points – it’s between a 0.3mm and 0.7mm. This pencil ran a bit too fine point for me. I’m to firm a writer – no matter how “light” I keep my grip, I snap part of the lead almost immediately. No matter WHAT the website/literature says. The good thing is that the lead still manages to extend from the shield so you can still write with it. But still… it’s an adjustment.

The barrel is a classic Pentel style. I bought the black barrel. There are rings etched in every narrowing circles along the grip leading to a concave point with stepped ridges down to the retractable shield – letting the lead guide hold the lead secure, and the guide is rounded. It doesn’t grab paper. I think this pencil will work better for artists who know how to work with such a fine lead. Or if you only advance it a teensy bit beyond the guard at a time.

For a mechanical pencil, it does feel good in the hand. It’s about 5.5″ long with a balanced feel. The silver metal clip feels secure and matches the eraser cap. The pencil feels light but solid, as I would expect from Pentel.

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.

The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 It works better than it should, but the packaging that says the mechanism PREVENTS breakage isn’t completely accurate. I still snap the lead.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a basic Pentel barrel. There’s a nod to a grip in the plastic barrel, but not much. The barrel is plastic with metal accents that feels good for what it is.
3. Material – 1 It’s strong quality plastic with solid metal clip and tip. The lead protection guide is where the innovations went into the pencil.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It’s solid. They tried really hard to make the super fine lead as unbreakable as possible but it’s still a super fine lead and there’s still breakage..
5. Price Point – 0.5 – You have to get this online or through a retailer like JetPens. It’s running $8.25 (which is a bit pricy for a mechanical pencil) and it doesn’t come with extra lead – so it’s more of a specialty thing. But if you’re a connoisseur/collector it’s not that bad. But you still have to invest in lead.

3.5 out of 5 Bronze Pencils