Uni Alpha-Gel Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil, 0.5 mm, Noble Pink Body (M5858GG1PN.13)

This is a math major's best friend.I'm both a math major and I'm taking Japanese in college. Between math problems and mastering Japanese characters, I'm spending a couple of hours every single day writing with a pencil. Other mechanical pencils, including the standard Kuru Toga, would make my fingers start hurting after a while from how uncomfortable the grips tended to be. When I saw that this pencil had a squishy grip, I had to try it. My fingers and hands have been much happier for the change.I like the Kuru Toga line because it really does cut down on lead breakage, especially with .5 leads, which seem to be the more commonly available size. .5 means thinner, though, which means greater chances of breakage if you bear down too hard or the wrong way. I got tired of constantly having pencils breaking off. I hardly ever have that happen with my Kuru Toga. I can't even remember the last time a lead broke on me with this pencil.I may have to get a second one of these to go on my desk at home, because I notice a huge difference when I use some of my older mechanical pencils. The leads break, chisel, railroad or write like a B lead when they wear down enough. I usually end up digging my Kuru Toga out of my backpack, so that I can write like a human being again.

Very comfortable to write with!

If you're sitting there debating whether to get this mechanical pencil or not, you better add it to your cart this instant! Trust me- it's worth every penny.This mechanical pencil is incredible for so many reasons! I'm planning to use it for school and am blown away by the high quality compared to the cheap ones.Starting off, it has a sleek look that is sure to catch a lot of envious stares. Pictures can't do it justice!The main reason I chose the Alpha Gel variant was because of the gummy-like grip. It doesn't make my hands slip at all which is great for long writing sessions.Of course, it isn't a great Kuru Toga without the turning mechanism. At first, it's a little uncomfortable since it rocks but you get used to it. I hate having to turn my pencil all the time because I lose my grip but the problem is fixed! You get uniform lines that are ideal for primarily writing but I could see this pencil working for certain artists.Yet to see much on durability, but make sure you don't lose the plastic topper/eraser. Just hold down and twist it until the topper locks in place. Will update in the future!

The grip is nice, and the mechanism that keeps the lead rotating also makes it less likely to break. Helps prevent hand cramps during long writing sessions, due to the large grip combined with the fact that it rotates the lead, keeping your pencil sharp, requiring less pressure for cleaner and darker writing.

I’ve been using this pencil for almost two years now and it’s definitely the one I reach for most often. I enjoy the feeling of the alpha gel, especially for longer writing sessions, and although I was concerned at first that it would break down or get sticky, that hasn’t happened at all. The pencil still basically looks and feels new.Now for the ding: the kurutoga lead turning mechanism is totally useless for me. I favor fairly soft leads — 3B — and I guess I have a light touch. When writing I simply don’t exert enough pressure to engage the turner. I’ve purposely made it work before and it’s kind of cool (but not amazing), so if you like harder leads it might be a good thing for you.In any case, this is a great basic mechanical pencil for me. Recommended!

This is my second Kuru Toga-alpha gel pencil. I love the lead auto rotation feature, it makes my handwriting so much nicer. I write so much I tend to wear out automatic pencils quickly and I burn through traditional wooden pencils. This was a delightful find, it lasts a long time, the average writer would not probably wear it out. As it is I got almost two years out of it before the clutch started to slip uncontrollably.In the past you had to spin the pencil manually to keep a good writing point, but this pencil does it for you. I write a lot and I would find my fingers getting sore and would get a blister, not just a callus from writing with the wooden pencils I love. With this pencil the auto-rotation keeps the lead sharp enough to write in the many scripts advanced mathematics requires. It also provides a comfortable large grip to keep finger blistering to a minimum. If you write a lot, 10+ pages a day, do yourself a favor and get a pencil that keeps the lead sharp and reduces hand fatigue. I'm sure if you write less you'll appreciate the difference, but it becomes more apparent the more you write.

The fact that this twists is magic like absolute magic. I've been using it for over two years now and it's still going strong. Plus the grip is really nice.

I really like this pencil, but the lack of erasure disappointed me a bit when I need it, or how the lead breaks a lot. I wish it would hold up better. But on the flip side, the pencil is incredibly comfortable, durable in terms of not breaking small parts, and writes nicely. It is one of my prized possessionsns in my pencil pouch.