Products
Caran d’Ache puts Geneva in miniature on a blue 0.5 mm pencil
Cream Geneva scenes decorate a blue 0.5 mm pencil in the Toile de Jouy gift set, paired with a ballpoint and listed at CHF67 in Switzerland.
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Products
Pentel gives the Orenz Metal Grip a frosted finish
Designed for Modernity brings three muted colors to both 0.3 and 0.5 mm, with Japan sales starting October 23 at ¥1,650 including tax.
Small makers
Speedgraph puts lead refilling on the side of the pencil
Arctefact’s 0.5 mm preview pairs a side-access reservoir with a ring-operated retractable tip. The mechanism is the attraction; launch terms remain unsettled.
The latest
View all storiesSharp backs Kyoto pencil museum’s first special exhibition
About 80 exhibits trace pencils and calculators, including a visible-mechanism KY SHARP and a British pencil that doubles as a pointer.
Pilot gives the Dr. Grip Play Border six new colors for December
Two lead sizes, six colors and a grip you can rearrange: the Japanese release is priced at ¥715 including tax.
Hirosaki turns snow-felled park trees into mechanical pencils
Cherry and red pine from Hirosaki Park become 0.5 mm pencils, including wood from a pine estimated at 260 years old. Each is offered for a ¥15,000 donation.
Aketsubaki reveals the hardware behind its five-year pencil redesign
A mechanism designed for quieter writing, threaded brass support and maker-performed conversion put the engineering beneath Aketsubaki’s decorative barrels in focus.
Handwood readies aluminum rear barrels for its modular pencils
The A6061 rear barrel moves beyond five early samples. Handwood expects to list the incoming batch after lathe adjustment and finishing.
Pelikan’s D400 is set for a 25% price rise in Japan
Maruzen Nagoya lists ¥44,000 from December 1, up from ¥35,200. Its special-order rule makes the date you receive the pencil important.
Steef’s ST Draft Black Model pairs a brass grip with a sliding sleeve
A sliding guide sleeve, revised pushbutton and brass grip feature in the maker’s October 18 reveal. Price and release date are still to come.
Pilot’s ¥495 AIR STEP wins a Good Design Award
A moving guide pipe and a shaped resin spring put the focus on fewer interruptions at the page. The 0.5 mm pencil launched in Japan in November 2025.
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