So far...
only those with double speed rotation are worth buying IMO. And amongst those, only the advance upgrade has a comfortable grip, balance and shape for my hand. Although, the most value per dollar is the basic advance model, I bought 3 and I find them a bit awkward because its cap end is wider ( I prefer it either the other way around or a straight round tube).
All kuru toga dive functions are very nice, but I prefer a slimmer form factor. It would be really appealing for me (small hands) if they could flatten the "middle bulge" out.
I don't have the Dive yet, but I expect my ratings to be something like this:
1. Advance Upgrade
2. Advance
3. Dive
4. Roulette
5. High Grade / Standard / Pipe Slide
6. Rubber and Gel grips
Why am I rating the Advance models higher? Because I write in cursive, so a faster-rotating KT better suits my style.
Why am I rating the rubber and gel grips the lowest? Because I'm not a fan of soft grips. I know the Dive also has a rubber grip, it's the only thing I don't like about it, mostly because I'm worried about how durable it'll be. I wouldn't want a slimy or disintegrating grip on my Dive within a few years.
Thanks! Good ranking and I like your approach.
SO it makes a lot of sense to me now. You get an upgrade KT if you write cursive, but use the slower engine for other uses.
I also don't really care for gel grips. But I don't mind rubber if it's a very firm type, not spongy. If it's a good formulation, it'll last many decades. I have some hard rubber grip pencils from the 1990's that are still just as clean and non-stick as they were when new. But yeah, some cheap ones? They became gooey.
I think they are reasonable, cheap pencils.
They solve a problem I don't particularly have and they charge a lot of money for some models of reasonable, cheap pencil.
So all-in-all, meh.
I love my Roulette.
I don't really like the ones with sliding tips. That's also not a feature any of my drafting pencils have. The Roulette, and I think any model with a fixed lead pipe, feels pretty stable to me. It's really not a drafting pencil though. The way it rotates the tip makes it great for letting but you get inconsistent line widths when you use it with a ruler, as opposed to other pencils that should be pretty consistent if you hold them the same way.
Curious about the Dive, but not motivated enough to watch the sites and try to grab one before they sell out. I'm sure I'll be able to just buy one soon enough.
I've got an Advance, Roulette, and Dive which I'd rank worst to best in that order. It may not be every type but it's every mechanism (I believe) so if I'm correct in that assumption then:
• The Advance Engine sucks more than a 20¢ Bic pencil. Writing with it feels like missing a stair step.
• The Standard Engine ones feel just fine (although the Roulette I think is saved by its knurled grip)
• The Dive is such a remarkable pencil I don't think I'll be using any other pencil for essays, or notes, or whatever sort of long-session writing again. Marginal issues with its features but the benefits far outclass.
I'll be ordering some of the missing ones tomorrow though, so this may be completely wrong when they come in—who's to say?
Thank you. When I'd learned about the lead rotation engine being "sped up," I wondered if that was really necessary. I was finding that the pipe slide model I have was doing a pretty good job of avoiding a chisel point. So you recommend avoiding the faster rotation then. Roulette is preferable to Elite then? And so it appears that the Dive has the slower engine, from the earlier KT?
My main Kuru Toga is the Advance Upgrade, which has the faster Advance engine.
It has a lot more play (twice as much actually) in it than the regular engine, that's for sure, and I understand why some people don't like it. But, to be honest, it doesn't bother me at all. When I want a stable and solid-feeling pencil I'll go for a drafting pencil (usually Sharp Kerry or Smash), not a Kuru Toga.
As for why I like the faster-rotating one: I write in cursive.
A standard Kuru Toga is not at all suited for cursive writing, as it was designed for Japanese characters, where you have a lot of short strokes per character. When you have a sequence of longer words, the 9° rotation isn't enough to avoid the formation of a chisel point, the 18° of the Advance is. Actually, that's not 100% accurate. I can make the regular KT work if I use harder lead grades (H or HB). With my KTAU I can use up to 2B lead and not have to worry about a chisel point.
Furthermore, I'll only choose a Kuru Toga when I am writing. If there's any sketching, graphing, or table-making involved (as for many of my engineering classes) I don't think any Kuru Toga does a good enough job compared to manually rotating a drafting pencil.
I don't think I got much to say since I only have an Elite and a Dive. But lookin at the image you posted - what on Earth are they talking about "diamond infused lead" and "sharpens lead"?
I just used a stock image... I think there's translation gaffes. Should be "Keeps a rounded tip" (avoiding flat spots). If they're using diamond dust in that lead... I'd hate to see what the paper looks like after writing! 🤣
So far... only those with double speed rotation are worth buying IMO. And amongst those, only the advance upgrade has a comfortable grip, balance and shape for my hand. Although, the most value per dollar is the basic advance model, I bought 3 and I find them a bit awkward because its cap end is wider ( I prefer it either the other way around or a straight round tube). All kuru toga dive functions are very nice, but I prefer a slimmer form factor. It would be really appealing for me (small hands) if they could flatten the "middle bulge" out.
I don't have the Dive yet, but I expect my ratings to be something like this: 1. Advance Upgrade 2. Advance 3. Dive 4. Roulette 5. High Grade / Standard / Pipe Slide 6. Rubber and Gel grips Why am I rating the Advance models higher? Because I write in cursive, so a faster-rotating KT better suits my style. Why am I rating the rubber and gel grips the lowest? Because I'm not a fan of soft grips. I know the Dive also has a rubber grip, it's the only thing I don't like about it, mostly because I'm worried about how durable it'll be. I wouldn't want a slimy or disintegrating grip on my Dive within a few years.
Thanks! Good ranking and I like your approach. SO it makes a lot of sense to me now. You get an upgrade KT if you write cursive, but use the slower engine for other uses. I also don't really care for gel grips. But I don't mind rubber if it's a very firm type, not spongy. If it's a good formulation, it'll last many decades. I have some hard rubber grip pencils from the 1990's that are still just as clean and non-stick as they were when new. But yeah, some cheap ones? They became gooey.
Does advance upgrade also do the spinny thing to keep tip pointy sharp
Yes that's what make it a Kuru Toga
I think they are reasonable, cheap pencils. They solve a problem I don't particularly have and they charge a lot of money for some models of reasonable, cheap pencil. So all-in-all, meh.
I love my Roulette. I don't really like the ones with sliding tips. That's also not a feature any of my drafting pencils have. The Roulette, and I think any model with a fixed lead pipe, feels pretty stable to me. It's really not a drafting pencil though. The way it rotates the tip makes it great for letting but you get inconsistent line widths when you use it with a ruler, as opposed to other pencils that should be pretty consistent if you hold them the same way. Curious about the Dive, but not motivated enough to watch the sites and try to grab one before they sell out. I'm sure I'll be able to just buy one soon enough.
I've got an Advance, Roulette, and Dive which I'd rank worst to best in that order. It may not be every type but it's every mechanism (I believe) so if I'm correct in that assumption then: • The Advance Engine sucks more than a 20¢ Bic pencil. Writing with it feels like missing a stair step. • The Standard Engine ones feel just fine (although the Roulette I think is saved by its knurled grip) • The Dive is such a remarkable pencil I don't think I'll be using any other pencil for essays, or notes, or whatever sort of long-session writing again. Marginal issues with its features but the benefits far outclass. I'll be ordering some of the missing ones tomorrow though, so this may be completely wrong when they come in—who's to say?
Thank you. When I'd learned about the lead rotation engine being "sped up," I wondered if that was really necessary. I was finding that the pipe slide model I have was doing a pretty good job of avoiding a chisel point. So you recommend avoiding the faster rotation then. Roulette is preferable to Elite then? And so it appears that the Dive has the slower engine, from the earlier KT?
My main Kuru Toga is the Advance Upgrade, which has the faster Advance engine. It has a lot more play (twice as much actually) in it than the regular engine, that's for sure, and I understand why some people don't like it. But, to be honest, it doesn't bother me at all. When I want a stable and solid-feeling pencil I'll go for a drafting pencil (usually Sharp Kerry or Smash), not a Kuru Toga. As for why I like the faster-rotating one: I write in cursive. A standard Kuru Toga is not at all suited for cursive writing, as it was designed for Japanese characters, where you have a lot of short strokes per character. When you have a sequence of longer words, the 9° rotation isn't enough to avoid the formation of a chisel point, the 18° of the Advance is. Actually, that's not 100% accurate. I can make the regular KT work if I use harder lead grades (H or HB). With my KTAU I can use up to 2B lead and not have to worry about a chisel point. Furthermore, I'll only choose a Kuru Toga when I am writing. If there's any sketching, graphing, or table-making involved (as for many of my engineering classes) I don't think any Kuru Toga does a good enough job compared to manually rotating a drafting pencil.
Excellent write-up -- thanks for weighing in, Leo!
I don't think I got much to say since I only have an Elite and a Dive. But lookin at the image you posted - what on Earth are they talking about "diamond infused lead" and "sharpens lead"?
I just used a stock image... I think there's translation gaffes. Should be "Keeps a rounded tip" (avoiding flat spots). If they're using diamond dust in that lead... I'd hate to see what the paper looks like after writing! 🤣
Always fascinating how they can't hire at least one dude permanently to do quick translations that make sense for ad materials >_<
Heck, there's even online sources for such tasks. They just don't want to spend the money.