MITSUBISHI uni has teased and pleased us in recent years with some major upgrades to their KURU TOGA series that took the stationery world by storm since 2008.
Prelude
It all started with a KURU TOGA variant in 2021: α-gel SWITCH. It wasn't the first time an α-gel was equipped with a KURU TOGA engine, but this one looks distinctly different from previous models of either product line. It has a leaner, more sporty exterior, with no markings to show for its KURU TOGA lineage except for the small pill-shaped window on its barrel. The tip had no resemblance with KURU TOGA's conical sliding sleeve first seen on the Standard Pipe Slide model, instead opting for a cylindrical fixed tip.
In hindsight, it is clear that this marked the beginning of a new generation of KURU TOGA pencils. Later models all share the cylindrical fixed tip and the pill-shaped window on the barrel, indicative of the smaller, raised KURU TOGA engine.
Gear Up
Moving the engine from the grip section up to the barrel section opened opportunities to engineer innovations and improvements into the pencil without further widening the grip.
Here are the four models, including SWITCH:
- α-gel SWITCH (2021): other than the obvious addition of the α-gel grip, SWITCH introduced a twist clip that probably locks up the inner tube, preventing the vertical motion that drives the KURU TOGA engine, allowing for a more stable writing experience when needed.
- KURU TOGA DIVE (2022): DIVE took advantage of the vertical motion and transferred the momentum to another gear that advances the lead automatically every 440 strokes, without the sleeve ever having to touch the paper. It also features a magnetic cap that "pulls" the loaded lead out when uncapped, eliminating even the initial knock necessary in most other automatic pencils.
- KURU TOGA KS (2023): KS, the new standard, looks a lot like a stripped down version of α-gel SWITCH, and it probably is. By removing the α-gel grip and the switching mechanism, uni was able to standardize the new KURU TOGA engine and fit it into a simple, plain, cost-effective form.
- KURU TOGA Metal (2024): coming one year after the release of the new standard, Metal is, as its name suggests, a metallic KURU TOGA, built on the inner core of KS, and the pencil I'm reviewing today.
Live or Dive
The demand for a metallic KURU TOGA has been on the rise in the last few years, especially since the release of the highly-coveted-but-very-limited KURU TOGA DIVE. DIVE is mainly made of plastic, and to some it's not worth the initial MSRP of ¥5000 or US$40, and certainly not worth the adjusted US$99 price tag. Apparently increasing the price was uni's strategy to deter "scalpers". I don't want to digress further, but clearly it didn't work.
Personally, marketing strategy aside, I think ¥5000 is fair, considering how much engineering must have gone into creating the auto-advancing mechanism. After all, the essence of mechanical pencils comes more from the mechanics than from the materials. But I can understand where some of these frustrations are coming from. There are those that were disappointed by not being able to acquire one at a decent price, and there are those who think a masterpiece like this deserves better materials. I agree, 100%. Let's hope we get a metallic DIVE one day.
Metal: First Impression
Now back to KURU TOGA Metal. I was excited when I saw the news leak that a metallic KURU TOGA is coming out this year. But when I saw the pictures posted on X, I was a bit skeptical because the slim-line, uniform, tube-like design looked a bit boring, and the "mild edge" grip looked too mild to provide enough traction.
But at the same time, I was so happy that a full-black version is among the three initial non-limited colors: Silent Blue, Nocturn Black, and Phantom Grey. This was a big thing, at least to me because I have a thing for fully black pencils, but the color motif of the KURU TOGA series has always been blue. If we look back at all the KURU TOGAs ever released, it's kind of obvious they've been avoiding full-black variants until recent years. I can only think of two models with full-black options: the ADVANCE UPGRADE and the KS, and in both cases full-blacks were not readily available in all lead sizes in the beginning. I suspect this change of direction may be a direct result from their sales figure. I hope this becomes the standard for all future KURU TOGA releases, and again, here's hoping there comes a Pitch Black DIVE in the not-too-far future.
Metal: Actual Review
Fully Grooved
That was all just speculation on my part. When I got my hands on the actual thing, I was pleasantly surprised. The apparent smooth barrel is actually textured all the way with horizontal micro ridges, reminding me of the fully-knurled PLOTTER pens. These micro ridges already provide enough "grippage", but the wider grooves on the grip section added even more traction to the grip, and some variation to the uniformly cylindrical body.
Disassembly
I noticed a few nice little details while disassembling the pencil (it's a ritual to admire the internal structures), which I think are worth mentioning. The pencil can be easily separated into four main sections: the cone, the grip, the barrel (along with the inner parts), and the end cap. The first three sections are screwed on, while the end cap can be pulled off to reveal the eraser.
The Cap
While I don't recommend doing this too often, there's a certain satisfaction in putting the end cap back on. It's almost as if there's a suction force assisting with the repositioning of the cap. There's a little groove on the side of the cap, a common way to prevent the cap from flying off. But usually it feels more like opening a door to a doorstop. My guess is that the diameter of the lead reservoir varies near the opening, providing the illusory suction force from the sudden decrease in friction when inserting the cap. The friction increases again as the cap is pushed all the way in, locking the cap in while also preventing rattling.
The Grip
The grip section is basically a metallic tube that screws onto the cone at one end and the barrel at the other. A rubber o-ring is attached just inside the opening at each end to secure the connection as the metal parts screw shut.
Interestingly, the threads are identical on both ends of the grip, meaning the grip can be installed either way. It’s a convenient feature because it’s impossible to tell from the outside which way is up. Although, come to think of it, an asymmetrical pattern would have been interesting too, giving users two orientations to play with.
(Note: upon closer inspection, the micro ridges are in fact spiral threads instead of parallel rings. So, strictly speaking, the grip is not symmetrical.)
Feel
Lastly and most importantly, how does KURU TOGA Metal write? I left this till the end because I'm writing the review of what I'm writing the review with. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Distraction vs Discomfort
KURU TOGA was a revolutionary product (all pun intended). It rotates the lead as we write to keep the line width consistent, and eliminates the need for us to rotate the pencil manually. This has been talked about so often that I almost forgot what the actual distraction was. Yes, we do want our writing to look neat and sharp, but what really drives us to shift the grip as the tip gets blunt is the unpleasant dullness that pulls our attention from our dive into the content back to the surface of the paper.
In essence, KURU TOGA replaced a major distraction in writing with a minor discomfort—the wobbling of the tip. And we've seen uni making progress in reducing the wobbling over the years. They may have nailed it this time with KURU TOGA Metal.
Nib Damper
I filled three A5 pages writing the draft of this review, and I was very satisfied with how the pencil writes. There was no apparent wobbling whatsoever. The tip felt more stable than some drafting mechanical pencils with a retractable tip. The lead, of course, still sinks a little at the beginning of each stroke, necessary to drive the KURU TOGA engine, but the motion is imperceptible in normal writing. It's only when I deliberately slow down the stroke and concentrate on my fingertip when the sinking becomes noticeable. This is thanks to the new Nib Damper, a ring between the tip and the cone acting as a sort of cushion. I think it works really well because it mimics the sensation of how the tip of a normal pencil would dig into the paper.
Final Verdict
This has a compounding effect on the writing experience. With a consistently sharp tip that doesn't wobble, I was truly able to focus on the content, at least until it's time for another knock—probably the final distraction to eliminate.
They say KURU TOGA Metal's clip shares the same material and design with that of the KURU TOGA DIVE. I hope it's a sign that they are already working on either a metallic DIVE with the damper, or an automatic Metal with a miniaturized version of the auto-feed mechanism. I dream of them as KURU TOGA DEEP DIVE and KURU TOGA Full Metal, respectively.
My overall rating of KURU TOGA Metal is 4.3 out of 5.
Here is an infographic card I made, with my 3F ratings.
