Customer Reviews
What an incredible pencil? At present this is the best pencil in my humble collection.
Functionality is out of this world. I have Orenz and Tombows in (0.3, my preferred thickness) and Kuru Toga and Sun-Star in (0.5). This is by far the best by function. The 0.3 requires a very short lead advancement per nock, otherwise lead breakage increases noticeably. This one has such a smooth and short lead advancement, that it is absolutely a breeze to write with it. I have another 1000 for Pro in 0.5. It is the same great quality as this one. The nock itself has a tactile bump, making it very crisp. [video included]
Construction is incredible. Finishing is perfect. I have a Tombow Mono Fine, which is amazing to hold because of the metal construction, but just a tad ungainly because of the heft. Compared to that, the weight on the 1000 for Pro is just right.
There is no wobble in the nocking mechanism or the lead. The grip is very comfortable because of the rubber nubs. And the nubs themselves also are shaped to not be triggering (I am severely trypophobic). The 0.3 one also comes with a lead jam clearer needle fitted into the eraser. It is very useful in the 0.3. Note: The 0.5 doesn't have a lead jam clearer. But then it is mostly not needed in the 0.5 or higher.
I love the colour grading on the cap. The white on the 0.5 is a bit meh. But I absolutely adore the brown one on my 0.3. And the other colours look pretty cool too. The black on the body is entirely a matte finish, which makes this pencil amazing to look at. This is the same for the clip as well. The brand and make writing on the body is in a very subtle, unobtrusive font and soft grey white in colour. Kinda blends together.
The only few things that this pencil lacks are:
1) An auto lead advancement mechanism: Auto advancement is still in a somewhat nascent state, but Pentel itself has the Orenz, the most recognizable auto-lead advancement line. Also, other brands such as Kuru Toga (in the Dive) and Ohto and Sun-Star are now offering pencils with this feature. In the 0.3, because just a little bit of over-extension of lead will cause breakage, you use single nocks. As a result, you tend to have to nock more times. Thus, an auto-advancement mechanism would make things a lot more convenient. The 1000 for Pro remains a manual knock, drafting pencil.
2) The lead sleeve cannot be retracted on the 1000 for pro. That means that this is not a very travel friendly or pocket pencil. Carrying in pockets causes the risk of getting puncture holes. Putting in bags may cause the lead sleeve to get bent. Is the lead sleeve strong enough to resist bending? I don't know. I didn't check, and I'm not going to.
3) The lead grade indicator on the cap is a little wobbly despite having a tactile click to it. This is a minor nitpick, and most users will not even notice that beyond a certain point. Unless, you actually use multiples of this pencil with different lead grades, and thus need to use the indicator regularly, you might just forget that it even exists. But I guess an indicator such as the one on the Smash might be better, although more effort-taking.
A quick note of respect and commendation for Bumbo Stationeries. This is my fifth purchase, and Bumbo delivers quality each and every time. Delivery is prompt. The collection is the best in class; I haven't found the newer Pentel Ain leads anywhere else, Amazon included. And the prices are the most competitive. Some other website charge more than double for some of these pencils/products. My only suggestion to team Bumbo is, please do replenish your inventory a little more consistently. I recently purchased a Sun-Star Metacil from another website for 700 plus. It's absolute garbage. Had I bought it from Bumbo at 350 bucks, I'd probably have half as much buyers regret as I do now. Otherwise, thank you for the good work. Keep being the awesome you that you already are.
Pencil is really good with metallic and rubber grip. Upper body is made up of high quality plastic, with low center of gravity.
