John is amazing! His passion for pencils really comes through, and he takes time to talk to each and every one of his customers.\n\nThe pencils were in pristine condition, and even though they had to travel halfway around the globe they were so well packaged, nothing was damaged. (And they arrived a lot earlier than I thought!)\n\nJohn’s collection is quite impressive and he included lots of extra gifts, including vintage pencils for my dad, stickers, and postcards. It was like Christmas in April!\n\nI am so glad I found John’s shop and will definitely order from him again. So excited to expand my collection of vintage pencils. Highly recommended!

Initial impressions:I bought this pencil alongside a Uni Mitsubishi Hi-uni of the same hardness to compare the two. I had prior experience with both brands in softer grades and at 4B the difference was frankly negligible. I expected the same here and I could not have been more WRONG. The difference between the two in 5H is as clear as night and day.The MONO 100 is visibly much lighter and significantly toothier whereas the Hi-uni is darker and smoother. Most people would probably prefer the Uni for these reasons, but I chose these pencils for the purposes of light under-sketching to ink over, so I might actually prefer the Tombow. Especially because I prefer lots of grip but also smoother papers than most pencilers and the added feedback is very welcome for me. ... MoreInitial impressions:I bought this pencil alongside a Uni Mitsubishi Hi-uni of the same hardness to compare the two. I had prior experience with both brands in softer grades and at 4B the difference was frankly negligible. I expected the same here and I could not have been more WRONG. The difference between the two in 5H is as clear as night and day.The MONO 100 is visibly much lighter and significantly toothier whereas the Hi-uni is darker and smoother. Most people would probably prefer the Uni for these reasons, but I chose these pencils for the purposes of light under-sketching to ink over, so I might actually prefer the Tombow. Especially because I prefer lots of grip but also smoother papers than most pencilers and the added feedback is very welcome for me. Both leads indent the paper slightly if you push too hard (so don’t do that), but the Tombow is a little less forgiving in this regard, forcing me to pay more attention to pressure modulation (which is probably a good thing in the long run).The Tombow seems harder to sharpen and splintered and broke on it’s first sharpening (which NEVER happens in my fav Kitaboshi 634 sharpener which is specifically made to prevent that), so the wood and QC may be better on the Unis.For most people I would not hesitate to recommend the Uni Mitsubishi Hi-uni, but for my purposes it’s a bit of a tossup. I’ll have to use both of them a lot more before I feel comfortable choosing between them.

REview for B Grade.so far so good - like literally, really impressed - i learned to draw using a mechanical pencil so therefor emy lines were quite stiff to beign with and i got a few lead breakages - but after adjusting my grip and drawing profiles for maybe an hour the lead breakages stopped.These pencils are striaght, evenly cored (suprisingly a major problem in many well known brands, staedtler being one of them) and the wood seems to be of superoir quality - often taking a shiny "glittering" effect when shapened in a long point sharpener.strong and resiliant, they maintain a point for aobut 20 minutes or so for detialed or an hour until it starts to become "thick" and pretty much useless if your doing detailed workI havent used a uni-hi pencil so i dont ... MoreREview for B Grade.so far so good - like literally, really impressed - i learned to draw using a mechanical pencil so therefor emy lines were quite stiff to beign with and i got a few lead breakages - but after adjusting my grip and drawing profiles for maybe an hour the lead breakages stopped.These pencils are striaght, evenly cored (suprisingly a major problem in many well known brands, staedtler being one of them) and the wood seems to be of superoir quality - often taking a shiny "glittering" effect when shapened in a long point sharpener.strong and resiliant, they maintain a point for aobut 20 minutes or so for detialed or an hour until it starts to become "thick" and pretty much useless if your doing detailed workI havent used a uni-hi pencil so i dont know the coparison - but i can say thes ebeat any other pencils ive used hand' down - mainly the staedtler lumo mar's pencils as they have too much "grit" and connection with the paper.As for the lead well it is smooth enough to feel smooth, but ther eis a definate "fff" sound as you draw - the sound youd expect to hear in an animation studio really. its not so annoying really, but it depends- if you want a "buttery" lead as you draw using your should or hld the end of the pencil for long flowing lines - its not so good for that as say, palomino - but given this, it allows for a better variety of control.the end piece past the metal clips appears to be amde out of a polymer plastic - for what purposes i dont know - but ti does seem to add a better weighting to the pencil - and really makes it stand out. this means you lose approximately 1.5cm of available pencil use - but im sure you arnet going to moan about that when you feel the smooth, but grippy texture these pencils offer.for those who argue that you cant tell the difference in pencils- well, if you go high enough quality your sort of right- a staedtler will get the job done nicely - but these are a darker lead, producing better controlled lines , and as such i can see why theyre favoured by animators and some illustrators.sow hoy SHOULD you buy this pencil? - if your lookign for good strong linework , with decent flow, flexibility (in a b or HB grade) then the mono 100 HB/B are good , storng, well made and superoir pencils to getting the job done - but they wont make you a miracle worker -try practicsing with a cheaper pencil first, then move to these - i can gurantee you will appreciate the difference that much more.peace out~

Tombow Mono 100 is the highest graphite pencil line from one of the two legendary premium Japanese pencil brands (the other would be Mitsubishi Hi-Uni), and it's packaged accordingly in an outstanding plastic case with a hinged lid. The pencils themselves feature a thick black varnish coat with the unique white vertical stripe on its endcap. In my experience, Tombow pencil leads tend to be slightly darker and Mitsubishi leads tends to be a bit more smudge-resistant for the same graphite grade. Yet both premium brands feature superior graphite leads that glide smoothly on the paper surface without a hint of scratchiness. "F" grade pencils have the darkness of "HB" pencils with the strength and point retention of "H" pencils. Thus they are a natural choice for writing ... MoreTombow Mono 100 is the highest graphite pencil line from one of the two legendary premium Japanese pencil brands (the other would be Mitsubishi Hi-Uni), and it's packaged accordingly in an outstanding plastic case with a hinged lid. The pencils themselves feature a thick black varnish coat with the unique white vertical stripe on its endcap. In my experience, Tombow pencil leads tend to be slightly darker and Mitsubishi leads tends to be a bit more smudge-resistant for the same graphite grade. Yet both premium brands feature superior graphite leads that glide smoothly on the paper surface without a hint of scratchiness. "F" grade pencils have the darkness of "HB" pencils with the strength and point retention of "H" pencils. Thus they are a natural choice for writing and taking notes. I like sketching with "F" pencils, because I find that I do not have to sharpen them as often as softer grades. Their sharp points last longer without breaking. Cheap pencil points often break and crumble under pressure or write very faintly. An artist pencil should have perfectly centered leads, sharpen well, resist breakage, feature consistent darkness for its graphite grade, and glide effortlessly on most papers. I do not my want my creative process to be interrupted by a poor quality lead that breaks for no reason, crumble under pressure, or pencil points that frustratingly keep breaking when trying to sharpen them. If you like to draw with the very best tools available, you should certainly experience the performance of the Tombow Mono 100 pencils in your preferred grades.

My only, slight, problem with these Mono 100 pencils is that the lead seems softer than that of the HB grade of my previous Mono pencils, which weren't not the same model. Apparently grade can vary not just between manufacturers, but between one maker's different lines. Next time I'll order the next harder grade. That all said, I bought Mono again because they are so good. I briefly tried US-made General pencils, but their lead was noticeably grittier, and also kept breaking in the sharpener. Mono leads are smooth, dark, and don't break. A pencil is not just a pencil.

I think this is my all-time favorite pencil for starting a drawing: smooth and light and easy to erase. Beautifully smooth on the right paper (I use hot-press watercolor paper normally). Keeps a point for a long time. Combined with the KUM No. 400-5L long point sharpener is it almost a perfect pencil experience.

This might be my favorite pencil. The point is incredibly durable and gets super sharp with a KUM Stenographer's Long Point sharpener. It stays almost unchanged for far longer writing than I would expect from a pencil. It almost reminds me of a spear or harpoon. Obviously I've lost my marbles a little but the pencil is great. I only wish it were a bit darker, but that's the tradeoff. It's about as dark as a Western HB but much better in every other respect.

My favorite

I decided to find the perfect pencil and tested all the big names. I tried the Staedtler norica and lumograph, the Faber Castell 9000, the Mitsubishi uni and hi-uni, and now the Tombow mono and mono100, and this is my favourite (though by a pretty narrow margin).I feel like the mono100 needs slightly less pressure than the hi-uni (my runner up) to put down a dark line, and it seems to loose less length to sharpening. Japanese pencils definitely seem to lay down a softer darker line than German brands.

Ne Plus Ultra, As They Say...

Well, my new favourite pencil for really using, or rather, using up, is the Tombow 8900.But.For less than the price of an espresso, I use the best, most beautiful pencil that has ever been made, and, sadly, ever will be made.Somewhere on the interwebs is the story of Mitsubishi and Tombow locked in battle during the 50s and 60s to produce the best pencil. Ever. Period. The consensus is that between the Hi-Uni and Mono 100 it's too close to call.I prefer the Tombow, because it has a dragonfly on it. You might prefer the burgundy finish of the Hi-Uni. Both are gorgeous to behold and a sensuous delight to use. Strangely, it's widely accepted that the Hi-Uni is ever so slightly smoother than the Mono 100, the latter supposedly being ever so slightly more ... MoreWell, my new favourite pencil for really using, or rather, using up, is the Tombow 8900.But.For less than the price of an espresso, I use the best, most beautiful pencil that has ever been made, and, sadly, ever will be made.Somewhere on the interwebs is the story of Mitsubishi and Tombow locked in battle during the 50s and 60s to produce the best pencil. Ever. Period. The consensus is that between the Hi-Uni and Mono 100 it's too close to call.I prefer the Tombow, because it has a dragonfly on it. You might prefer the burgundy finish of the Hi-Uni. Both are gorgeous to behold and a sensuous delight to use. Strangely, it's widely accepted that the Hi-Uni is ever so slightly smoother than the Mono 100, the latter supposedly being ever so slightly more durable. I actually found that compared side by side, the Mono 100 (2B) was smoother.Thanks Wonderpen(cils!) for making these great products available this side of the border!