Wow, I'm impressed. I've used mechanical pencils for decades and I'd hate to go back to wooden pencils that one sharpens (although I make exceptions for carpenter's pencils in woodworking - but even then I'll use a mechanical pencil for that purpose if there's one in my shirt pocket at the time).

My writing looks terrible if I use a ballpoint pen so I've always used pencils where possible, if I have to write in permanent ink then I'll use a good nibbed fountain pen (I've a collection including a Waterman, Parker and a Mont Blanc but good pens are outrageously expensive - and all of them are messy so I avoid them whenever possible).

I don't know if others have this problem but the neatness of my handwriting is highly dependent on the type of implement that I'm writing with so I'm quite particular about the type of pen or pencil I use. (I've no idea why the quality of my writing is so variable and so dependent on the type writing implement that I'm using, so I've considerable envy for those who can write with just about any type of pen or pencil and that their writing always remains neat and tidy.)

For years, I've used Cross 0.5mm mechanical propelling pencils and found them good but they too are hellishly expensive especially the gold plated ones, so when one of mine broke I kept my two remaining Crosses for best (as dress pencils for my suit etc.) and I started using the very much cheaper plastic Pentel ORENZ 0.5 and 0.7mm mechanical pencils (fact that they're cheap means I can have many more of them and scatter them around everywhere without the worry of losing one. By now I must have about a dozen or more scattered around the house. The reason I've so many is that I run a selection of leads with different hardnesses, typically HB, B, 2B and 4B.

I selected the Pentel ORENZ type as they were the best of the plastic types available at my local office supplier, and I was unaware until now that there are likely to be better alternatives available in the cheaper class of pencils.

One of the problems I've always had with mechanical pencils, including the high quality Crosses, is that I press hard and write heavily thus I'm forever breaking leads (incidentally, I use Pentel leads with the exception of 4B as over the years I've found them to be the strongest and most consistent).

I can't quite say that about the Pentel ORENZ however, compared with the Cross I found that I'm breaking leads between two and three times more often. Moreover, it was even more frequent with some of these pencils. On careful inspection I found that the protective extension tube was a thou or so larger in diameter than the others and this led to the leads breaking much more frequently. In recent times this has led me to also use the next lead size up - 0.7mm (it's a bit thick but it's OK for quick and rough work).

Whilst 0.7mm leads are definitely more rugged and much less prone to break, I would still much prefer to write with 0.5mm leads (again, my writing looks much tidier when I use them).

The enhancements I've seen in the pencils in this story I've not seen previously anywhere else. Of particular interest to me are the improved lead delivery mechanism and the rotating lead arrangement so I'm particularly interested in purchasing them. (The smearing and broadening effect as the lead wears down is particularly annoying so I hope that feature works well.)

One of the major problems with the sliding sleeve arrangement is that it interferes with one's writing by rubbing on the paper. The problem isn't very noticeable with the Crosses but nevertheless it's still annoying and it's close to being objectionable on the Pentel ORENZ. Moreover, if you drop the pencil it's likely to get a burr on the tip of the sleeve which will make things worse (the sleeve will then scrape across the paper instead of sliding over it). With these new pencils I can avoid that and I should be able overcome the problems I've been having with the Pentel ORENZ.

I'm mindful however of the fact that the Pentel ORENZ is also reviewed in this collection and it was given a glowing writeup, so I'm expecting that some hype has crept into the comments on all pencils.

I now have to figure how to purchase them, for certain there'll be no one near me who stocks them.