Friday, April 27, 2018

Ohto Words SP10-A Mechanical Pencil Review

Ohto Words SP-10A Mechanical Pencil

I believe this pencil has been discontinued in the not too distant past but it’s still available from a number of retailers. So even though it is discontinued I want to review it simply because it looks so nice. Pure eye-candy. There’s just something about the way it looks that I find extremely attractive.
ohto words sp10-a mechanical pencil

The metal body is available in a number of different lustrous coloured finishes, mine, as you can see, is blue.

Weighing in at 18gm the Ohto Words is a little lighter than I expected. I feel the weight somehow does not quite go with the visual beauty and a slightly heavier construction would enhance the overall package.
ohto words mechanical pencil cap posted

Ohto Words is a capped mechanical pencil, and you can use it with the cap posted or not. Personally, when writing, I prefer the look of it in hand with the cap posted…the long sleek elegant look. The cap is a very positive push fit onto either end of the main body.

I always like to see a mechanical pencil comprehensively marked with brand, model name and number, and Ohto usually do, as they have with Words.
ohto words pencil sp10-a model number
ohto words pencil logo

The pocket clip is very sturdy and stiff, probably too stiff. You will certainly have to put in some effort to clip it to something. But its’ size, shape and colour combine with the cap section to make a truly aesthetically pleasing sight.
ohto words mechanical pencil capped

The lead sleeve is 2mm long and fixed, but of course the cap means this is a pocket safe mechanical pencil. The lead advance is a push top ratchet mechanism, operated by the rounded end piece of the main body, with or without the cap section posted on the body. Ten clicks will advance about 7mm of lead. You access the lead magazine by unscrewing the body and removing the otherwise hidden emergency eraser with lead jam clearance rod.
ohto words pencil disassembled

The grip section is rubber with fine grooves running lengthwise rather than circular around the body. The rubber grip does feel quite “grippy” so that is good, but I just hope that Ohto have used a rubber formulation that will stand the test of time rather than degrade over a decade or two. The fine grooves in the grip do catch the light and add to the appearance of the pencil.
ohto words rubber grip

I said at the beginning that this pencil is eye-candy, but is also a great pencil. It is true threat to the Throne of Sharp Kerry. Ohto Words mechanical pencil – if you like a pretty pencil, then buy one now while you still can. It's a great deal at that price point.

•    Best Points – Did I mention how good it looks?
•    Not So Good Points – The pocket clip is too strong.
•    Price Range – Low
•    Does this pencil make it into the Top 5? – This is a really tough call, but after much deliberation I have decided “No”… except for its looks.

Dimensions – Length 125mm main body only and 150mm with cap posted, diameter 8mm across the grip section. Balance point about 50mm up from the tip without cap.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for this review! The style is not my cup of tea but the pencil seems to be very well made. – Almost all of my OHTO pencils rattle at least a bit. Are there similar problems with the Words?

Anonymous said...

Very nice OHTO pencil. I have the "Mine Slim" which looks to be a twin to yours, but made from some kind of aluminum alloy.

https://s19.postimg.cc/8262d6nyb/OHTO_Mine_Slim_01.jpg
https://s19.postimg.cc/cpc4eybb7/OHTO_Mine_Slim_02.jpg
https://s19.postimg.cc/a9ab13t8j/OHTO_Mine_Slim_03.jpg
https://s19.postimg.cc/wze17u1tv/OHTO_Mine_Slim_04.jpg

This set came as a "bonus" in purchase of another pen. But I found myself really appreciating this, my very first OHTO writing instruments.

kiwi-d said...

Gunther - this is a fairly quiet Ohto. Without cap it is silent except if you vigorously wave it around you can hear some wobble in the mechanism inside the barrel. With cap posted this is amplified and of course the cap makes a noise too. So silent under normal writing.

Penmuseum - interesting, thanks for that. Different cap and grip but clearly a variant of the same base design. Rookie mistake in my review. I did not say it is a metallic body so will amend the review to include that.

kiwi-d said...

Oh well, it appears I need more sleep. I did say it was a metal body! No need to amend review.

Anonymous said...

Hey nice review! Nice to see you back into the groove.

One question: is it .5mm by any chance? I have a good bet it is for such a pencil.

Kiwi-d said...

Thanks Andre. Good question, mine is 0.5mm as you suspect.

Nicky said...

This pencil looks awesome and really classy, I'm currently in love with capped mechanical pencils as well as double knock pencils, since they protect the lead sleeve but are solid at the same time unlike sliding sleeves.

The shape of this pencil is reminiscent of the Pentel Cil capped mechanical pencil, that apparently was the precursor of the Sharp Kerry, which Ohto also makes a similar pencil, the Zoom 505. I personally like this design better than the Sharp kerry