Review | OHTO MS201: Weight, Refined
One of the last standing mechanical pencils of a now incredibly niche stationery brand, the OHTO MS201 differentiates itself with a refined build, surprising heft, unique lead advancement customization, and adjustable lead pipe length.
Overview
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| MSRP | ¥2000 |
| Weight | 27g |
| Body Material | Aluminum |
| Clip Material | Aluminum |
| Removable Clip | No |
| Grip Material | Brass |
| Knurled Grip | Yes |
| Tip Material | Brass |
| Retractable Tip | Yes |
| Lead Jam Rod | No |
| Removable Eraser | Yes |
| Lead Advancement | Top Button |
| Lead Indicator | HB,B,2B,4H,2H,H,F |
| Lead Sizes | 0.7,0.5 |
| Grip - Pipe Distance | 1.5 - 2.1 cm (adjustable) |
| Body Length | 15.2 cm |
Design
Grip
There isn't much to say about the grip to be honest, it's a fairly standard brass knurled grip. It's about as comfortable as any other metal grip.
The unique part about this grip is its ability to be twisted closer or further from the lead pipe, with a distance between 1.5 to 2.1 cm being possible. The only downside is moving the grip all the way back means you won't get a good view of the lead pipe, which is fully hidden in the grip.
Lead Pipe
As mentioned previously, reducing the lead pipe to grip distance results in a poor view of the writing surface. However, the fully revealed lead pipe has no issues.
The lead pipe feels very stable, and I have no concerns about its integrity while writing.
Clip
The clip is rather tight, and pretty large at around 3.3 cm in length. Considering the length of the pencil however, this is pretty reasonable and probably necessary.
Cap and Eraser
The eraser is a standard drafting pencil eraser, and no lead pipe rod for clearing jams.
The cap is also fairly normal, but when twisting it to get the lead indicator to face a certain direction it slides a bit, indicating the internals are not connected to the externals. Not a big deal though.
Lead Indicator
This lead indicator is not great. It's pretty difficult to adjust, requiring you to unscrew the top portion, then try to screw it in while holding the actual lead indicator in place so the window is over the correct lead type.
Standard options of HB,B,2B,4H,2H,H,F are offered.
In the above image, the red marked tube is where the lead indicator text is attached to, with the blue marked tip being what rotates to change the viewer to display different text.
While you could adjust it without removing it from the pencil, it is definitely way easier to take it out due to the slide mentioned above. You need to hold it in place while twisting if its still on the pencil since the body of the pencil is not fully attached to the base of the cap.
Again like the Pilot S20, it does the job, but not very well (at least if you are frequently changing it).
Lead Advancement Adjustment Mechanism
The biggest differentiator of the OHTO MS201 from other metal drafting pencils (besides its heft and length) is the ability to adjust how much lead is advanced through a dial in the body of the pencil above the grip.
By turning this dial one way or the other, you can increase or decrease the amount the lead advances with each click of the cap. As you can see below the length varies from around 2 mm to basically nothing.
I find that the maximum setting is too little upon the first press but too much on the second press, so somewhere around 2/3 of the maximum is the sweet spot for me. Obviously it's adjustable on the fly, but honestly it's likely best to set it once and forget. This feature is largely a gimmick, but it's pretty cool to mess around with.
Build Quality and Feel
Like I've already mentioned, the other two big selling points of this pencil are the weight and build. At 27 g and 15.2 cm long, it's one of the longest and heaviest drafting pencils out there.
The all aluminum and brass feel give it a refined and premium feel, and I really love drawing with this pencil.
The only downsides with the build quality are the moving parts themselves. When twisting the grip up and down, it slowly wears down the aluminum and you can see the light scratches on the barrel right below the lead advancement mechanism. You can easily see it in the lead pipe photo above.
As mentioned previously, the cap when twisted shows the internal mechanism and external barrel aren't connected beyond than with just friction.
Finally, the OHTO MS201 text rubs off fairly easily, at least on the default aluminum color model. This might just be because I haven't used the matte black much.
Price
For those in the U.S., it seems like the only option is to get the OHTO MS201 from resellers like Amazon and JetPens, where it goes for $15 on Amazon and $20 on JetPens.
For those in Japan, it's actually rather rare, probably easy to get online but I've only seen it in certain stores like Sekaido in Shinjuku. The MSRP is ¥2000. Big chains like Tokyu Hands and Loft usually don't carry it.
It comes in matte black, matte blue, and the original aluminum silver color.
Fun!
Personally, the OHTO MS201 does not quite strike the correct niche to warrant it as a daily carry for me.
However, whenever I pick it up or look at it, I constantly reconsider that decision. It's honestly just a cool pencil to look at and use. If I drew more regularly, I think it might be a pencil I actually carry with me.
The novelty of the internal mechanism might not serve much of a practical purpose, but it's a cool party trick and it looks pretty sick even when not being used.
Added to the fact OHTO is a smaller brand, using the MS201 feels exclusive.
Conclusion
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Solid Build Quality | Heavy and Long (Subjective) |
| Good Heft and Length (Subjective) | Tiny Eraser |
| Various Color options | Bad Lead Indicator |
Verdict
I really want to like the OHTO MS201, but it genuinely just doesn't suit my needs. It's almost too serious in it's role as a drafting pencil, to the point where you can't really use it for anything else.
It's too heavy to write with, but that same weight and build are what make it special and so alluring and fun to actually use when drawing.
Ultimately, if you sketch a lot, the MS201 would be one of the coolest pencils to use for said purpose, but anything other than that it's purely a collection piece (like for me).