Review | Pilot S20: Simplicity at its Classiest.

Well known for its wooden body, the Pilot S20 provides a unique feel while setting the gold standard for what a daily-use mechanical pencil should be.

Overview

Spec	Detail
MSRP	¥2200
Weight	18g
Body Material	Wood Resin Composite
Clip Material	Aluminum
Removable Clip	Yes
Grip Material	Wood Resin Composite
Knurled Grip	No
Tip Material	Aluminum
Retractable Tip	No
Lead Jam Rod	Yes
Removable Eraser	Yes
Lead Advancement	Top Button
Lead Indicator	HB,B,2B,2H,H,F
Lead Sizes	0.5,0.3
Grip - Pipe Distance	1.7 cm
Body Length	14.7 cm

The most unique aspect of the Pilot S20 is it's wooden grip. It's been treated with resin to avoid the typical downsides of wood as a handheld product, so it feels similar to the surface of a wooden table rather than straight up wood. This is not a downside whatsoever, as plain wood would definitely be uncomfortable and damage more easily over time.

The grip is more comfortable than any metal grip, and about equivalent to most rubber grips. I'd argue it's slightly more comfortable than most rubber grips because it feels very solid, a downside of silicone and rubber grips. Additionally, the rather slim grip (and body) provides a feeling of precision when writing.

Additionally, the distance from the grip to the tip is pretty average, sitting at around 1.7 cm, and despite my habit of choking up on most pencils, it actually feels wrong to do so on the S20. The length is perfect in my opinion.

Lead Pipe

Considering this grip-pipe distance, the lead pipe provides an excellent view of your work surface.

Unfortunately, you cannot retract this lead pipe, which while not as easily damaged as the Rotring 600s, will most certainly still bend given enough force. To my knowledge Pilot does not sell replacements.

While this isn't the lead pipe exactly, the entire tip isn't on very tight unless you really screw it on, so after removing it once I kept unscrewing it slowly while writing. This may be due to just my specific grip or my model, but keep that in mind.

Clip

The clip is tight enough, but not as tight as most. There isn't much space either so I don't recommend clipping it on anything besides paper or a folder. It's also smaller than most clips I've seen, at around 3.1 cm.

Another downside is that when rotating the clip, the contact between the clip and the body is a bit tight, and will slightly scratch the wooden body. It's very hard to notice on camera or even with the naked eye, but it is definitely there.

Cap and Eraser

The eraser is a standard drafting pencil eraser, nothing particularly good. However, it does come with a lead pipe rod for clearing jams.

The cap is pretty good, not too loose, not too tight, and along with an indicator on the top about what sized lead the pencil uses, it also has a lead indicator.

Lead Indicator

If you've seen the Rotring 600, this lead indicator is straight up abysmal.

While the standard options of HB,B,2B,2H,H,F are offered, it's very difficult to adjust it.

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.

This means you must remove the indicator in order to change it. It's also far too tight, with the only consistent technique I've found that works placing your thumb over the indicator hole while rotating.

It does the job, and most of the time you aren't changing the lead indicator often, but yeah this is not good.

Build Quality and Feel

The feel of the Pilot S20 is the reason it's my 0.3mm lead daily driver.

The S20 is lightweight, has the perfect length ratios, and incredibly comfortable. This is the pencil I recommend to people who just want a nice pencil for everyday writing and sketching.

In terms of build quality however, there is a lot to be desired. While the metal parts appear very premium initially, they seem to be aluminum (I'm not 100% sure), and their color will easily fade and scratch.

Additionally, the printed Japan and S20 logos fade very quickly, resulting in a bit of an awkward 'dirty' look.

It doesn't personally bother me, if anything it provides evidence that the pencil is used frequently, but this is something to keep in mind. This pencil will not remain pristine once you start using it consistently.

Price

For those in the U.S., it seems like the only option is to get the Pilot S20 from resellers like Amazon and Jetpens, where it goes for around $25 on both.

For those in Japan, it's easily found in various retail stores, especially Tokyu Hands for some reason. The price there is usually ¥2200.

Fun!

Once again, the Pilot S20 seems like another relatively 'boring' pencil. No special features, and it's only unique aspect is that it's made of wood.

However, for some odd reason, no pencil is able to topple it's position as my go-to standard drafting pencil. That wooden body just feels that good.

To me, it's the perfect compromise between weight and comfort. It just feels... professional to use the S20.

Conclusion

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Excellent Feel of Wooden Body	Mediocre Build Quality
Lead Pipe Rod	Tiny Eraser
Various Color options	Bad Lead Indicator
lightweight	Lead Tip Easily Unscrewed (subjective)

Verdict

I really like the Pilot S20. If I were to sketch something, I can almost guarantee I'd start with the S20. When I'm writing in my planner, I always choose the S20.

The S20 has a very classy feel to it, even if slightly undermined by the poor quality of its metal and print.

It's a bit more casual than the hefty metal drafting pencils like the Pentel Graphgear 1000 or the Rotring 600, so I feel like writing with it is actually reasonable.

I think the Pilot S20 is extremely versatile, relatively affordable (compared to other drafting pencils), and a great entry point into premium mechanical pencils.

I strongly recommend the Pilot S20 to someone just looking for a no frills, simple, daily-use mechanical pencil.