For a while, my dad hated these pencils. he thought there was no comparison between them and Ticonderoga pencils(for some sick, twisted reason). He had never used this pencil before, and we did a test between them. Once he started writing with this Uni, he was immediately hooked on it. I love this pencil, its lead width is superior for writing and it doesn't snap like the 0.3mm I have. It writes really smoothly and doesn't leave your hand tired after hours of drawing and writing because it is so well weighted at the bottom end. The locking mechanism is awesome for protecting the pipe and it is one-hand-friendly, you just have to know how. Cosmetically, the paint wears out on the top after a while, but that has absolutely nothing to do with its performance. For writing and drawing, go with this. It will never let you down and will last you for ever.

I really, really like this pencil. As an English teacher I write a lot (not "allot") of comments to my students. I only write my comments in graphite. I have had this pencil for one and a half years, but it feels as if I purchased it yesterday. This was a great buy, and I highly recomend it for other teachers, students, etc.

The Uni-ball Shift wins my vote for most innovative design. It is a very stylish Drafting Pencil that will have people asking you where you bought it mostly in part to the unique locking mechanism.

Pro's:
-Locking mechanism works flawlessly.
-Grip is very comfortable for writing and drawing despite looks.
-Very stylish design.
-When locked in use mode the pencil is very sturdy and the weight very well balanced.

Con's:
-Top part above the grip is plastic that feels very cheap.
-When pencil is locked in non-use mode, the piece that is revealed (blue in this case) also seems very cheap and it feels as if it can break very easy.
-No lead indicator.

Overall:

I must say that overall the Pro's outweigh the Con's and this is a very solid piece to add to any artist or writer's collection, it is a wonderful piece to own.

This is a great pencil. It has a "bottom-heavy" feel which lessens the force needed to apply the pencil to the paper. The metal bottom half of the pencil (knurled) grip is amazing, it's my favorite feature. The upper part is plastic made, and you can definitely feel that the bottom portion outweights the top portion by a lot.

Like someone else said, when the pencil is locked and the "nib" in retracted ,the pencil has "loose feel" due to the pipe shift mechanism. But when its loaded and ready to go, it has a TIGHT feel.

It's a great concept, and great way to protect the nib and allow it in your pocket. It writes great, and because of the lower weight, you don't have to apply that much pressure. It's really cool looking too, I purchased the one in silver.

I only give it 4 stars because if the upper body where made from a metal, and more tight feeling, it would be perfect.

The knurled grip on this pencil is simply amazing, could not imagine one better to be used. The shifting mechanism is perfect, and I have found that it is fairly solid in design when properly locked into place, leaving very little "wiggle room," allowing for an even more solid overall feel for the pencil. One of the best purchases I have ever made and I would highly recommend this to any person looking for a pencil for drawing or general writing.