Pentel Orennero Mechanical Pencil, 0.3mm, PP3003-A, Black

I’ve bought this pencil probably 15 times, it is an amazing pencil, but I keep losing it 😭. It is an awesome pencil and I’d recommend it to anyone

Orenz Nero’s are among my favorite mechanical pencils. Solid metal body, good weight, works really smooth with no issues. No fancy complications in its functionality but they’re not needed or wanted in this case.

Purchasing the Orenz Nero, I was excited to try a fairly well-regarded pencil and hopefully find a new Best Of - and I was not disappointed! This is a magnificent pencil and very fun to write with, but definitely suffers from some of the same issues as Rotrings - hope you never drop this point-first! That being said, for every other application other than drafting work, I think this pencil is far superior to any Rotring series. Both this and the Rotring would likely be benefitted by having a comfortable custom pencil grip, because while both have amazing usability and performance, they've both been designed with making their use as unpleasant as possible over long periods of use.

I ordered both the Orenznero and Kurutoga Advance in 0.3 mm at the same time to compare the two. I found that the while the Orenznero looks and feels more premium, it doesn't actually function better for me.As far as prevent lead breakage, both pencils do a pretty similar job. The Orenznero has a sliding pipe meant to be used with the lead flush to the pipe. This transfers the force to the pipe and pencil body, thereby preventing lead breakage. This works quite well. The thing is, the Kurutoga Advance also has a sliding pipe. While it does not function with the lead flush to the pipe like the Orenznero, you can have it peaking just past and it without issue. This can be achieved by either careful advancement of the lead just past the end of the pipe, or you can get the lead flush to the pipe, and the pipe will slide back slightly once you start writing. I found that with the small amount of lead exposed, I had to intentionally press much harder than I would while writing to break the lead.I also found that there were downsides to the positioning of the lead with the Orenznero's intended operation. I tended to get lighter markings from the lead, and small indentations from the pipe on either side of the lead. The writing experience was actually smoother for me than a traditional pencil, but I didn't care for it. It felt less precise, since I was getting less tactile feedback from the paper, but I don't think this had an actual effect on the quality of my penmanship. It's worth noting that I write with a fairly shallow angle, so that may have been part of the issue.Beyond that, both pencils have a notable feature that the other does not.The Orenznero has an automatic advance mechanism, so you only have to click when you exhaust a piece of lead. I didn't write enough to take advantage of this, but I found that the simple sliding pipe on the Kurutoga gave me plenty of writing time between clicks. The way the Kurutoga works for this will slightly change the length of the pencil past your grip. However, I didn't find I noticed this at all while writing, since the change is gradual.The Kurutoga has the famous Kurutoga Engine, which rotates the lead to prevent forming a chisel tip. While this is not a perfect mechanism, it does work most of the time, and I did notice a real, positive difference.The one advantage I would say the Orenznero has is in the grip. It has a textured grip made from an iron/resin composite that packed with enough iron to magnetic. The Kurutoga has a smooth, plastic one with slight indentations. I didn't actually have any grip issues with the Kurutoga, but the Orenznero definitely feels nicer. At least at first. Personally, I found that the slightly thinner grip of the Orenznero was less comfortable over time. Even the Kurutoga was too thin for longer sessions, so I slide a rubber pencil grip I've had for over a decade over the stock one. This configuration certainly won't win on aesthetics, but it's gripper and more comfortable than either pencil is stock.In terms of bang for buck, the Orenznero currently costs $24.50 for just the pencil. You can get a Kurutoga Advance in a bundle with 3 NanoDia lead refills for $15.98 . There aren't currently any listings for the Kurutoga Advance 0.3 mm on its own, but I would expect $6-7. For me, the Orenznero doesn't offer much for its extra cost.

You have to compare it to other 0.3 mm offerings. 0.3 mm is fragile. It does not work on rough paper. You have to decide whether the other reviews are reviewing 0.3 mm lead or this pencil.The pencil is a bit delicate - it is the nature of an auto advanced 0.3 mm mechanism. It is more a pencil for a home or an office worker or a student doing homework at home. It is not for an explorer or a student lugging stuff from class to class in a pouch in a backpack. The tip itself will push a hole in your clothing.Rotating the lead is not important since 0.3 is so thin.It works wonderfully in an office and for someone who carries pencils in a hard pencil box. You can't press too hard - but that is the nature of the 0.3 lead. If you do the math, 0.3 lead has less than 50% cross-section of 0.5 (I realize the actual measurement is not exactly these numbers.). 0.3 mm lead wears out fast and needs constant advance. The auto-advanced mechanism solves this. This is not so useful for a 0.5 mm pencil because a 0.5 lead does not need advance so often and it does not bother me to advance 0.5 mm lead occasionally.With respect to the barrel interfering or scratching, if you write for a while, the barrel will smooth out.It is great for lightly marking up a book, making notes on a book, while reading.It looks durable enough. I suppose it is not as strong as a 0.5 mm mechanism and if I write 8 hours a day I don't know how long it would last. But for my purposes, marking up books lightly, it is great and the writing looks legible and professional.

I love the feeling and absolute great integration this pencil has with the automatic feeding. The only problem being the reliability. It brokeonly after 4 months of light use and would get stuck on everything. I wish this pencil lasted longer. Sad to see it break.

I like the sharpness of 0.3 pencils but they have 2 drawbacks: the lead breaks easily and it runs down quickly so you're frequently pausing your writing to click for more lead. This pencil solves both. The sliding nose prevents the lead from breaking and the pencil automatically keeps the lead advanced as you lift the pencil while writing.Some of the Kurutoga pencils have the sliding nose to protect the lead, but they don't auto-advance. They do rotate to keep the lead sharp, which the Pentel Orenz does not do. But while that is nice with 0.5 and thicker lead, it's unnecessary with 0.3 lead.This nero version of the Orenz is also "tight". When you hold the point on the paper, there is virtually no slop or play through the pencil nose and tip. It is also nicely weighted and balanced. I've lost count of the different mechanical pencils I've used over the years, but this is one of the best, if not the best. I just hope it lasts. Only time will tell.