When we saw this one, we had to have it! We love the designer styling, and OHTO have managed to make an unusual shape into a pencil that's really practical to use - not something all designers manage!

The strong metal barrel is narrow in the middle, widening out to each end, in a way that feels comfortable to hold, as well as looking good. It reminds us of old cinema logos like CinemaScope, yet in this case, has quite a modern feel to it. A simple metal clip and push-button finish one end, while the tip part is finished in matt black.

To keep the design practical to use, OHTO have given it a ridged grip section. Combined with the widening shape towards the tip, this makes a comfortable shape to hold, making this much more of a practical pencil to use than a pretty desk accessory. OHTO have resisted the temptation to let the function take a back seat to the form.

That brings us to the name. The Japanese refer to 'clicky' mechanisms on pens and pencils as the 'knock'. So the no-noc has no knock? Well, not entirely, but sort of. The button still extends the lead, but once the tip is extended, you don't need to use it. When the lead becomes too short, just keep writing. The smooth plastic that surrounds the lead moves back slightly as it touches the paper, and springs back into place, pulling more lead out with it, so you can just keep scribbling, and the lead keeps feeding. You'll need a few clicks when you finish a stick of lead, but other than that, you can just keep going.

Auto-feed pencils like this are perfect for when you're trying to get your ideas down without interruption, or for taking notes when someone's talking - no stopping every couple of sentences to click more lead out, just keep going!

There's an eraser under the button, and as with most mechanical pencils, you just pull the eraser out to add more leads.

And if you're wondering now how all this practicality and style comes at such a low price, that's the other reason we had to get these - they're amazingly good value!