A masterpiece of miniature engineering, the Orenznero makes super-thin leads usable! Usually, with 0.3mm lead, it's easy to snap the lead as you write or draw. For those with a light hand, who love thin lines, it's worth it, and 0.3mm leads have been in use for years. For many others, they're just too thin to be practical. And with Pentel's new ultra-thin 0.2mm lead, the problem would be far worse, making them quite unusable for almost everyone, if not for the Orenz lead support system.

In the standard Orenz pencils, the lead support tube is carefully rounded and polished at the end. Instead of pushing the button until the lead extends out past the tube to write or draw with, you leave the lead fully wrapped in the metal tube, where it's protected. The tube is smooth against the paper, and just pushes back out of the way as the lead is used up. Because the lead is always protected, there's a much smaller risk of breaking it, even with very fine lead.

The Orenznero adds an auto-feed mechanism to that system. Each time the tube is pushed back a little, as you use up some lead, it's pushed back to full-length when you lift off the paper, pulling the lead forward with it. The result is that you don't need to push the button, you just keep scribbling. It's a big improvement, especailly with 0.2mm lead, which wears down faster than thicker leads.

That thin lead-support tube can be pushed back into the barrel by pushing it against something when releasing the button, making it pocket-safe, and protecting the tip.

The construction is a mix of plastic and metal, but it all has a high quality feel. There's a strong metal pocket clip. The 12-sided faceted body is comfortable to hold, and the circular grooves in the grip section look and feel good. The push-button stays in place well, and covers up a Z2-1N eraser - the type used in many Pentel pencils, making it easier to get spares. 140mm long with tip retracted, 9mm wide, weighs 18g.