Although Uniball don’t have a wide range of mechanical pencils they do have something a little different in the Shalaku which has a clickable button on the side to advance the lead.
The Uni Shalaku M5-228 Mechanical Pencil is available in 3 colours, it has a 0.5mm Nano Dia lead & an eraser. The lead contains carbon based nano particles that Uni call “nano-diamonds” this gives it strength & enables smooth writing.
Appearance
The Shalaku can be purchased with black, blue or pink barrels. I have what they call blue, but the overall colour is more mauve to my eye. The pocket clip is a definite blue as is the housing that holds the eraser, but that’s all IMO. The barrel of the pencil appears to be split in 4 panels, 2 being a transparent violet, the others are matt plastic in a lighter more lilac shade. This is not unattractive just not “blue”.
Performance
As far as writing goes, the lead lives up to expectations in that it is durable & left a smooth line of text. Whilst the clickable side lead button was convenient & a simple way of advancing the lead, I found it got in the way when in use as I found my thumb kept resting there. However, if you are taking shorthand or writing enough notes to need to keep advancing the lead I can see it would be a benefit. The eraser proved effective when used in a circular movement.
Conclusion
The Uni Shalaku does what it says on the tin, has a strong lead & is convenient to use at an affordable price.
