Koh-I-Noor Shake It Review: A Retro Shake-Action Mechanical Pencil with Real Character

Introduction

The Koh-I-Noor Shake It arrived with a request from a reader, and it turned out to be a more interesting pencil than its simple appearance suggests. It is a lightweight resin-bodied mechanical pencil with a shake mechanism that lets you extend the lead without clicking, wrapped in a retro pop design that feels genuinely fun.

Koh-I-Noor itself is worth a moment of context. Founded in 1790, it is one of the oldest stationery manufacturers in the world, standing alongside Faber-Castell. The company also has an interesting place in mechanical pencil history: in 1984 it released the 5635 Rapidomatic drafting pencil, and roughly a year later a nearly identical design appeared as the rotring 500. Koh-I-Noor USA was owned by rotring at the time, so that famous drafting pencil lineage traces back to Koh-I-Noor.

First Impressions and Design

The Shake It came without any packaging, arriving bare, which is worth knowing before you order. It is available only in 0.5mm, in two colors: yellow and green. The fluorescent clear resin body has a distinctly retro pop character, and the rubber coating across the barrel gives a confident grip with minimal stickiness. The barrel is on the thicker side, which makes it comfortable to hold for extended writing sessions.

Through the clear section you can see the internals, including a small weight that enables the signature feature: a shake mechanism. You can click it like a normal pencil, but a quick shake also advances the lead. The glossy metal front cone carries an old-school lead pipe shape rather than a modern guide pipe, and removing it reveals a resin chuck inside. The clip is short, printed with the product name and lead size, and sits far enough back that it never gets in the way while writing.

Writing Feel and Balance

In hand, the Shake It writes noticeably well for a resin pencil. The weight sits close to the center, helped by the internal shake weight, and the pencil feels stable despite being light. The rubber-coated barrel prevents slipping and the thicker grip adds to the sense of control.

Lightness is the big theme here. At 14.1g with a total length of 146mm and a 10.5mm diameter, it is easy to handle and causes less fatigue over long sessions. The trade-off is durability: resin bodies handle heavy writing pressure poorly, so this is not a pencil for people who press down hard. For a relaxed grip and everyday note-taking, though, the feel is genuinely pleasant.

The Annoying Details

This is where the pencil shows its budget side. The resin chuck is weak, so the length of lead that comes out per click is inconsistent. Sometimes nothing comes out at all, and sometimes the lead pops out briefly and retracts again, which is an odd sensation. It is not unique to this pencil among resin-chuck models, but it is noticeable.

The click feel itself is also mediocre, with an occasional gritty sensation as if something is grinding inside, like the lead is snapping around in the mechanism. The rotating eraser unit adds another problem: when you click, the edge of that unit digs into the thumb, which can actually hurt. None of these issues ruin the pencil, but together they explain why it is priced where it is.

Buying Advice

Priced around 715 yen at list, though often available closer to 350 yen online, the Shake It needs the right expectations. Judged purely as value in the 700-yen class, it is not a standout; there are many stronger mechanical pencils at the same price. As a character piece, though, it works: the retro design, good writing feel, balanced weight, and shake mechanism make it fun to pick up.

If you love drafting pencils with metal chucks, this may not convert you. But if you enjoy the softer feel of a resin-chuck pencil and want something light, grippy, and visually distinctive, it is worth a look. It is not the most refined pencil, but it is a likeable one.

Conclusion

The Koh-I-Noor Shake It is a charming oddity: retro fluorescent styling, a genuinely useful shake-to-advance mechanism, and comfortable light writing, offset by a weak chuck, mediocre click feel, and a thumb-digging eraser unit. For relaxed everyday writers who want a bit of personality on their desk, it is an easy recommendation. Heavy-handed writers should look elsewhere.