The OHTO Conception Mechanical Pencil has a brushed aluminum finish and two modes: a drafting pencil mode and a lead guard mode. In the drafting pencil mode, the pencil has a fixed 4mm guide pipe which makes using templates and straight edges easy while also allowing an unobstructed view of where the pencil tip meets the page. In lead guard mode, the guide pipe becomes a sliding sleeve that retracts with the lead as you write, reinforcing the lead and allowing you to write for extended periods without having to extend the lead beyond the edge of the guide pipe. The edges of the guide pipe are rounded to minimize scratching. The Conception also lets you configure how far the lead extends with each click, from 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm. Length: 5.5" Established in Tokyo in 1929, OHTO has been making innovations to both pens and inks ever since. When they made the first Made in Japan ballpoint pen in 1949 it used a chrome ball. Years of research led them to a resin polyamide ball and many years of experiments after that the ceramic roller pen was introduced. In 1963, they developed the world’s first water based ballpoint pen, fade resistant ink came, then waterproof ink, soft ink and Cera-Gel.
