Since I bought one in 2012, the Kuru Toga Roulette has become my
absolute favourite writing tool ever.
I had done very little handwriting for some years, but these days
when I'm running role-playing sessions I like to keep a record of
what's going on in order to be able to write up events later as a
formal campaign log. I find it much less intrusive on my concentration
to take notes on a piece of paper than to use a laptop or tablet. I
typically write about one close-spaced page per hour of play, and
wanted a way of doing so that would simply work with minimal fuss.
This is what the Roulette has provided.
It is in many respects a standard ratchet-type propelling pencil. The
kurutoga ("twist and turn") mechanism, developed by Mitsubishi Pencil,
is a trio of gears which rotate the lead through a small angle each
time the tip is pressed to the paper; this means that, rather than
developing a chisel tip and then snapping as standard propelling
pencils tend to, the lead remains evenly pointed. (I'm told that
expert users of propelling pencils can do this for themselves as they
write. I'm not an expert.)
The mechanism is available for 0.3mm and 0.5mm leads, in a variety of
case shapes with different materials and grips. The Roulette puts a
0.5mm lead (good for general use) in an aluminium case with a
three-band knurled grip (rather than a plastic, rubber or gel
surface). It's quite light, but not so much so as to escape from one's
grip, and purchase on the knurled surface is excellent; for me it's
the ideal hand feel. Two colours are available: natural aluminium, and
a dark "gunmetal".
The friction of lead on paper is ideal for making writing easy and
pleasurable, rather than the fight for control it can often be with a
ballpoint. I've no objection to fountain pens, but haven't found
anything that feels just right for me the way this pencil does.
I have had a good enough experience with the Kuru Toga Roulette that
I've now nearly retired my ageing Palm Tungsten T3 in favour of a
paper notebook. Yes, really. If you meet me in person and are
interested, try it out.
I got my first Roulette from
cultpens.com
(a site hazardous to the wallet); it's now available rather more
cheaply through Amazon, and probably via other retailers.
Now, if I could just find more thick heavy A4 paper like the pad I got
off a law firm in Paris a few years ago…
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