Discovering a good writing instrument
That moment when you find an expensive pen or pencil on the ground at school is a magical moment. Your math test was next hour and you really needed a pencil because all you have is a pen. Any pencil would do, but today is your lucky day. Instead of some cheap mechanical pencil with half a piece of lead or a wooden pencil that's only the length of your pinky finger you stumble upon that glorious pencil with a dozen pieces of lead loaded up. For me this moment came freshman year when I stumbled upon the Uniball Kura-Toga.
I used that pencil since for math until the beginning of this senior year. After years of using this pencil I certainly have found all the tiny intricacies inside. But these last few weeks with the Zebra Delguard are definitely enough for me to decided which one is the better pencil. Ill break it down below so each person can get a better understanding of how I judged these pens.
Build Quality
Both the Zebra Delguard and Uniball Kura-Toga have a far superior build quality to the cheap, thin, and slippery plastic of the 24-pack of mechanical pencils so many are accustomed to. Both of these still sport a plastic casing, but its the nice high quality kind of plastic. The Uniball Kura-Toga sports a one piece casing that runs the full length of the pencil, while the Zebra Delguard instead uses a two piece casing, but it does incorporate the endcap into one of the pieces instead. Both have an eraser cover, however I have noticed that while the Uniball Kura-Toga's is definitely cheaper feeling it grips onto the eraser much better. Both pencils also sports some more rugged clips than what you would find on a cheap pencil, neither are likely to bend or snap off from use, But while the Uniball Kura-Toga's clip is very secured to the pencil, the Zebra Delguard's has noticeable movement left and right. Because of the clip, eraser cap, and the one piece casing construction the Uniball Kura-Toga pulls ahead of the Zebra Delguard for build quality.
Ergonomics
The way a pencil feels may not mean much to anyone who just writes down notes every once in a while, but anyone who has had to write a paper or take a bunch of notes down at once knows how horrible it is to get a hand cramp. One of the ways to minimize this hand cramping is with a good ergonomic writing utensil. Both of these are significantly thicker than a bargain bin pencil, meaning they are both comfortable to hold for longer periods of time. However after this the Zebra Delguard begins to show that it is superior to the Uniball Kura-Toga in the ergonomics department. Both of these pens have a textured and contoured grip, but the Zebra Delguards sharper ridges and better contouring lead to a better grip than the Uniball Kura-Toga's. The Zebra Delguard also has a nicer matte finish to the casing and grip that causes just a little more texture, and when you have sweaty hands during a test you didn't study for this makes all the difference. Therefore the win goes hands down to the Zebra Delguard.
Special Features
Both of these pencils have a special feature thrown in that causes them to crush any other pencils you can find in office depot. The Uniball Kura-Toga has a rotating lead mechanism that turns the lead every time you lift the pencil, leading to an always sharp edge that is always fresh. The Zebra Delguard has its lead break protection system called the Delguard system, the namesake of the pens. The lead break system uses a few different mechanisms that prevents the lead from breaking. After extensive time with both of these pens one strikes me as much more useful than the other. With both of these pens using .5mm lead the Zebra Delguard still maintains a relatively sharp edge while keeping the lead from breaking. For this the win has to go to the Zebra Delguard.
Conclusion
While both of these are bounds ahead of anything else you will find in the typical office supplies section of the store, the Zebra Delguard pulls ahead of the Uniball Kura-Toga for the ergonomics and special features. While the Uniball Kura-Toga is still highly recommended the pen that's staying in my pencil pouch is the Zebra Delguard.