Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Tokyo, President: Akihiro Ogawa) will launch the MONO WORK mechanical pencil (suggested retail price: 594 JPY/540 JPY excluding tax), the MONO WORK limited edition full black (suggested retail price: 792 JPY/720 JPY excluding tax), and the MONO WORK HB/B lead (suggested retail price: 220 JPY/200 JPY excluding tax) at stationery stores and stationery counters nationwide on September 25th.These mechanical pencils are perfect for quick and dark marking on multiple-choice tests. 
According to our survey “57% of people fill in mark sheet tests using a mechanical pencil” (see page 4 for details), and so we will be a launching mechanical pencil and mechanical pencil lead to support mark sheet test takers, in addition to our existing “mark sheet pencils/plain pencils”. *Please follow test center regulations regarding acceptable writing instruments.
A mechanical pencil with 1.3mm lead for fast marking
A mechanical pencil with a 1.3 mm lead (our first), allowing quick answer marking on mark sheets. The cross-sectional area of the 1.3 mm lead is 6.8 times that of a 0.5 mm lead, increasing the efficiency of marking. In a 200-question fill-in test, the 1.3mm lead was able to mark 1.33 times faster than our 0.5mm lead.* This shortens the marking time, increases the answer rate, ensuring more time for reflection. * Comparison of time required to fill 200 questions: 1.3 mm lead (HB) average 466 seconds while our 0.5mm lead (HB) average 620 seconds / Comparison value: the new 1.3mm lead is 1.33 times faster than the 0.5mm lead.(Based on internal testing with 30 monitors)
Can Fill in mark sheets darkly and clearly (About the mechanical pencil)
The body of the mechanical pencil is a little thicker, with a diameter of 11.5 mm. And so it is easier to apply pressure to the writing area and marks the answer column darkly and evenly. A 40 mm long non-slip rubber grip helps prevent slipping due to oily hands. The grip is also made thinner in the center to make it easier to apply pressure. A guide pipe is machined into the tip of the mechanical pencil to brighten the area around the answer column and improve visibility. The pen tip is machined from a single piece of metal, so there is no wobbling or shaking.
Side slide knock type non-slip rubber touch finish
Side slide type knock to advance the lead with your thumb. Short 19 mm long and 5 mm wide knock button won’t touch the back of your hand while writing. Button has a non-slip rubber touch finish. The knock button also prevents the pen from rolling away. (Please note that this product does not have a clip, as it is intended to be carried in a pen case.)
Simple barrel with no English lettering
This product has no English letters or other markings so that you can carry it to the exam venue without worry. Spare 5.3mm diameter retractable eraser included
Equipped with the popular rotating retractable holder eraser from the “MONO GRAPH” mechanical pencil. The “MONO eraser” (see photo below) is made of synthetic rubber and compared to this eraser has superior erasing power, so it is recommended when taking multiple choice tests. Please use the retractable eraser on this product as a spare for everyday study.
Also great as an everyday pen that writes quickly and darkly
The “MONO WORK” has a thick lead and an eraser making it suitable as an everyday mechanical pencil for sketching ideas, landscapes, sports scoring, shorthand, etc.Available in 5 body colors: Mono tri-color/Smoke/White/Green/Pink. “MONO WORK Limited Edition Full Black” (far right) 
Newly formulated slead scans correctly but does not break easily Mechanical lead “HB/B for MONO WORK” Lead diameter 1.3 mm
Mechanical lead “HB/B for MONO WORK” (8 pieces) is a new mechanical lead that is scans correctly by reading devices, does not break easily, and is suitable for mark sheet tests yet allows for neat corrections. This is the first time we have released a 1.3 mm mechanical lead.
Make marks using almost the same amount of graphite as a pencil lead
A line drawn with this mechanical lead contains almost the same amount of graphite as a line drawn with a pencil lead. This mechanical lead has a looser bond than regular mechanical leads (our company), increasing the porosity and this increasing the amount of graphite applied.This mechanical pencil has been rated as having a reading accuracy of 99.99% in tests conducted by a major optical mark reading device manufacturer. This reading accuracy is the same as that of our “mark sheet pencils.”
【 Additional information: Difference between mechanical pencil and pencil leads 】 Pencil leads are made by kneading graphite and clay then baking so writing contains only graphite particles. Whereas mechanical pencil leads are made by kneading graphite and synthetic resin then baking so writing contains carbon particles that were created by carbonizing the graphite and synthetic resin. Graphite is highly reliable material to write on paper and does not reflect light which is why pencils are recommended for multiple choice exams.
A thick, strong lead is hard to break, can be fixed quickly even if dropped off a desk.
The strength of this lead, which measures how hard it is to break, is about 3.7 times that of our 0.5mm lead (HB). It is rare for the lead to break while writing. In the unlikely event that the lead breaks, such as if you drop the mechanical pencil on the floor, you can simply pull out the broken lead portion and resume writing.
One lead can write approximately 682 meters (practical length for HB) .
Writing distance (practical length) of one mechanical lead is approximately 682m for HB and approximately 276m for B (measured with a writing pressure of 300g). Assuming that a writing distance of approximately 2cm is required to mark one answer section, for HB one mechanical lead can mark 34,100 questions (internal estimated value).
Easily erased
Highly erasable lead that allows mistaken answers to be easily erased with a regular eraser. After corrections only 5% of the graphite remains in the answer section (according to our test/Mono PE), which is the same level as with a pencil lead. This reduces the risk of reading errors caused by corrections (erasing).
Case for easy removal of lead
Survey on document mark-sheet tests and writing implements Writing instruments used to fill in mark-sheet tests [Single Answer]
| Mechanical Pencil | 57.2% |
| Pencil | 42.2% |
| Others | 0.6% |
* Three-quarters of mechanical pencils have 0.5mm lead. * Two-thirds of the pencils are regular pencils.Survey period: August 2020Participants: 2,312 people who have taken the mark sheet exam within one yearWhat What to consider when choosing a writing instrument for multiple choice tests[multiple answers, up to three options]
| Mechanical pencil users (%) | Pencil users (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Makes dark, clear marks | 25.7 | 19.9 |
| Able to mark quickly in a short time | 18.8 | 23.6 |
| Less likely to have problems such as lead breakage | 18.8 | 15.9 |
| Easy to erase cleanly with an eraser if you make a mistake | 17.9 | 24.3 |
| Marks smoothly | 14.4 | 22.1 |
| Less likely to cause reading problems on the marking test machine | 13.5 | 12.7 |
| Reasonable price | 11.0 | 14.5 |
| Less likely to smear even if the marked area is rubbed by hand | 10.3 | 10.9 |
| Easy to grip, not slippery | 10.3 | 5.8 |
| Made for mark sheets | 9.4 | 18.1 |
| Made by a reliable manufacturer and brand | 7.2 | 8.0 |
| Less likely to produce lead powder while marking | 5.6 | 6.5 |
| Used by people around me | 5.3 | 5.8 |
| Other | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Nothing in particular | 7.2 | 4.7 |
Survey period: August 2020. Participants: 276 people who used a mark sheet pencil in a multiple choice test taken within the year / 319 people who used a mechanical pencil
“MONO WORK” (Monochrome body) for mark sheet tests 
