The Pilot Sprinter (sometimes called the Namiki Sprinter) is a true historical oddity. First made in the early 1980s, it’s a mechanical pencil whose body is made of a steel coil spring. The body springs when the pen is clicked, making for a design that is both unique and also extraordinarily clever.
The original sticker price of the Sprinter was 1,000 JPY.
The Sprinter is a single-knock mechanical pencil with what is sometimes referred to as a “unibody” design. This design pattern is also seen in the more popular Porsche Design Tecflex series of ballpoint pens and pencils.
One bonus of the unibody design is that the eraser is mounted to a non-moving part (the internal shaft, as opposed to a top button), which gives it a solid feel and no wiggle.
Pilot Sprinter Versions and Models
The Sprinter appeared in two generations The first generation is has a full-body coil spring design and a rounded front tip, similar to that found on the Rotring 900. The second generation moved to a plastic grip and a cone-shaped tip making the pencil more practical (in the case of the grip) and cheaper to produce.
The Sprinter was sold in all silver, all black, and Silver with orange trim.
An alternate model of the Pilot Sprinter was the Pilot “Rok” Sprinter. This variant featured very slight changes compared to the standard one.
Pilot Sprinter Mechanical Pencil Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Pilot |
| Barrel Color | Black, Silver |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Body Diameter (mm) | |
| Grip Color | Black |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Knurled Grip? | Yes |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | |
| Body Shape | |
| Capped or Retractable | Capped |
| Lead Advance Style | Top Button |
| Lead Color | Graphite |
| Lead Size (Diameter) | 0.5 mm |
| Similar To: | |
| Eraser? | Yes |
| Eraser Refillable? | Yes |
| Clip | Yes |
| Clip Material | Metal |
| Pipe Retractable? | No |
| Cleaning Rod? | Yes |