Pilot's S10 costs ¥1,650 — set beside the S3 and S20, the price gap shows in weight and material
Pilot's S10 drafting mechanical pencil costs ¥1,650. The same S series also has the ¥473 S3 and the ¥2,530 S20. Lined up by the specifications in Pilot's official web catalogue (checked on 7 November 2026), the three are almost the same length; the price differences show up in weight and in the body material.
Lengths are all in the 145 mm range; the difference is weight
| Model | Price (tax incl.) | Body and grip material | Length | Max. diameter | Weight | Lead sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3 | ¥473 | Body: resin | 145–145.1 mm | φ10.5 mm | 10.9 g | 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 mm |
| S10 | ¥1,650 | Body: resin; grip: brass | 145.1 mm | φ10.2 mm | 18.7 g | 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 mm |
| S20 | ¥2,530 | Sleeve: resin-impregnated birch | 145.6 mm | φ10.6 mm | 18 g | 0.3, 0.5 mm |
The S10 costs about 3.5 times the S3 and weighs 7.8 g more, about 1.7 times as much. Between the S10 and S20, the S20 costs ¥880 more yet weighs 0.7 g less.
What Pilot says each of the three is for
For the S3, Pilot describes a tip designed for use from study and general office work to drafting, with a detachable clip and an anti-roll feature. For the S10, the listed features are a low-centre-of-gravity design, a lead-hardness indicator on the knob and a metal knurled grip with a satin chrome finish. For the S20, the wording is a slim, low-centre-of-gravity shape with soft curves in a carved wooden body that gains character with use. The S10's extra 7.8 g can be read as the work of the brass grip, but Pilot does not break the weight down.
The S10's colour is fixed by lead size
Opening the S10 pages lead size by lead size, the 0.3 mm is translucent black, the 0.4 mm translucent red, the 0.7 mm translucent blue and the 0.9 mm translucent green, one colour each. Only the 0.5 mm lists three: translucent black, blue and green. So even within one "S10", the colour depends on the lead size. For the S3 the number of colours varies a lot with lead size: 10 for 0.3 mm, 7 for 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm, and a single translucent black for 0.7 mm and 0.9 mm. The 0.3 mm page says trend-minded, colourful bodies were added for people who write small characters. The S20 has the same five colours in both 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm.
On the 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm pages, the S3's translucent light blue is announced as ending sale once stock runs out.
What we do not know
- How the lead-hardness indicator works and how to use it. Its name appears in the feature text, but we found no explanation.
- How low the centre of gravity is. Pilot says "low centre of gravity" but gives no figure for its position.
- The year of release. It is not on the product pages.
- Whether the S10's 0.4 mm, 0.7 mm and 0.9 mm come in other colours. Each page lists only one.