Where I grew up mechanical pencils were common but they were either very utilitarian (stick of graphite that you would adjust by twisting the 'shaved' portion of the pencil), goofy, or the regular click to extend. I got one of the kuru togas at a friends recommendation when I was working on my hand writing and it is the first time in over thirty years that I've had a pen or pencil that I've kept and maintained. It wasn't even expensive, about ten dollars, buying 'disposable' pens and pencils had cost more.