Thread: Can Anyone Recommend A Good Mechanical Pencil?

I've been using a rapidomatic 5635; 0.5 mm for over ten years now.

I bought this pencil originally for drafting and it saw me through Engineering school and now being involved in industry, I see quite a few Engineers with them.

I paid a whopping $10 for that pencil and I thought I got ripped off haha.

I really like the knurled grip and the balance is tip heavy. It handles lead well and writes precise.

I wouldnt use anything else.

After a quick google search, I see these pencils are discontinued.


If you are after a good mechanical pencil, don't discount an art store... especially an art store with a good drafting section.

Here's a pencil similar to my rapidomatic :

Alvin Draft/Matic Mechanical Pencils

For my everyday use at work I like this one. Not a long lasting one but the feel is fantastic

Pentel Graphgear 1000 Automatic Pencil



My favorite so far is this one. I am not recommending the vendor just a view of the pencil.

Amazon.com: Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil, 0.50 mm, Metallic Black Barrel, 1 Unit (P1035A): Office Products

Just a couple that I like. The Graphgear's tip retracts which is nice. The P-103A might be a little small for bigger hands but I like it when traveling.

Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by Diesel30

...I am an engineer and have a collection of mechanical pencils...If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I use one all day every day.
Cary

Yeah I'm currently a junior studying Civil Engineering, so I can relate on the using one all day every day. That's actually why I started my search; I figured if I'm going to write so much every day that my hand hurts, I might as well have a good pencil.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

As a professional that uses a pencil on occasion I leave the "mechanical pencils" to the amatures. What I use is referred to as a "Lead Holder". You'll find these at Office Max or whatever in the drafting supplies or art section. They run about $6. They are very utilitarian, not pretty. The best part is that they can be sharpened though so these are the tools that most professionals use. I suggest purchasing at least one, even if you opt for a "mechanical pencil".

It's wicked step-brother, the electric powered eraser, is another tool to consider for heavy duty work.

These tools are not for the faint at heart.

My girlfriend is a junior studying Architecture, so I am well acquainted with the lead holder. To be honest, I'm not really a fan; they just aren't for me. She also has an electric eraser. This is very useful for her since she often needs to erase very long, thin lines from her drafts, but I usually need to erase large areas (diagrams, multiple lines of equations, etc.).

I will look into everyone else's suggestions, thank you!

P.S. Another reason for my pencil search is actually because I left my PhD pencil at home

Maybe not in the $100 price range, but the drafting pencil offerings from JetPens look great if you're into high tech sleek kind of classy. I've tried the Ohto Super Promecha which has customizable options for the the lead advancement and guide pipe length (crucial features?). In the end I couldn't justify the money since I rarely use pencil and opted for a few Rotring Tikky II's which work just fine for me.

Disclaimer: Beware of that site if you are into pens or pencils at all... my "pen"chant for superfine gel ink pens has lead me down a dark expensive path...

I think this is one of the only times I've seen someone ask on a public forum about buying an item and getting told their budget is too high!

None of this 'well, it's 1.5x your budget, but look at this!' Until they eventually break down and spend a bunch of money.

Excellent. As for the question, I have a Lamy mechanical pencil I got in a set. It's nice.

Thanks for the site Mututh. Great site! I am a pencil slut and this is the best site I have seen!


Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by gregs656

I think this is one of the only times I've seen someone ask on a public forum about buying an item and getting told their budget is too high!

None of this 'well, it's 1.5x your budget, but look at this!' Until they eventually break down and spend a bunch of money.

Excellent. As for the question, I have a Lamy mechanical pencil I got in a set. It's nice.

The $100 was VERY arbitrary. I just figured that if I was going to buy a pencil to use for the rest of my life, then $100 seemed like a decent cap considering my budget (which consists of, "Dad, I'm running out of money." Can't wait when I actually can start up my career so I can stop depending on someone else, but that's another story).

I'm really liking the Cross Century II - Chrome Pencil. I've gone through about every option on the pencil lovers site and have decided on this one if I buy from them.

I'm also really liking the Ohto Super Promecha 1500P that was suggested earlier. I don't really like any of the mechanical pencils that jetpens offers, but I'm going to have to sift through all the drafting pencils there. I'll give an update later today.

The Zebra pencils are also very tempting for the price, but I think I'd rather spring for the other ones I mentioned above.

Thank you to everyone for the assistance, I knew I could count on my friends here for the proper advice

Originally Posted by Bill S

I have a Pelikan 800 that is absolutely awesome if you are looking for something beyond pure function. It was probably a little above the price you specified but well worth it IMO.

The latest in a series of more utilitarian instruments (drafting/engineering use) is called a Super Promecha. I got it in a Japanese stationery shop, but I think they can be had online. Mine is a PM-1007S and it allows you adjust how much of the lead tube sticks out of the body of the pencil. It was somewhere in the $40-$50 range as I recall.

For something different take a look at Giuliano Mazzuoli pencils. I have one that is styled to resemble a micrometer barrel and takes a 2 mm lead.

If you haven't looked there yet, Fahrneys Pens has a really complete selection of stuff to look at.

I couldn't agree more..Pelikan is great value and sticks to a mostly function over form design concept. Something a little smaller than the 800 series and the price is down in that general range. I don't use pencils very much, but for my pens it is Montegrappa for me. They are beautiful yet built like a tank...uncommon in Italian writing instruments IMHO.

I like an Alvin Draft/Matic in 0.7mm for scribbling. Very durable, but not fancy or particularly aesthetic.

Okay, so I went to a local office supply store yesterday and lo and behold they had the Cross pencil I was thinking of getting! So I bought it and took it home. Today I used it in class and it kept slipping out of my hand because there was no grip. For $40, it better not have any issues like this, so I took it back.

I got back on Jetpens and started really drilling down. I was torn between the Pentel Graph 1000 (Pentel Graph 1000 for Pro Mechanical Pencil for Drafting - 0.5 mm) and the Steadtler Regulator (Staedtler Regulator Drafting Pencil - 0.5 mm). I couldn't decide if I wanted a heavy or a lightweight pencil, and if I wanted the rubber or the metal mesh grip.

I kept thinking about it and realized that I write a LOT and for long periods of time, so my hand might get cramped with a heavier pencil, and the metal mesh grip might feel like it was scratching me after a while, so I went with the Pentel Graph 1000. It should be arriving either sometime early next week.

Thanks to everyone who helped and for everyone's opinions,
Brent