Whats Your Choice Of Mechanical Pencil?

[Mr. Pentulant]

I do not like fancy/pretty mechanical pencils; I like wood pencils and simple but well made mechanicals or lead holders, but I haven't used a lead holder since drafting classes in High School.

 

In 1983 or 1984 I bought a Berol TL-5 0.5mm pencil, which I used for an intro engineering drafting course, and for general pencil usage for the time I was in school and since. It has been my main mechanical pencil for nearly 30 years. The model looks like this when new:

 

 

The first thing I did after opening the package and using it for a couple minutes was to force off the clip, since I rotate the pencil as I write when drafting especially, a habit I learned in High School drafting classes. This damaged the little clip attachment box at the top of the barrel, but not the barrel itself, and the barrel has never split or cracked as a result of doing this. It has been much abused and used over the nearly 30 years I've had it, but is still perfectly functional.

 

It is very similar to the Pentel P205/P205A (both the Berol and the Pentel came/come in 0.3 and 0.7 as well, and the Pentel at least came in 0.9). The Pentel has the advantage of a removable looking clip, and is still available new today which is a much bigger advantage. Apparently it is officially called the "Sharp™ Mechanical Drafting Pencil", P205/P207/P209 depending on size of lead.

 

I also have and like a Pentel 0.3mm pencil (I think it is from High School, ie older than the Berol, but it could be late 1980s or early 1990s), metal body, looks much nicer (used and carried in a backpack much less so it is less beat up as well). It has no model name on it that I can see, just a large 3, the brand name Pentel, and the word Japan. The sleeve at the tip that supports the lead retracts, which makes it less likely to get damaged especially in storage or transit, but also makes it nearly useless with a straight edge.

 

 

 

The Pentel marked with a 3 is the SG33 I mentioned above - I went and bought one of the several listed on the bay haha. I also have an SG35, marked simply with a large 5 - some of the nicest all-around pencils IMO. Though I don't think these new ones have a retractable sleeve, so it may be a different model or different era.

[jolyon]

The Lamy 2000 pencil is a classic. Very comfortable shape to hold.

For a pocket-safe pencil my favourite is the Pentel Kerry, a pencil with a cap that can be posted. It's surprising that more mechanical pencils haven't thought of that bright idea.

[Ylvan]

I really like my Parker Urban, all metal. Nice weight, nicely balanced and nice to look at. Nice.

[mrcharlie]

The Pentel marked with a 3 is the SG33 I mentioned above - I went and bought one of the several listed on the bay haha. I also have an SG35, marked simply with a large 5 - some of the nicest all-around pencils IMO. Though I don't think these new ones have a retractable sleeve, so it may be a different model or different era.

It looks a bit different to me; there is a step down between the metal body and the black "section" area of my pencil and the SG33 on the eBay page you linked to looks 1) all metal, and 2) flush.

 

However, mine has to be a very similar related model; the clip is the same and the overall size/shape is nearly the same. Probably mine is a less expensive variation. It looks closer to the pencil your blogger has called the "Classic Deluxe S55", but not exactly the same.

 

I'm looking at your blogger's review of the Pentel P200 series, and if I had to replace my Berol today I'd get a P205 and slip the clip off. I wouldn't be surprised if the Berol wasn't a near clone of the Pentel as it is apparently a very old model that is still in production, and Pentel claims it is the world's "#1 selling automatic drafting pencil".

 

But one of the comments on the P205 review says "The shop owner said that the P205 was made and modelled AFTER the Berol model." Ha; imagine that. I have a classic.

Edited November 28, 2012 by mrcharlie

[wvbeetlebug]

Pentel P205 or P207. Classic. My Dad has these all over the house. The teal ones.

[Kyouju]

My EDC pencil is a Lamy Spirit. I adore the way it looks and it feels right in my hands... but it should be mentioned that I have very small hands and thin fingers.

[tigger23505]

for every day use it is hard to beat pentel 0.5 mm pencils loaded with HB lead.

 

If I need more variety, Koh-I-Noor / Alvin lead holders and a good assortment of HB to 4 - 6H leads and a sharpener are hard to beat.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

These are my favorite pencils. My Zebra Prefill is the top pencil. I think it is a really good multi pencil. You can choose what kind of pencils you have inside as well as whether you want a pen or not, and it has a separate button on top for lead advance. The Pilot Fure Fure Corone is my favorite shaker pencil. It's really light and is really well made.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/9236887446_50bf42cc73_b.jpg

 

These are other pencils I really like. From top to bottom, I have my Pilot S3 which is my favorite drafting pencil. Next is my Pilot Couleur which is a really awesome little pencil. It matches my Pilot Capless Décimo. Next is my Uni Kuru Toga. Most of mine are 0.3 mm, but this one is 0.5 mm. Next, I have a Uni α-gel in 0.5 mm. It's one of my most comfortable pencils. I have small hands, so I like the slim size more than any of the other sizes. The next pencil is a Faber Castell Scribolino in 1.4 mm. It is my favorite 1.4 mm pencil. Next is the Pilot Airblanc which only comes in 0.3 mm and is my favorite 0.3 mm pencil for general writing. The next pencils are another α-gel and another Pilot Couleur.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/9234028101_4313fd47c9_b.jpg

 

I also use the Lamy scribble 3.15mm. I have two. One is for colored lead, and the other is for regular lead.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7372/9290672804_d4dba8b3dd_b.jpg

Dillon

[mevsme]

Personally, for everyday use, I use a Kuru Toga. It

so the tip is always sharp. All the different models of the Kuru Toga are great, I have both a 0.5 Roulette and a 0.3 High Grade.

This! I use the 0.5mm...the 0.3mm is too thin for me and I end up breaking it too often...even with the nice rotating mechanism. It's a great pencil though!

[Nonsensical]

My brother is obsessed with the Staedtler 925 25, which I have to agree, is one of the best quality mechanical pencils that I've seen. I have quite a few nicer MPs, but find myself using the Zebra M301 the most. It's light, easy to replace, and I don't need to worry about losing it.

 

The Kuru Toga Roulette is also a great MP, and the balance and size are perfect for me. Unfortunately, the auto-rotating system is actually slightly annoying at times. My favourite 0.3mm MP would have to be the Rotring 500. It's cheaper than the Rotring 600 by quite a bit, but is still very robust and well balanced.

[GRJP]

Currently I use the Parker 51 Mechanical pencil. Mind you, I use it mostly for quick notes and scribles, but it feels solid, works fine and it is just the right size for me. and for an everyday, run of the mill, use you can't go wrong with it, but again, it will depend on what you plan on using it for.

 

the Caran D'ache MP - the ones which use the fat leads - is also a good piece of kit.

[Nek]

I have a Rotring Trio Pen that uses the gravity system which I used on a daily basis for many many years.

 

I recently bought a MB LeGrand 0.9mm pencil and this has taken the place of my EDC pencil.

[flatline]

The pencil that got me through school is a Pentel 120 A3 DX in 0.3mm. It's still probably my favorite pencil because it's so light and comfortable in the hand. I can write for hours without fatigue. Quality 2B lead makes it just float over the paper (I use 2B in all my pencils since it's so much smoother and darker than regular HB).

 

Pilot S10 (also in 0.3mm) is a great pencil to write with. It feels extremely solid and is quite bottom heavy (if you like that sort of thing). It also has the most authoritative click when advancing the lead of any mechanical pencil I've ever used.

 

Alvin Draft/Matic (also in 0.3mm). Best knurling ever! I use this when I want something a little narrower than the A3 or S10.

 

Pencils that I've got nothing bad to say about, but I don't like as much as the above: Rotring 500/600, Staedtler 925-35 (blue annodized aluminum), Uni-shift (pocket safe!), and GraphGear 500.

 

--flatline

Edited July 15, 2013 by flatline

[Vendome]

In work I use a Parker 45.

At home, it's an Arrow or Jotter.

[GabrielleDuVent]

A Pilot 0.3mm airblanc is my new favourite.

[MKIM97]

I found Zebra M-301s to be good. Although they're cheap and readily available (at least where I live), their barrels are steel and tough. I think they straddle the border between disposable and non-disposable. I have them scattered throughout the house so that I'm never without a good pencil.

 

A Pentel Kerry has become my "main" pencil, however. It's convenient to have a mechanical pencil that doesn't have a catastrophically hazardous exposed point.

Edited July 16, 2013 by MKIM97

[chad.trent]

I have a Staedtler 925 which I like, but I keep going back to my Rotring 600. No other pencil feels as "right" to me. Although I have never tried one, I'm very interested in the ones that use the larger lead (3mm or wider).

[Dillo]

A Pilot 0.3mm airblanc is my new favourite.

It's such a great pencil! I got mine when they first came out and have been using it ever since.

 

Dillon

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I've got a variety with lead sizes between 0.5 and 1.1 mm. The 1.1 mm size just suits me, and my current favorite is an Esterbrook. I actually have two of them, but only one works for now. I also have a couple of Scriptos, and a Retro Tornado.

 

Used to carry a Parker Jotter 0.5 mm along with the matching Jotter pen, but not so much any more.

[RJJ]

+1 for the Rotring