Whats Your Choice Of Mechanical Pencil?

[MYU]

 

I had no idea they ever made a VP pencil, so I checked on eBay. You're not kidding about the prices. There's guys selling the *instruction sheet* for $25!

 

Congrats on finding one at a decent price.

 

Yeah, and they were really cheap for a while. Original price on the H-1003 and H-1005 was 1,000 JPY! So in the USA one could buy these for around $15 ~ $20.

 

What really surprised me was finding that PILOT made a few others outside of that model numbering I posted in the beginning. Haven't been able to find out anything about them yet. They must be quite rare, maybe due to a short production run. I'd really like to find another at a good price. The retractable tip on it is super solid. Extended, you'd never know it was retractable. No wiggle at all, like on other Pilot MP models.

[sd10521]

I went looking on two of those sites you mentioned in another thread and had no luck at all.

[pajaro]

Parker 51 cap actuated aero pencil. Great for crosswords.

[setgoblen]

I would advise Rotring 600 2mm.

[Mister5]

I really like the Lamy Scribble 0.7, good heft and perfect balance, and the sleeve retracts. That said I wish it was available as a 0.5 for slightly more precision. Fits perfectly in my shirt pocket, added bonus. Not the best for those with larger hands, but that's not me.

 

I have a Kuru Toga Roulette which is my poor man's Rotring 600.

Writes flawlessly, just wish it retracted (for the price I'm not going to complain too much)

Edited February 18, 2017 by Mister5

[Left FPN]

Pentel

[Winegums]

Like I posted in the other thread. I love my 0.5mm Rotring 800 in black.

[MYU]

I was trying to get one of these very rare vintage vanishing point Pilot mechanical pencils with twist action, but kept getting outbid. Some tenacious Japanese bidders were willing to pay over 20,000 JPY (too rich for my blood). I finally got lucky and nabbed a used one for a more reasonable price. I'll take my own photos this weekend. It looks like this:

 

 

 

The way it functions is fascinating. When you twist the barrel, it not only extends the pencil feed mechanism tip, but it also extends the rear plunger (opposite direction). It's slightly longer and heavier than the other one I posted about earlier. Really wonderful mechanical pencil.

Edited February 25, 2017 by MYU

[danbuter]

I have a Rite in the Rain pencil I use at work. It's pretty nice.

[MYU]

The vintage PILOT mechanical pencil came with a little instruction manual, which is quite uncommon to find these days. I wish I could figure out the official name and/or model of this... but alas, I can't read Japanese!

 

[Apm1]

For everyday a Rotring 600 0.7mm

 

It's like a tank.

[MYU]

Here's something rather unusual. It's a stainless steel PILOT mechanical pencil, 0.5mm, with an interesting "window pane" grid pattern to it. I've only seen one other like it over the past few years.

 

No idea how many were made or if there was a matching ballpoint or fountain pen. I suspect only mechanical pencil...

Edited March 4, 2017 by MYU

[Zookie]

I've been using a Platinum Zero Shen pencil that I've become very fond of.

[GuilhermeAtencio]

For weight and German austerity, I like my Rotring 600

, but for beauty I like my Tombow 505sh, because it looks like a fountain pen.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AfrPaG3Klqo/S-8MXDbSboI/AAAAAAAAFF4/HthPn9mdsbY/s1600/tombow+zoom+505sh+003.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AfrPaG3Klqo/TJhNa2K6KJI/AAAAAAAAFmM/Y1C3BPhrftE/s1600/M5-5015_04.jpg

My absolute favorite is my Mitsubishi Pure Malt, made from reclaimed whiskey barrels, and it also looks like a fountain pen:

Edited March 6, 2017 by GuilhermeAtencio

[milkb0at]

Ooh, that Pure Malt looks lovely.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm apparently a little different from most of the people in this thread (after skimming through it). I don't much like mechanical pencils. I MUCH prefer lead holders -- I have one from Staedtler-Mars, which is okay but the mechanism sticks sometimes. But my true love is for Berol Turquoise leaseholders.

I learned about them in a graphic delineation (think "mechanical drafting") class in college. I like the fact that you can actually get the points really sharp (and sharpeners are not too expensive -- I once picked up one for a buck at a craft store, and I found a heavy duty metal one that someone was throwing away a few years ago walking back to my car with some friends after going to the a movies!). And the leads are large and long enough that a pack will last a good long time. I think I had one package of Berol leads last me a decade, which offsets their cost considerably. The other advantage is that they are available in different hardnesses (I use 2H most of the time for what I do, which is line drawings that get inked over with black rollerball pens). I've even seen some for sale in a discount art supply store in Pittsburgh which are non-repro blue.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[GuilhermeAtencio]

Ooh, that Pure Malt looks lovely.

It is a joy to write with it. The wood gives such it such a nice texture.

[milkb0at]

I MUCH prefer lead holders -- I have one from Staedtler-Mars, which is okay but the mechanism sticks sometimes. But my true love is for Berol Turquoise leaseholders.

 

Until recently my only exposure to leadholders, after decades of mechanical pencils, was a Worther Shorty, which I don't like (mostly because the standard lead is 7B, which is much too dark for me).

 

I recently bought a Staedtler Mars leadholder and the barrel sharpener to see what the fuss was about. And by golly you're right. It's wonderful to hold and the point you can get on it is so sharp it's almost evil.

 

I've never heard of a Berol Turquoise before, and of course now I'm curious.

[MYU]

For weight and German austerity, I like my Rotring 600

, but for beauty I like my Tombow 505sh, because it looks like a fountain pen.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AfrPaG3Klqo/S-8MXDbSboI/AAAAAAAAFF4/HthPn9mdsbY/s1600/tombow+zoom+505sh+003.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AfrPaG3Klqo/TJhNa2K6KJI/AAAAAAAAFmM/Y1C3BPhrftE/s1600/M5-5015_04.jpg

My absolute favorite is my Mitsubishi Pure Malt, made from reclaimed whiskey barrels, and it also looks like a fountain pen:

 

Nice ones! Rotring 600's are solid, dependable workhorses, and I like their hefty brass core hexagonal barrels.

 

The Tombow Zoom series is underrated. I think they're better than the Pentel Kerry, as far as capped mechanical pencils go. Very nicely done. I've no long term use with them, but the quality of the mechanism seems really solid.

 

I've never seen those Mitsubishi Pure Malt writing instruments first hand, but they look pretty amazing. Tempting for a blind buy!

[Apm1]

it is a week now that I am using for writing a Faber-Castell TK-Fine Vario L with 0.3 lead.

 

I am not happy with grip because is slippery however the 0.3 is amazing for writing.