Does My Dream Mechanical Pencil Exist?

[erekalper]

Hello all,

 

I've searched for my ideal mechanical pencil on-and-off for years now, and finally came to my senses to stop and "ask for directions". I'm in a physics PhD program, and spend some serious time with a pencil in hand. That's been the case for years, though, and I'm more than ready to plunk down some cash on one that'll last me - and more importantly, that'll be comfortable for the duration.

 

What I'm looking for:

- 0.5 mm graphite

- Aluminum/stainless steel/metal body, circular (solid construction)

- No clip

 

I understand that "no clip" is an odd requirement (and the one that's causing me trouble in finding a suitable model), but I suppose I have odd hands; anything with a clip winds up irritating my hand in the end. It's not the end of the world, and I've obviously dealt with it over the years, but finding a good pencil without a clip would just make the heck out of my day.

 

Dave's has yielded some decent results, but not exactly what I'm looking for. Models I like anyway are:

Staedtler 925 25

Pentel Graph Gear 1000

 

Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance!

[jimk]

looks like the clip on this can easily be removed:

 

http://www.jetpens.com/A.G.-Spalding-Bros-Aluminum-Dot-Accent-Front-Weighted-Mechanical-Pencil-0.5-mm-Gray-Dots/pd/5595

[Uncle Red]

I was originally thinking of this

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Sharp-Kerry-Mechanical-Pencil-0.5-mm-Black-Body/pd/1334

 

But this might work too

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Kaweco-Special-AL-Mechanical-Pencil-0.5-mm-Black-Body/pd/8738

[jsolares]

Did you look at the spoke pencils? the spoke inverse seems to be what you're looking for

 

http://www.spokepencils.com/currently-available.html

[jimk]

Those Spoke pencils look really nice!

[erekalper]

You guys are amazing. Agreed, the Spokes look beautiful. Any other thoughts?

[Ike Levens]

The Lamy 2000 mp is not metal, and has a clip, but it is very comfortable in my experience, and comes in .5 and in .7.

[bones]

Looking at the way mine is put together, I suspect you would find it very easy to remove the clip from the Staedtler 925 25 that you commented you liked -- should just be able to take the advance button out and slide the clip off the end of the barrel.

 

If you wanted to relax the "circular" requirement, you might find it easy to remove the clip of a Rotring 600, as well, though it may leave more of a mark coming off than with the Staedtler...and I wouldn't wish that violence on such a well-built MP!

[erekalper]

That's one of the main reasons I left the Rotring 600 out of my possibilities - it looks great, and people seem to love it, but I'd be terrified of trying to remove the clip without scratching it up.

[jimk]

The clip will come right off a Pentel GraphGear 500, too. The grip is metal and cylindrical. The upper part of the barrel is plastic and hexagonal, though. Seems plenty sturdy but it'd probably break if you drove a truck over it. While A Rotring 600 could well survive.

 

Fountain pens tend to get tested harshly when I carry them around. So I like tough pens. When I visited BIttner's I demonstrated what I was looking for by stepping on my Rotring 600 FP. I walked out with a cotton resin Omas. A different approach to toughness, the willow rather than the oak. I haven't tried stepping on that pen!

[fezz4734]

I highly recommend the TWSBI Precision, the only bad this is this has a clip, small clip but I still recommend it. It has a great feel and weight to it, you can choose between the retractable and fixed pipe which doesn't feel like it wobbles like some others that are retractable. I received it a while ago and feel good, I just wanted to throw my thought in there and check it out.

[yogalarva]

Hello fellow physicist! :-) Where are you at school/what field are you in? I'm doing high energy at University of Nebraska - Lincoln...

 

Anyway, about the pencil. I pretty much do everything with an EF Safari now, but I would probably second the recommendation of the TWSBI Precision. It does have a clip, but otherwise seems like I would deem a perfect pencil. And it's not a bad price point, compared to what I've seen some other fancy pencils cost, so if it does drive you crazy it would not be a huge loss. I was going to get one as a gift for an undergrad friend who just got into his first choice grad school, but he loses everything so now I might just buy him 3 dozen Bics... :-P

[SteveE]

http://www.amazon.com/Alvin-DM05-Draft-Matic-Mechanical-Pencil/dp/B007VTP62U

 

Maybe the Alvin DM05 would work. I have one here, and the clip is easily removed by sliding it off either end of the pencil. The pencil is round, metal body with knurled grip and lead grade indicator, and uses standard 0.5 mm graphite leads.

 

Just another one to consider. . .

[soapytwist]

Might be a bit thick (0.7mm), but this Caran d'Ache Fixpencil is metal-bodied and the clip can slide off.

 

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Caran_dAche_844_Metal_Pencil.html

[siroast]

Rotring Rapid Pro is a really sturdy (and heavy) and good mechanical pencil. Half body is aluminum and the other half is stainless steel. Also the clip can be removed easily.

 

P.S. Rotring site must be down for maintenance so I cannot post a link.

[Moshe ben David]

+1 on the Pentel Graph Gear! One of the very best mp I own. Others being Pentel from the other end of the price spectrum -- the classic P20x series (comes in 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 leads). And has a removable clip; you can find them in packs of 2 at all kinds of big box stores. Reliable and affordable as all get out!

[humsin]

I adore Rotring. I own their entire pencil lineup in black and silver. The gold accents on the 800 are stunning!

[Moshe ben David]

Must be the season for pencils. Oh yeah -- tax season is upon us!

 

At any rate, I just came across a revived older thread about pencils, specifically talking about Autopoint. Take a look at their website -- these look pretty good, and the manufacturer seems to have been around a long time.

 

http://autopointinc.com/

[85AKbN]

I've always like Pentel for reliability, writing confort, refilling, looks. This one looks like the clip can be removed, though there would be the indentation left. Jetpens has great customer service and I'd bet if you emailed them they'd confirm or deny.

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Sharp-Drafting-Pencil-0.5-mm-Metallic-Blue-Body/pd/9227

Edited February 27, 2014 by 85AKbN

[bokchoy]

I found a silver M&G AMP37201 in my family's communal pen cup. It's a Chinese pencil. I've only spent one day with it, but I like it so far.

 

It's 0.5mm, made of metal and has a textured, round grip section (though the rest of the barrel is hexagonal). I tried to remove the clip but gave up after literally breaking two nails (ouch). The clip is removable, just extremely tight. Pliers could work but they might scratch the barrel.

 

According to my measurements, it's 14cm (5.5 inches) long and the grip diameter is 0.9mm.

 

Here's one selling on ebay for $6.50USD:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M-G-AMP37201-0-5mm-Metal-mechanical-1-pcs-/131061878141

 

Honestly, the price surprised me. I thought it was worth more. It certainly has more heft than my plastic pencils.

Edited February 28, 2014 by bokchoy