Suggest A Mechanical Pencil For Me!

[watch_art]

The Graphgear 1000 is a great pencil and I've traded a couple of those for Art with my students at school and they love them (and haven't broken them). I just didn't like the clip.

[Sandy Fry]

  On 5/1/2014 at 11:50 PM, JotterAddict62 said:

Vintage Parkers. I have plenty. Pencils in the Jotter family & love the P51 cap actuated pencils.

You could not go wrong with a Parker choice.

+1

 

I have my Parker 51 Cap actuated pencil with me at work every day.

 

David

[Emperor]

Interesting suggestions everyone! I'll try to get to everybody~

 

@Tasmith @soapytwist @discopig I have indeed thought about Rotrings before, admiring its solid build, but there is something about writing with a drafting mechanical pencil that is like :x for me xD Usually, I prefer pencils that have fixed, writing tips~ retractable pipes usually wobble (have low confidence in them ) while fixed pipes are potential weapons in your pants...

 

@stacybean It looks amazing and reminds me of a pure malt mechanical pencil, but the fixed pipe though... x_x pocket safety...

 

@orfew I have seriously considered a montblanc meisteruck pencil before, but its price point though... i'm glad that it has held up very well for you! I always thought meisterucks looked pretty fragile xD

Edited May 3, 2014 by Emperor

[Emperor]

@attika89 @tomgartin I have checked out Twsbi precision before! But I have gotten too many Twsbis, and each one eventually had minor problems, and so classical condition kinda makes me stray away from Twsbis xD

 

@BrandonA I have thought about matching, and I have read enough threads to have gotten to know your opinion on matching writing utensils xD I don' t know man. I'm actually not big on matching at all; in fact, I always try to get something different. Perhaps it's to try out everything. Thanks for the suggestion though! (though with my current lamy 2000 pencil, it is quite likely that perhaps one day I'll get a lamy 2000 fountain pen)

 

@Drone @dcroe05 I actually have a Kuru Toga Roulette! Good stuff, and it feels great in hand. I just wish they had a deluxe version where it's better made. Right now at 15 dollars, it still kinda seems like a everyday school pencil in some sense. Maybe if they made the Kuru Toga mechanism in metal too... It'd be awesome (And a fixed writing tip? winner winner)

 

@JotterAddict62 I have never really explored in the realm of vintage writing utensils before! I know how vintage fountain pens are amazing, due to cheap gold nib and decent functioning mechanisms. However, I feel like pencil mechanisms have gotten much better since then, while fountain pen technology sorta kinda hovered around the same level

 

@watch_art nice pencils! All of them seem to be solid, good pencils xD I spied a caran d'ache in there. I have considered Caran D'ache ecridor before. Do you have experience with that model?

 

@flatline I have had a Kerry before, but it somehow jammed on me. I sent it back for free repair, and pentel customer service is BEYOND AMAZING. I'd say almost two levels better than TWSBI customer service. Yet, I came back, used it for a few days, and it jammed again... unfixable QQ Uni-shift, on the other hand... I have heard that the shifting mechanism is plastic, and a few people have had it break on them before Looks cool though

 

@Drone @flatline Graph 1000 is widely available here, office depot and etc~ I have seen it, but some people say that the rubber paddings eventually come off... looking for something that's highly durable in all areas (is that too high of an expectation) and it's kinda like a drafting pencil...

[flatline]

I've been really enjoying my Rotring Rapid Pro 0.5mm. It's a real shame they don't make a 0.3mm version of this pencil.

 

I was hesitant to purchase it because I was afraid that a retractable sleeve would mean a wobbly tip to write with, but that isn't the case at all. Interestingly enough, you can control how far the sleeve extends and I've gotten into the habit of only extending the sleeve about 2mm.

 

But it is a drafting pencil. A heavy drafting pencil. So if you don't like drafting pencils (as opposed to merely not wanting a fixed sleeve), then this is not the pencil you are looking for.

 

If you don't do a whole lot of writing or don't mind using a harder lead, you might consider using a lead holder. They're perfectly pocketable since the lead slides fully inside. I can write with a 2H lead all day and only have to sharpen the point two or three times. If you want a softer/darker lead, you'll have to sharpen more often to stay close to what you'd get with a 0.7mm mechanical pencil.

 

Just food for thought.

 

--flatline

[Pippin60]

I have rotrings and pentel's the best I've found and easiest to carry is the Pentel Gear http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Graph-Gear-1000-Drafting-Pencil-0.7-mm/pd/640

[attika89]

How about Faber-Catell Ambition, e-motion or Ondoro?
Maybe a Pelikan Pura or Staedtler Initium?

Only 0.7 lead size though.

[watch_art]

  Quote

 

@watch_art nice pencils! All of them seem to be solid, good pencils xD I spied a caran d'ache in there. I have considered Caran D'ache ecridor before. Do you have experience with that model?

 

Don't have a Caran D'ache. Which one did you mean?

[Drone]

  On 5/3/2014 at 2:54 AM, Emperor said:

@Drone @dcroe05 I actually have a Kuru Toga Roulette! Good stuff, and it feels great in hand. I just wish they had a deluxe version where it's better made. Right now at 15 dollars, it still kinda seems like a everyday school pencil in some sense. Maybe if they made the Kuru Toga mechanism in metal too... It'd be awesome (And a fixed writing tip? winner winner)

 

@watch_art nice pencils! All of them seem to be solid, good pencils xD I spied a caran d'ache in there. I have considered Caran D'ache ecridor before. Do you have experience with that model?

 

Gee, My Kurotoga High Grade feels very well built to me. The Roulette model looks quite similar.

 

I have a silver/rhodium plated Caran d'Ache Ecridor Ballpoint in the Maya Pattern. I have not used the Ecridor pencil, but assuming the build quality is the same as my pen (which is 15-20 years old), it is a fine instrument. But there are things to consider about the Ecridor:

 

1. At $150-$175 USD new the (ballpoint anyway) Ecridor is way overpriced IMO. They can be had in like new condition for $50-$75 on ebaY if you lurk. I bought mine for something like $30 years ago in well tarnished but otherwise new condition from someone that just wanted to dump it.

 

2. This is a short instrument, good for a pants-pocket carry but not so good if you have larger hands. If you think it is too small, perhaps a Parker Jotter (or similar) pencil might be an alternative.

 

(Edit: I was WRONG. I just checked. The Jotter and Ecridor at just about 5" long are both the same size. The Ecridor is longer than I remembered. So much for my whiskey-soaked memory.)

 

3. The Ecridor finish tarnishes, but not too easily. The annoying thing is, the tarnish gets under the clip.

 

NOTE: Caran d'Ache makes cheaper (much cheaper) ballpoints and pencils very similar to the Ecridor in design. These are called the "Swiss" line. They look like they are anodized or powder coat painted and come in several colors. I have seen 0.5mm and 0.7mm push actuated pencils advertised, but the Caran d'Ache site lists only 0.7mm models. They go for around $20 new on ebaY. See here:

 

http://www1.carandache.com/m/l-office/849/classic-line-l-office-849/index.lbl

 

Also, Caran d'Ache makes a modern version of the "Fixpencil" lead holder. The design (again) resembles the Ecridor. The new Fixpencils cost around $20 USD new on ebaY. See here:

 

http://www1.carandache.com/m/l-office/fixpencil/index.lbl?lang=en

 

It seems like you are looking for a higher-end pencil you can safely carry in a pocket. You may want to consider a vintage or near-vintage twist actuated pencil. The smallest lead used in these older twist actuated pencils is typically 0.9mm.

 

Have a look around for a vintage Parker Duofold or Sheaffer's Valiant pencil. But those two are the tip of a rather large vintage iceberg.

 

Ask vintage pencil restorers if the have some pencils for sale. Vintage pencils are not as popular as fountain pens and are often overlooked - and they are usually much cheaper than their fountain pen counterparts.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Drone

[Zookie]

I have a Papermate Precision 0.7 that I've been using for years. It's my favorite mechanical pencil. The only gripe I have with it are the cheesy little erasers.

[Joker4Eva]

There's this pencil that I've been using since forever (alright, not forever, but since I was eight. I'm now 22): a Pilot Shaker, that at that time, cost MYR 8, or around 2.50 USD, if I'm not mistaken. At that age, it was equivalent to a week's pocket money as we were all small kids, and school canteens were pretty cheap.

Up till now, despite being old, ugly and all, it still writes like it did when I first got it, and easy enough to fix if something went wrong. (All of us could service our mechanical pencils, some of us better than the rest.)

Up till now, even though I've got a Lamy 2000 mechanical pencil, this Pilot Shaker still occupies a permanent space in my pencil case, and is still used frequently.

 

EDIT: It seems what was called the "Shaker" is known officially as the Pilot 2020 (Shaker). Hope you'll find it useful.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Joker4Eva

[Emperor]

@Joker4Eva good to hear that you are still loyal to your old pencil! xD I really never had an "old pencil" to grow my loyalty with, since I always tend to end up losing them. I guess my Lamy 2000 is a first! (ever since I got into writing utensils that cost more than 10 dollars. They taught me a valuable lesson of not losing things.)

 

@Zookie I have seen those around in school before! They look cool; never tried them though! And hahaha papermate erasers :3 you know how those are (unless you get a black pearl)

 

@attika I have thought about a Staedtler Initium before! Isn't that a new line from Staedtler? o.O They look super cool. Trying to justify the price, and I have no experience in wooden mechanical pencils before! (or partially wood). I wonder how wooden mechanical pencils hold up over time (imagine you take it into a bug-infested country and the next thing you know there are holes on your hundred dollar mechanical pencil )

 

@flatline 0.3mm! I break 0.5mm so often that I switched to 0.7mm, but to think about a 0.3mm pencil! (There has to be a trick in using pencils with thin leads like 0.3 mm... I do use the best leads on the market... perhaps it's just a heavy hand ) I have seen a Rapid Pro review from Dave's mechanical pencil I think. I'll look into it again!

 

@watch_art xD nevermind xD I thought one pencil in your picture was a Caran D'ache Mechanical pencil. I meant one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Caran-Dache-Metal-Mechanical-Pencil/dp/B000WG4VCA

 

@pippin I checked it out! I really have to give Graphgear a try now xD

[Emperor]

@Drone thanks for your reply! hahaha Kuru Toga Roulette is very well built, but my clip had problems and for the plastic part, you can kinda see the mold lines xD

 

xD Ecridor pencils have even a shorter version! (that only takes 0.5mm lead, while ecridor takes 0.7mm only. It's interesting)

 

Oooo I have seen these pencils! They look really similar, except they are aluminum instead of brass with a rhodium coating and a silver plating! I have always felt like if I dropped a heavy pencil such as that, it would misshapen the metal due to the sheer force of dropping it though xD

 

Did not know that they tarnish by tarnish do you mean that the coating of rhodium and silver come off? o.O

 

Looked up vintage pencils. XD somehow they all look very skinny than the modern day counterparts for some reason (or is this because I have stared at my lamy 2000 too much? o.O)

 

Glad to know pencils are a lot cheaper! Thanks for all these information! time to get diggin :3

[wastelanded]

For 2mm leads, a Staedtler Mars 782. I've had mine since the 70s and it's still going strong. For 0.5mm, a Pentel Kerry: classy, classy, classy.

 

Thank you as well for not saying, "Suggest me a mechanical pencil".

[flatline]

  On 5/3/2014 at 7:33 PM, Emperor said:

@flatline 0.3mm! I break 0.5mm so often that I switched to 0.7mm, but to think about a 0.3mm pencil! (There has to be a trick in using pencils with thin leads like 0.3 mm... I do use the best leads on the market... perhaps it's just a heavy hand ) I have seen a Rapid Pro review from Dave's mechanical pencil I think. I'll look into it again!

 

I began using 0.3mm in college when I discovered the Pentel a120 in the college bookstore. I fell absolutely in love with it the first time I tried to use it for math homework. I might have had trouble at first breaking the lead, but if I did, I don't remember it. I do remember that people stopped borrowing my pencil since they'd break the lead, advance the lead, break the lead again, and then apologetically hand the pencil back to me.

 

I used a fountain pen a lot in high school. Perhaps that's why I was already accustomed to using a light touch when writing.

 

My natural writing size is too small to use 0.5mm comfortably, but 0.4mm or 0.3mm both work just fine. If 0.4mm pencils weren't so rare, I'd probably use them instead of 0.3mm just so the lead would last a bit longer.

 

--flatline

[Drone]

Ok, I have another idea...

 

Convert a ballpoint into a pencil using a converter. I can find two options, one for ballpoints/rollerballs that take standard Parker-style refills, and one for Cross ballpoints.

 

If you have two of the same ballpoint pens, now you have a ballpoint and pencil set! Put a rollerball refill in the pen instead of a ballpoint and you have a rollerball and pencil set (no such option for a Cross refill).

 

Now; the Devil may be in the details...

 

1. For Replacing Parker-Style Refills

 

The only Parker-style ballpoint-to-pencil refill I know of is made by Schmidt of Germany. Monteverde sells an identical looking pencil converter, I'm almost sure it too is made by Schmidt (or is a Chinese or Taiwanese copy).

 

I think these pencil converters are called are called "Schmidt DSM" converters. They sell online for around $5 USD each and come in 0.5mm and 0.7mm sizes. Here's a picture of one scraped from somewhere on the Web:

 

 

I have never tried one of these Schmidt pencil converters. Supposedly they have some threads near the end where the lead emerges that may screw into some pens. But they're also supposed to work without threading the converter into the pen.

 

I've seen online advertisements saying the pencil converter when not screwed in to the pen body will extend like a ballpoint refill - which would be cool. On the other hand, if you screw the end of the converter into your pen body, then the converter is always extended. You may have to remove the spring from inside the pen if you want to screw the converter into the pen body. This is all speculation on my part.

 

I do not know how you add more lead to the converter. Probably through the rear. If not, then through the end (that would be a pain).

 

I think extending the lead is accomplished via the protrusion coming out the back of the pencil converter. This is where the push actuator pushes the converter causing lead to extend. When you push to extend the end of the converter (if it is not screwed in), then you push again to increment the lead. Again, I'm speculating here.

 

I have heard this protrusion thing on the end of the pencil converter may be too long for some pens, so you would somehow file or cut it down to shorten it. Again, I have never tried one of these converters.

 

2. The Cross Switch-It Pencil Converter

 

A.T. Cross makes a thing called "Switch-it", which is a pen to pencil converter. Here's a link to the Switch-It web page where you can read more about it, check which cross pens are compatible (looks like most all Cross ballpoints are compatible), and watch a video that shows you how this thing works:

 

http://www.cross.com/switch-it/?cat_name=Switch_It_Home

 

Here's a picture of the Switch-It converter scraped from the Web:

 

 

It looks like the Switch-It converter costs around $5-$10 USD each online and are available only in 0.7mm size. I'm guessing the Switch-It is only 0.7mm because that's what I see specified on the Web - nothing for 0.5mm.

 

So the Switch-It pencil just replaces a standard Cross ballpoint refill. You twist to extend/retract the end of the pencil converter just like you extend/retract the ballpoint tip. Then if you twist one way and the other a half turn, the lead is incrementally extended. New leads are added through the rear of the converter. For more detailed instructions, watch the video on the above linked web page.

 

I have not tried the Cross Switch-It pencil converter. But from the info on the Cross site and their video, it is quite clear to me just how it works.

 

Now, which pen to put the converter in? Here are a couple of suggestions:

 

1. Chinese Pens

 

There are some cheap but nice ballpoints coming out of China these days. Some are even Acrylic or Celluloid. Many of these pens are twist actuated and take Cross type refills. These pens are cheap enough to buy two, so after conversion you have a pen-pencil set.

 

This is a Baoer Blue Ripple ballpoint that goes for around $5-$7 USD (check ebaY). I have the matching blue ripple fountain pen which isn't too heavy and is built very well - except for the articulated clip (this is a bummer - read below). The blue ripple effect is done very well. Here's a a pic of the Blue Ripple Ballpoint scraped from you know where:

 

 

I avoid the Chinese fountain pens (not ballpoints) because of the dicey nibs, crummy converters, and the fact that many have articulated clips, The cap liners never seal the cap. So when capped, your nib is exposed to air through the leaky clip hinge. Bad design.

 

Also, many of these Chinese pens have brass based body's and caps. This makes them way too heavy as fountain pens, especially when posted (I always write with my FP's posted).

 

But for a ballpoint, these problems go bye-bye.

 

Search for these pens in the usual places online, ebaY, Chinese reseller sites, blah, blah.

 

This U.S. Seller has some Chinese pens and may be help you out with a ballpoint/rollerball to convert. But the mark-up can get a tad high. But then again you get trouble-free purchase and delivery and the quality is checked before shipping. Here's the link:

 

http://hisnibs.com/

 

Even if you're out of the U.S.A., a visit to the Hisnibs site is worth it just to look at the nice photos.

 

2. The Pelikan K-200 Classic

 

On the flip (high-end) side comes the Pelikan K-200. I own two Pelikan ballpoints, one black-gold K-200 and one black and striated green K-800 (Pelikan's largest ballpoint). Both pens take standard Parker type refills.

 

There is the button actuated K-400 ballpoint that is larger than the K-200 (think big brother). But the price is way to high for the size difference IMO.

 

Forget about the outrageously expensive K-800. The build quality of the K-800 is superb. But it is so poorly designed, I find it impossible to write with for any significant period of time. This is because the metal twist mechanism in the end of the pen makes it way too top-heavy. I got my K-800 from someone who didn't want it any more (now I know why). I paid a little over a hundred USD. The pen is in like new condition without an original box.

 

The K-200 is a completely different story. It is a perfectly designed button actuated ballpoint. It is comfortably large in girth and the weight is well distributed. The K-200 is not too heavy and not too light. The build quality is impeccable.

 

 

The K-200 sells for around $110-$125 online, but if you lurk (not look) in the right places you can pick one up new or like new for around $70-$80 USD. In used condition this pen can be pretty inexpensive, $50-$70 or less. This pen is worth $50-$70, It is not worth $100 in my opinion (but it is close). I bought my K-200 from a German seller here on FPN new with a Pelikan box for around $35 - a steal IMO.

 

The K-200 comes in all the standard Pelikan color schemes. There may be Rhodium trim version (K-205?), but I'm not sure.

 

That's it for the converter idea. Next time I get a shipment from the First World, I'm going to throw one or two of these ballpoint-pencil converters in just to see what they're all about hands-on.

 

BTW, none of the pens I have mentioned in my posts here in this thread are for sale.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Drone

[flatline]

Hmm...I had no idea converters existed to turn pens into pencils. Very interesting.

 

--flatline

[dolma56]

I bought a Loclen Spica mechanical pencil last month and I love it. Lead is 0,7 mm it's twist mechanism, it doesn't have the little rubber eraser but I really like this pen and I am thinking of pairing it the ball point version. Very new and nice design and flawless finishing.

Here is the link to some pictures:

 

http://loclen.com/penscollection/spicamechanicalpencil.html

[lovingball]

  On 5/9/2014 at 4:30 AM, dolma56 said:

I bought a Loclen Spica mechanical pencil last month and I love it. Lead is 0,7 mm it's twist mechanism, it doesn't have the little rubber eraser but I really like this pen and I am thinking of pairing it the ball point version. Very new and nice design and flawless finishing.

Here is the link to some pictures:

 

http://loclen.com/penscollection/spicamechanicalpencil.html

Good choice. I have both of them and I love them.

[Hardcase]

I've been using a black Rotring 800 .7 pencil for several months and it's my new favorite. I've also got a couple of Alvin Draft-Matics that I've had for around 15 years - they were the best I could afford as a starving freshman electrical engineering student and I still use them regularly.

 

http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o715/drew_dunn1/pencils_zps865e73ff.jpg