Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencil, (0.5mm) Point Size, Black Barrel, 1 Each (PG1015A)

like other longtime mechanical pencil users here, I've used almost all pencils, my favorites being the Rotring 600/Koh-i-Noor Rapidomatic (God, how i loved it, i felt like i was using a scalpel), the Staedtler 925 (the all-metal version is fantastic, the plastic version is garbage), and the Pentel P205 (because it was ubiquitous and pretty damn good for the price). along the way, I've used many other pencils, but none stick out in my mind as well as these.my last pencil before getting this one was my trusty Pentel P205 which had after about 5 years of constant abuse (including dropping it lots of times) had finally given out.i then decided to order this pencil for two reasons: i liked the Rotring-like sharp tip (it simply feels more precise when i write, since i like to write my formulas extra small), and its all-metal design (all metal pencils simply feel more sturdy than plastic, even though the pentel P205 with its bakelite-hard composition comes close). when i got the pencil, i began to use it and found Pentel really did all their homework. for starters, the retractable point is a design that ALL manufacturers of long-sleeve pencils should adopt! i can't tell you how many Koh-i-Noors and Rotrings i've killed after dropping them (we're all clumsy sometimes and our pencils should be built to deal with this). Not to mention the fact it won't poke through your shirt or injure someone if you accidentally drop it on them (something that the Koh-I-Noor regularly risked doing). The feel, as is expected in an all-metal pencil is superb and feels like its gonna last a while as compared with plastic pencils that felt like cheap imitations. the little rubber oval points inside the metal knurlings are a tradeoff for those who felt the knurls were a bit like a nail file; the result is a good tradeoff that feels secure in your hand without feeling too rough. the pushbutton mechanism advances the lead a little less than normal, but i noticed that my leads broke less often as a result (though some say buying top quality leads solves that, though lead breakage is at least partly the fault of a sloppy mechanism, and this one's mechanism is NOT sloppy). so writing with the pencil, even feverishly copying down physics notes onto multiple sheets of paper for a couple hours at a time (something i do regularly) is quite comfortable and enjoyable... not to mention the fact the pencil looks nice and i get asked about it occasionally. the eraser, well, unfortunately, i've come to expect that the eraser is simply not that important (yes, i'd like to find a pencil with a great eraser, but haven't yet), so for now, i simply use the tiny eraser when i don't carry my large one. the price is also great as it is in the same ballpark as the nicer pencils while offering the extra help. all in all, i'd get one again as it seems like the best of both worlds (sharp long sleeve, good reliable daily writer pencil).

LOVE these pencils. The lead is smooth, and fine. The pencil is nice and heavy, comfortable to hold. Very solid product, seems durable. It is a bit finicky when trying to get a new piece of lead to come down, but a great pencil overall!

Excellent mechanical pencil. I like how the point will retract so you don't have to worry about sticking yourself or poking holes through your shirt pocket. I have a few now, so that there is always one close by. They always seem to work. Other brands, it seems like I'm always fiddling with them to remove broken leads or unplug the feed.

I have chosen this sharp pencil after a vigilantly careful 3-4 hour session in a department store.I went into several stores and compared all the mechanical pencils they had at that time.I took 10+ pencils for a ride (CDT, Cross, Faber Castell, Mitsubishi Kuru Toga, Ohto Promecha, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot, Pentel Graph Limited 1000, Rotring, Staedtler 885, Zebra Tect 2way etc. ).For whatever reasons drawing with the Graphgear 1000 just feels right the very moment you take this pen into your hand.When I made my decision I decided for the feature I REALLY need for a long term relationship. ;-)While the "obvious" feature would certainly include the visual design you will be surprised to find out how much more there is to it, as I will elaborate below.Hard factors:1) Heavy usage of hand and/or rheumatoid arthritis:If you or a good friend happen to play guitar daily for many hours and take notes at the same time or are unfortunate enough to already have rheumatoid arthritis in your hands, then this is "The pencil you don't want to leave the house without". I am not talking about the reliability itself but about how comfortable it is to use. This pen allows you to do more with much less effort !!2) You can hide the sharp and sensitive penfront inside the pen.While this may not be an obvious advantage, consider that you may accidently drop it once during its lifecycle.The fact that the pens tip is hidden on the inside does not only protect your investment itself it also somewhat lessens the likelyhood of an actual damage to your other inventory, your expensive new shirt - or worse an injury to a family members eye (kids) etc.I can not stress enough that this first feature alone is the one that is selling the pen for me. I tried many things to avoid that our almost 4 year old is taking my pencils. The "hidden" lead is a cool feature, so the kids dont play with the pens (because they are unusable).3) The metal case is robust enough to handle when its dropped on the floor and makes sure the pen is still usable after it.4) The pen has an adjustable lead type indicator for users that tend to forget what lead they filled it with last time, which is also handy if you own several of those.5) Best Price-Performance value on the market. You will be hard pressed to find another pen that provides similar or even more quality for less.This pencil easily beats any current competitions products that are priced at even ten times the price !!Soft factors:6) The overall visual design is nice and the pen is very slim which makes it look elegant.(one exception is that the clip could be designed more elegant)7) The feeling that comes with it when you draw and when you hold it is amazing. F.e while other pencils have a certain resistance on the media this one "glides" over it.Summary:Pentels Graphgear 1000 has many appealing points. In a super short summary, "IT JUST FEELS RIGHT".Users with heavy daily drawing activity by hand and/or rheumatoid arthritis will be sold on the sole fact that they can do more with less efforts.Or in other words it avoids stress to your hand and - more important - the likelyhood of an accident.The Graphgear 1000 has also unmatched "real" advantages over the competition that protect your "investment".I am well aware that other pens have features like adjustment of the length of the outcoming lead or automatically pushing out the lead when shaking etc.But when you want to have a pencil that has all the features you MUST have and provides you with a suberb support than the choice becomes amazingly clear.The Pentel Graphgear 1000 is a tough, reliable lifestyle partner that lets you feel that you are the one in charge !!It also does easily pay for itself over and over by the time others have replaced their counterparts.So if you are looking for a serious long term relationship than you have just found your partner ;-)