STAEDTLER Mars Tehnical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm (#2) Lead Holder with Built-in Sharpener - Drawing & Sketching Pencil with Metal Clip & Push-Button Lead Advance

I love this pencil. It has a built-in lead sharpener in the cap. Remember to empty it out though. It is weighty, has a very smooth mechanism, and works great. Any 2.0mm lead works in it, but if you want it to feel like the lead of a normal wood pencil, get HB lead. 2.0mm lead has never broken for me, very thick and sturdy. Overall an amazing mechanical pencil and I love the clutch mechanism.

Great mechanical pencil. Make sure you buy the one that has the sharpener built into the cap. There are different models, apparently.

Nice quality, good size lead. I like built in sharpener in pen top.

I have no idea where my 30yo Staedtler drafting pencil is, but this is a much younger clone. As Tony the Tiger said, they're GREAT!!!

Decent intro to the clutch lead holder world. Has a decently knurled grip, fits well in most hands. Modest weight. Simple and timeless design. I think the actual body of the pencil is plastic, beyond that...I've no real complaints. Great for replacing wood pencils as the lead points very easily.

Five Stars for everything!!! This is a lead holder, rather than a mechanical pencil that dispenses little tiny leads. This one contains a lead equal to what you would find in a No.2 pencil. It cleverly has a way to sharpen the lead with a little hole in the clicker to advance the lead. I really like this lead holder. You can buy a variety of leads for it, all 2mm, but with different hardness or colors. The holder is easy to grip, with a crosshatched metal part where you grip the instrument. It only holds one lead at a time, but it is long and would be like saying you only use one pencil at a time. I really love the way this feels, the weight is there, but not too much. It feels sturdy, and I'm not tempted to chew on it at all. That's a good thing :-) If you are happy using regular wood pencils, this may be superfluous, but if you like using holders and having back-up lead instead of backup pencils, this could be just your thing. I am considering getting another one in a different color, to mark that it has colored lead in it. I really enjoy being able to retract the lead entirely when not using this, so there is no worry about lead breakage. This is a fine lead holder, and I cannot find anything negative to say about it.

Solid build, sturdy great pencil that gives options on shade darkness depending on lead refill used. The sharpener works great and is easy to use.

This is a great entry-level lead holder. It's affordable just like mechanical pencils, but a lot more durable. The casing is all plastic just as other reviewers mentioned, but I don't find it flimsy at all. It will definitely survive accident drops (desk to floor), but the drop itself is unlikely to happen since part of the barrel has been shaped specifically to prevent it. The lead holder came with a single piece of 2H lead - this is really important if you're trying to draw with it - because 2H is hard enough to break if you pressure it to much. The provided 2H lead gives really light lines and should be used for fine drawing. It's easy to erase though. If you want to use this for drawing, definitely get a box of 2B or darker lead with it (which I luckily did). Just beware that since this is a budget lead holder, any pieces of lead you purchase will probably cost more. There's a lead sharpener at the "eraser" end of the pencil - which is really convenient. (There is no eraser.) However, the sharpener isn't as easy to use as you would expect. The hole is quite deep, so if you're used to drawing with a short lead tip, remember to get it out before trying to sharpen it. Also, unlike dedicated lead sharpeners out there, the sharpener on this pencil does not have a place to store the lead residue, nor a second hole to let them out. This means you'll have to frequently remove the lead powder manually by tapping it backwards on some hard surface that you aren't concerned with getting lead spread everywhere. Overall, this lead holder is a great value at its price, but if you're planning to use it "professionally" it might be a good idea to invest in a nicer sharpener and some good quality lead.