Favourite mechanical pencil

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It is that one. I'll just put in 3B/4B ENO into the pencil and use it. I actually never use anything harder than a B because it doesn't make a black line. It makes a grey line.

[VincentChou]

I love my Pentel P205 very much.

It's light, durable and reliable.

I have used it for quite a long long time.

Highly recommended.

[Dark Side]

I love my GraphGear 1000 in .5 and I really like my Alpha Gel slim in .5 for long bouts of writing (I'm a math student so this happens quite regularly).

 

The GraphGear is really nice looking but I don't think either really compare to a fountain pen in the beauty department.

[BrianL]

I have several Koh-I-Noor 5900s as well as a Staedtler 780 and have never decided which I like better. The first thing I did with my 5900s was to lose the pocket clip as it has sharp edges and it cur into my hand. Of my larger diameter pencils, I prefer the Autopoint series. I was surprise to find out a few years ago the company was still in existence and making pencils using their origianlly patented mechanism. Surprisingly the purchase price is less than a cheap import.

[handwriter]

Waiting in the mail for a Caran D'Ache Ecridor Retro, saw one in a store and felt I needed one

[rcannonp]

I recently picked up a Staedtler 925 2 mm Lead Holder. It's giving the Lamy Scribble a run for the top spot in my pencil collection.

[dwong]

I only have 2 mechanical pencils of note and I love my Pentel Smash Q1005. I like the design, and weight and the sleek black finish. My Uni-Ball Kuru Toga is another story. I never found it to be comfortable, it's too light, somewhat awkward looking, and the writing just feels too mushy and toothy at the same time.

[Bultaco]

Porsche Micado by Faber Castell - with 17 stainless steel rods that are the actual mechanism of the pencil itself. VERY high quality, a little slippery in the hand, and not cheap.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have a Silver cross hatched Parker -75 MP, that none of the Parker BP cartridges ever worked in it. One day I tried a Schneider BP cartridge, and it became a BP and MP also.

 

I have something that resembles a Parker Duofold, sort of brick orange/brown, from the 30's German...only got a 4 number telephone number.No name on it.

An odd looking Farber Castell Designer MP 1950, Tekograph.

 

Then a very pretty no name German marbled blue one from the '50s, and a Parker set, of thin mat blue BP and MP from 20 years ago that are still being made and are much cheaper than what I paid for them.

 

They all work. I have absolutely no need for them.

[randyholhut]

I'll cast my vote for the Scripto -- the K780 rotary pencils and the K21 clicker pencils. Both take 1.1mm lead, but both are sadly no longer made. Fortunately, there are tons of these pencils floating around.

 

A close second would the Autopoint pencils -- still available in the 1.1 mm lead size and just as reliable and durable as the Scriptos.

[Julio]

Try the Lammy scrible. Great pencil and nice price.

[Splicer]

I use Tombow Monotech 500s. They are solid, reliable, well-balanced and feel good in my hand.

 

I suppose being FPN's resident Rotring cheerleader I should have some Tikkys but I haven't gotten around to trying them. I do have a Rotring 700 pencil and a Newton pencil bit I rarely actually use them. The Monotechs are the ones I keep by my drawing table.

[BrianL]

Mint, if you like the Cross based on the time it has been in production, you'll probably love the Autopoint that started in 1918 and patented the current holder design in the '20s. I had thought the company had disappeared some years ago and held tightly onto the pencils I had acquired in the '60s. To my surprise, the company is alive and well and still makes their primary line of pencils, the Twinpoint, All-American and Jumbo in the US. http://autopointinc.com/ The pencil grip on these has the least play of any pencil as the grip goes down to the very end unlike the push button pencils that have the chuck above the tube allowing flex. In ordered a couple out of curiousity to see how a new one stacks up to one form the height of their days and other than the pocket clip they seem to be almost identical. I think the resin/plastic on the older may be somewhat denser. Considering the price for a US made pencil these are a bargain. I have a white 1.1mm Jumbo and a black .5mm All-America as daily users. My son who is in school to become an accountant has thoughtfully liberated all the others from my collection. He loves the Twinpoints and as the ends are interchangeable has rearranged them to his liking.

[Moynihan]

I use:

 

Pentel P209 0.9mm

Lamy Scribble 0.7mm

Lamy 2000 0.7mm

Parker 51 pencil

[dapv]

... my black 0.5mm Pentel A35 Gizmo seems to be the one that hangs around on my desk the most. I never have to look for it, it's just always there. No one borrows it, and no one comments on it. Yet ... it's a very comfortable writer, highly durable and reliable. Virtually, no lead breakage. I'm not one for rubberized grips, but for this one I make an exception. I'm thinking I may have to buy more just in case. Lastly, I haven't yet figured out why the name "Gismo" was given to this MP. I'm hoping it's actually a code word for some very secret pencil technology.

[framos917]

I have 3 mechanical pencils on my desk. I have a Rotring 600 Lava finish with 0.5 mm lead. It's my "technical pencil", used when writing numbers or editing the mind maps that I like to keep current. The size and Lava finish make it feel "technical" in my hand. I also have a Lamy 2000, Black Makrolon with brushed stainless steel, 0.7 mm lead. I use when I will be writing for a while as its size does not fatigue my hand. On a China trip I bought a Pentel H-329 with 0.9 mm lead along with 2B (the softest and darkest) lead refills. I find my self going to the Pentel often as it makes for bold easy to see strokes. My fountain pens are off the side in various colors. But the 3 mechanical pencils are always there and well used. When traveling I take various fountain pens, however, I always take these 3 pencils in a 3 pen leather holder. I also like to use Staedtler Mars Plastic erasers.