Best Bang For Buck Mechanical Pencils?

[Jimothy]

Another vote for the Zebra M-301. I've had mine for at least a dozen years and it just does what I need a pencil to do.

[BeachBum]

As someone who lives and dies by the mechanical pencil for work (copious note taking in interviews), I highly recommend the Pentel Twist-Erase series. You can get the unit with the rubber grip for about $5 at most office supply stores. My first one lasted me over 10 years. The only reason it was relegated to the drawer is that the glue on the rubber came loose and it wouldn't stay in place. The pencil itself was still wonderful. I love the Pentel 205 and the Zebra M-301, as others have mentioned, but I don't like having to carry a separate eraser into meetings. The typical mechanical pencil eraser is just not big enough for me.

Edited August 21, 2012 by BeachBum

[bdamons]

The plastic Kuru-toga is a decent enough pencil.

 

After awhile you will want a better model. I would stay away from the HIGH GRADE and go for the Roulette when you are ready. I Roulette has a better grip. The high grade has a tendancy to slip from my grip as the section is super smooth. I've had about 8 of these and have shared them with family and friends. They are especially good in math classes. They give you a pretty consistant line and if you use a B or 2B lead it doesn't break so fast as a straight HB and requires less pressure to make a dark mark.

 

While I haven't tried the High Grade, I will agree with the comments about the Roulette. I picked up the standard plastic Kuru Toga a while back at a local Staples, and was impressed with it enough to order the Roulette from JetPens a couple of weeks ago. The basic plastic version is a little light, but the mechanism worked well for my style of writing, so I thought the Roulette worth the investment. I used the Roulette last week in NYC in a week-long training class, taking notes on HP 28# color laser paper in a Staples Arc notebook, loaded with Pilot Eno Neox 2B lead, and it worked perfectly. I also took my Pentel Graphgear 1000, but for some reason the grip on it just doesn't fit my hand as well as I'd like. I used the Roulette 95% of the time, and have continued to use it this week in the office. It's definitely in my personal top 3 mechanical pencils.

 

While the Roulette is outside the stated budget amount at $16.50, the plastic one sells for about $6 at my local Staples, and is well worth the cost in my opinion. I also agree with some other posters that you can't go wrong with the Pentel P20X series. While in NYC, I picked up a 0.3 Pentel Graphgear 500 at Art Brown's for around $7, and have found it very comfortable, though since mine is 0.3 I haven't used it a great deal. The Staedtler 925 05 I picked up for $8 from a local Michael's is another excellent pencil for the price. There's quite a few mechanical pencils on the market under $10, and all the ones I have experience with have worked extremely well.

[adallak]

These Papermates are made in Japan and look pretty much like Pentel P207. You can get TWELVE of them for $7 shipped to your mailbox.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/320700220796?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_856

[Wolverine1]

Another good mechanical pencil is the Alvin Draftmatic pencil, and it comes in either a 0.5mm, or a 0.9mm version. Costs about $10.99, and is available in a lot of places. I have used mine since about 1995, and it has been a reliable performer.

[sine.nomine]

I'll add another vote for the Pentel 205, 207, etc. I've had my 205 in daily use for just over 20 years. It survived elementary school all the way to graduate school. I've dabbled with other pencils, but none have been as reliable as the 205.

 

I've tried the Zebra 301 and 401, both of which are nice looking and made of metal, but all 4 that I've had have quit advancing lead after a year or so.

 

I have a Pentel Graph 1000 in 0.3 lead that I've used quite a bit, too. It's held up very well since 1997, and it has the benefit that it's arguably more attractive and better balanced than the 205. I'd put it on par with my 205 in terms of durability. Sadly, it's not as easy to find, and it can often be just outside your budget.

 

The Graphgear 1000 is really neat, but it rattles, and the sleeve wiggles some as I write. I love the loud "click" it makes when the sleeve retracts, but overall I don't like writing with it.

 

My Uni Kuru-Toga is nifty, but it doesn't feel as well made as the 205 and it feels much scratchier due to the constantly sharp lead.

 

Recently, I've started to use the Pentel Twist-Erase due to its thicker barrel and generous eraser. Mine has survived many a drop onto tiled floors and pavement alike, but it's no worse the wear. It's basically replaced my 205 as my daily writer in the last few months. The 205 is kind of my "lucky" pencil, so I increasingly don't like to take it with me to the office lest a student accidentally make off with it or I otherwise lose it.

 

The Ohto Promecha is also nice, but the sleeve advance feels like it's got some tooth to it, which makes it sort of unpleasant. The lead advance feels a little "squishy."

 

The very expensive RotRing 600 feels great, but I have to admit, I don't think it lives up to its hype. I dropped mine onto my office floor the first day I had it and bent the sleeve. I was able to straighten it, but I couldn't help but think - all the years and all the drops I've put my 205 and Twist-Erases through and I've never bent the sleeve.

 

So yeah, my first recommendation is the Pentel 20x series, closely followed by the Graph 1000 series, provided you want one pencil to hang onto for years and years. For a solid, pleasant daily writer that you probably won't mind losing but that still performs as well as its more expensive brethren, go with the Pentel Twist-Erase.

[dgerson]

I have the Kuru-Toga and it is a great pencil. While I understand this may be out of budget, I do also want to put out the TWISBI pencil as an option. I deeply desire a Rotring 800 (one day...), but the price is prohibitive to me. For $20 I have a great pencil WITH a retractible pipe. It works great and (sort of) scratches my Rotring itch.

[nxn96]

For all-around use, I think the .7mm lead size is the best, as it keeps a "crisp" line but doesn't break as easily as the .5mm leads. The Pentel P207 is a great pencil, and pretty easy to find in the office supply stores. The Autopoint All American also comes in the .7mm size, but as an earlier post noted, not the .5mm size.

 

While I much prefer mechanical pencils over their wooden cousins, I really don't use one very often these days. When I do, I tend to use a vintage Autopoint, which are pretty easy to source on eBay (and pretty inexpensive too- especially if you don't mind the name of some long-ago defunct company imprinted on the barrel).

 

My two college-age children tend to like the disposible Bic or PaperMate pencils. When I've asked why that as opposed to a Pentel P20x-type pencil, I'm told that as the erasers on all of these pencils are so minute, it's easier to stick with the disposibles. Makes sense, I guess.

 

Hope this helps, and good luck in school.

Edited August 22, 2012 by nxn96

[kpyeoman]

+1 for Zebra M-301. Works well, feels good in the hand and looks professional.

[Moynihan]

The Pentel P209.

I never leave home without it.

[AloofObserver]

The Pentel P20x series is indeed very good for an inexpensive mechanical pencil. I had one that lasted me many years (of abuse) through middle and high-school. I recommend 0.7mm lead for a good balance of fineness, legibility, and strength.

 

If you want a really exceptional pencil though I suggest the Platinum Pro-Use II. It's roughly 20-25 USD but it feels amazing in the hand. I got mine a week ago (with H 0.7mm leads) and I can't stop writing with it!

 

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-MSD-1500.jpg

[jethrobrink]

Can't go wrong with a Pentel P205. Reliable and cheap!

[brh]

I can't believe I forgot about the Pentel Twist-Erase! That is a good option for writing/note-taking.

 

[...]

If you want a really exceptional pencil though I suggest the Platinum Pro-Use II. It's roughly 20-25 USD but it feels amazing in the hand. I got mine a week ago (with H 0.7mm leads) and I can't stop writing with it!

[...]

 

Been curious about these, nice to see someone enjoys them. Might have to pull the plug one of these days, though it's a shame there's no .4 (I know, asking a lot).

[crazystan]

This is a bit outside of $10, but well worth the investment:

Uniball Shift

 

The grip twists to cover the guide pipe, so that it doesn't get bent when dropping, or from frequent tosses into a bag or slides into your pocket. I've used mine pretty much daily for a couple of years now, and it's still going strong.

 

I also have a couple of the Kuru Toga Roulettes and I love them as well. They are definitely fun to write with.

 

I've also had plenty of luck with these:

Pentel Graph Series

[AlejoPlay]

Does anyone know if the Kuru Togas work well with softer leads? I did get some Uni NanoDia HB refills which are very nice, but I heard that softer B or 2B leads don't activate the rotating mechanism as well. I love the Roulette model and may upgrade my plastic grey Kuru Toga eventually (particularly if they're a little cheaper in Japan as I'm going there in a few months).

[wallylynn]

My two college-age children tend to like the disposible Bic or PaperMate pencils. When I've asked why that as opposed to a Pentel P20x-type pencil, I'm told that as the erasers on all of these pencils are so minute, it's easier to stick with the disposibles. Makes sense, I guess.

I used a Pentel Quicker Clicker through HS and college because it had the large eraser. After I went through a bunch of erasers, I bought a pentel eraser stick.

 

BTW, Amazon has the kurutoga on sale for $4. I bought one but didn't open it yet.

[AloofObserver]

[...]

If you want a really exceptional pencil though I suggest the Platinum Pro-Use II. It's roughly 20-25 USD but it feels amazing in the hand. I got mine a week ago (with H 0.7mm leads) and I can't stop writing with it!

[...]

 

Been curious about these, nice to see someone enjoys them. Might have to pull the plug one of these days, though it's a shame there's no .4 (I know, asking a lot).

 

It's really great. Its only flaw is that the sleeve doesn't retract. That's not really a problem for myself but I know many people who want that feature.

[Kugelschreiber]

[...]

If you want a really exceptional pencil though I suggest the Platinum Pro-Use II. It's roughly 20-25 USD but it feels amazing in the hand. I got mine a week ago (with H 0.7mm leads) and I can't stop writing with it!

[...]

 

Been curious about these, nice to see someone enjoys them. Might have to pull the plug one of these days, though it's a shame there's no .4 (I know, asking a lot).

 

It's really great. Its only flaw is that the sleeve doesn't retract. That's not really a problem for myself but I know many people who want that feature.

 

 

+1 to the recommendation of these pencils.

 

Some time ago, a .5 PU I ordered from JetPens arrived with a very bent and unusable sleeve. They were good enough to send me another one, while the damaged one was just tossed away in a drawer. Then it finally dawned on me that I might be able to remove the bent sleeve and straighten out what remained inside the grip so the lead could still advance.

 

Voilà!

 

 

I have some Mitsubishi 2H lead in it and get minimal breakages. I only use mps as everyday writers, so I don't miss the sleeve. Sometimes bad luck turns into good.

[79spitfire]

The Pentel P20x series

 

Or Autopoint, these are so tough, future archaeologists will be finding these and most likely they will still work! (bigger eraser too!)

[lovemy51]

could i recommend the Kooh-i-Noor 0.9mm (unless that is too thick lead for you)?

http://www.jetpens.com/Koh-I-Noor-Rapidomatic-Drafting-Pencil-0.9-mm-Blue-Body/pd/8641

 

i use this one with the 0.9 2B lead and it's great.

 

there are so many choices out there under, or around $10 ... others i can mention are Pentel Graph 600, Rotring 300 Drafting Pencil, Staedtler 925 Drafting Pencil,...... on and on....

 

happy pencil hunting!

 

PS. i love Autopoint, but i don't find them practical for high school -and believe me i have quite a few of them. i prefer clicking to turning the point.