PentelGraph Gear 1000 Mechanical Pencil, 0.5mm (PG1015)

Feels good in my hand. Great for puzzles.

Good materials, nice grip and innovative protection switch, ideal for woodworkers.

Still my fav for woodworking. The only thing more definitive (for me) is a marking knif.

I've seen this Pentel show up on a few woodworking youtube plugs. I put it on my wishlist some time ago for the heck of it and eventually picked one up on sale. I got really tired of breaking lead in my standard mechanical pencils trying to mark cut lines. I wasn't expecting much but honestly the amount of thought that went into the design of this pencil is impressive. The retracting mechanism for the lead is just genius. The thin point allows for more accurate lines when running against a ruler or square. It's got a nice weight to it and just feels like a real tool instead of just a pencil. They are a bit pricey but honestly.. I'm not made I bought it. I may purchased a .9mm for some more rougher/framing stuff at some point, but for fine work and to the 1/32nd markings, this is a awesome pencil.

Amazing pencil for the price. It uses finer lead which I like and when you open or close the tip it makes a satisfying piping noise. This is my second one because I lost my last one.

Most important metric - when drawing, I don't feel it.Its a pencil and it does its job as it should.Onto the details -Very much a fan of the aesthetic - but you can make up your own mind with the photo.The whole outside is metal which (presumably) gives some solidity.Certainly reduces scratches and the like.Lead reservoir / eraser:As common, the leads are loaded at the top, underneath the eraser which is covered by a cap.Love the shape of the cap which mushrooms out at the top.Small feature - but it makes a difference!I have a habit of pulling it off with my teeth to get to the eraser while drawing and this very much facilitates the dynamic.Seems fairly unusual.The cap also has an indent in the bottom part which should assure that a tight fit between cap and pencil lasts well.I am very much a fan the Pentel eraser (I presume its common to all the Pentels - I've had it on all of mine in the past) which, unlike many others, sits inside a metal sleeve/ stopper so that it does not get pushed into the lead reservoir and, even once the eraser is gone, it is easy to open and close the lead reservoir.The mechanical lead extender action has a very satisfying "click" to it.It just ...feels good.And the metal lead guide retracts into the pencil body to keep it safe from bending and keep your clothes and legs safe from scrapes.What is ingenious though(I thought it was just a gimmick when I bought it, but am now thoroughly a fan)is that the lead guide retracts by springing open the shirt clip with a push of its top.I was struck by its simple genius when I went to put the pencil in my shirt pocket - and perforce pushed on the clip.Essentially - you get a fail-safe system whereby, as you put the pencil into your pocket, the lead-guide is retracted to preserve your shirt.One downside -There is a lead hardness window that is supposed to be rotatable to keep track of what lead you are using.However, the action is extremely hard.So hard that I thought that there is a trick I was missing or a release I couldn't locate, and I went scouring the internet looking for the trick.In the end, as others have written that their pencils broke in that area, I did not pursue the effort to shift the window.That's a pretty striking flaw in an otherwise lovely tool!

This is the best mechanical pencil I have used. I have always loved mechanical pencils and loved drafting back in the day. Through the years I have always liked the feel and control of a good mechanical pencil. I guess those days are passing by, and I was surprised when I came across this pencil.It's slim, and easy to hold. The rubber grip works really well. The lead indicator display is great, and I like the retract mechanism. My only gripe is the eraser. Like many mechanical pencils, its tiny and really doesn't do the job very well. I don't mind that much, since I tend to use a drafting eraser for most of that.The mechanics are great, but lets face it - it looks really really cool! It oozes precision, and as an Engineer, I love that. It comes in some stunning colors, and I love just having it on my desk.

I really wasn't sure if there was any truth to the hype over this pencil, so I resisted trying it for the longest time. Then, when I saw the price come down, I decided to give it a try. Wow! It is prefectly balanced and the absolute BEST pencil to travel with! It has a cool feature that retracts the led when you're finished. Love that!! I also love the fact that I can specify which type of lead I load into the pencil. I just purchased a second one, as I really want to have one for colored led at the ready and one for graphite on the go. It's comfortable to hold, draw and write with. Just as a warning, you will need a separate eraser, as the one that is in the top is miniscule (fine for removing tiny marks), but I don't see that as a drawback. Just wanted to make that clear to anyone looking at this pencil for whatever you plan to use it for.