PentelPENPG1017C GraphGear 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencils

This is a really nice pencil. It's basically a flashy Graph Gear 500, with an inferior grip. It has a nice heft to the pencil, which is good occasionally. The grip is pretty good, but I prefer the 500's grip. The only potential complaint is the clip mechanism. It could possibly snap later on, if one is inclined to do pencil twists and what not. Also the use of plastic on metal. One is going to give, which will render the pencil useless. This is my second pencil, so this one has no problems with this yet, but I also have an older Graph Gear 1000. This one has been in heavy use, and shows sign of this wear. Even though, it still works perfectly fine.The black Pentel eraser is a little lame. The one I received is more brittle compared to the white Pentel eraser. It does erase with the effectiveness of the Pentel white, but creates more debris. It would be better if they charged another dollar and made it a BIG Black Pentel Eraser. That'd be cool. Too bad, this cool tiny eraser is going to be gone quickly.No remarks on the eraser refills and lead, other than they're fairly priced in the package.All in all, this is an excellent deal.

For anyone who is not sure or did not notice, the WHOLE pencil is not blue. This is only the regular 0.7 version of the Pental 1000s. I was under the impression that the whole pencil was colored and only purchased because of that misinterpretation. This mistake was mostly my fault, as when I rechecked the product image it was clear that the product's picture must have been taken under some blue light, making it appear entirely colored when it is not. I still feel that the product image is a little misleading though, so I hope this review helped clarify that for a few potential buyers.As far a quality of the product, it is excellent. I bought this pencil as a sketching pencil, because, as I stated, I thought it was blue, and I was looking for a high-quality, pretty sketching pencil to take around with me on the go. As far as this pencil's usefulness for drawing, it is not much better than any cheap mechanical pencil. Just FYI, "drafting pencils" were originally created for engineers or architects because the thin lead extruder allows people to get the lead very close to a ruler or straight edge in order to produce an accurate line. As an engineering student, I purchased the whole set of regular Pentel 1000s a couple of weeks ago and they work AMAZING for drafting/technical drawing. If you are looking for a pencil more tailored to artistic drawing however, there are other types of mechanical pencils that will serve that purpose better. As I said, I bought this pencil for sketching because I thought it would be a pretty color, not because it is much better for drawing, so I will probably end up chucking this one in with my other engineering pencils. Overall, though, the pencil is still very nice to hold and is high quality.As for value for money, this item is not great. If you are just buying this for the pencil (as I was) this pack is not worth it (though it was nice to get some pentel eraser refills); just buy the pencil by itself somewhere else. If you do need the other items that come with the pencil, then I suppose it could be worth it, but in my experience, most people already have a block eraser and lead refills.

I admit, I was hesitant to throw down $18 for a single pencil, especially when I've only bought <$10 Zebras and such. The purchase was definitely worth it. It has a solid and surprisingly natural feel. I've always used 0.7mm so that's what I bought. I could probably get by with 0.5mm because of how securely it grips the lead.Pros:-Metal-minimalist rubber grip (rubber grips always wear out before the pen/pencil does)-spring loaded clip-so many features in little space! Very well engineered!-grips the lead firmly without play or slopCons:-Eraser is terribly small-2x price of the Graphgear 500-nose is short (I prefer to grip closer to tip)Trade-offs/compromises:-Tip retracts every time clip is used... Protects pockets, but kind of a hassle if in/out a lot.-Metal = Heavy... Solid feel and writing feel is affected here. I like the compromise they made

Sent me a used and broken product

Great pencil, love the metal build and the retractable sleeve. Sleek design and fancy grip. Eraser looks small but it is actually long in length when you pull it out. Yes the package is pricey but this seems like a durable body that will last. You also get the extra erasers and lead. Don't feel that bad about the price anymore.

This is an ok mechanical pencil for $18. The retractable tip will ensure that you won’t poke a hole in your pocket - if that is where you carry your pencil. It has an ok knurled grip that reduces slipping when you hold it. The pen is made out of aluminum and is a bit light.How many mechanical pencils will you own and how long will they last? If you want just a few high quality mechanical pencils then I would recommend that you skip this one and go buy a “Rotring Rapid PRO Technical Drawing Chrome Plated” for about $35.I have both the Graphgear 1000 and the Rotring Rapid Pro. If I had to do it all over again, and if I wanted just a few high-quaility pencils then I would have skipped the Graphgear 1000 and gone directly to the Rotring.

It is the complete package and you won't have to buy anything else for some time. The pencil is solid, smooth auto loading, plus looks awesome.