12 things that make a good mechanical pencil
I have always been a bit obsessive about my writing instruments. For one thing, I love calling them instruments. A good pen or pencil has more in common with a musical instrument than most people would realize. Good handwriting or skilled draftsmanship is an art. If you take writing or drawing seriously then you need a good tool to help do the job.
The problem is that while I treasure my mechanical pencils like beautiful instruments most people are content to use ten cent ballpoint pens. When the average Bic user has misplaced their pen they automatically turn to the person closest to them and ask to borrow a pen. It seems the most of the world has an attitude that pens and pencils are part of the public domain. It is common courtesy to offer up your pen willingly regardless of how much you treasure your pencil or pen. I have always struggled with that social norm. I carry a high quality mechanical pencil with me almost everywhere I go so I am never forced to use an inferior writing machine.
If you ask me for my pen you better not walk off with it. At my desk at work I have a pencil holder full of crappy pens and pencils that I don’t mind if people use or steal. Actually I have several in there that don’t work. I get a kick out of watching people take a pen out and walk away only to return moments later after they find out it is out of ink.
Last week my wife commented on my pencil. I told her that I have had it since 5th grade. She seemed surprised. Somehow I have managed to keep my pencil fetish secret from her all these years. But the truth is that I have kept the pencil for so long because it is a great machine. I have come across very few pencils that stand up to my high expectations for a mechanical pencil. As I was thinking about this pencil that I cherish I started thinking about all the things that can be wrong with a pencil. Before I knew it I had a list of 12 things that can make or break a good pencil. So here’s the list of 12 things to consider when you are decide to upgrade your writing instrument…
1. What size of lead does it take?
The size of lead that you use comes down to personal preference and the mechanics of how you write. If you have a heavy hand you probably want a thicker lead like .7mm to avoid breakage. If you like a thinner line then go for something thinner. I have always been a fan of .5mm but there is lead even thinner than that. Also keep in mind that lead comes in different hardnesses. The local office store probably only carries HB, but with a little searching you should be able to find harder or softer leads.
2. What does the click feel like?
You want a nice click. This is a little hard to explain, but you will know when it is wrong. When you press the button you want it to resist and then spring down and back. Cheap pencils don’t have the click right. It’s too loose and springy. Did I mention I am obsessive?
3. How far does the lead advance with a single click?
This is critical if you want to avoid breaking your lead. If the lead comes out too far you have to press it back in manually with your finger. If it’s too short you have to click it three times to get the lead far enough out and you have the same problem. A good pencil will push the lead out to a perfect length with two clicks. This is so that when you are writing and need to advance the lead you only have to click it one more time to get a perfect length.
4. Does it have solid construction?
When you press does the lead to the paper is there any movement? When you shake it do you hear anything? A good pencil is solid and should feel well made.
5. What is the lead sleeve like?
The tiny metal tube at the end of the pencil that protects the lead is a critical part of the pencil. Drop the pencil wrong and the tip will get bent or jammed in. Either way your pencil is toast. Higher quality pencils will have a sliding sleeve at the end. When you aren’t writing you can advance the lead and push the lead and sleeve into the pencil where it is safely protected.
6. What is the eraser like?
I never understood why most mechanical pencils come with a tiny little eraser that is almost not worth using. Isn’t that why we are using a pencil instead of a pen – to easily erase mistakes? I like having a fat white eraser at the top of my pencil. It seems that the majority of mechanical pencils have a cap that covers the eraser. While this helps the aesthetics of the pencil it makes it inconvenient to make mistakes.
7. Does it have a good clip?
Plastic clips will eventually break. Metal clips that snap on are fine but they give the pencil a sense of cheapness and lack of design. I good clip will be a part of the pencil extending naturally off the pencil giving you a simple way to attach it to your notebook or pocket.
8. What does it weigh?
Again, this is a personal preference but it can affect how you write. I like the feel of steel over plastic, so I am willing to sacrifice light weight. The weight should be equally distributed or slightly bottom heavy.
9. How does the grip feel?
My preference is for a solid rubber grip and I am amazed how many rubber grips are loose. I can’t stand a grip that slips up the pencil or rotates easily. It’s like riding a bike with a flat tire. The pencil is unresponsive and less accurate. Another mistake is if the grip is too soft. If you need a pillow to grip onto so your fingers don’t get sore then you need to write more.
10. How thick is it?
There are some fat pencils out there that I can’t use. If it is too wide I feel like I can’t control the pencil. The same problem happens when the pencil is too thin. For me the perfect circumference is a little fatter than a normal wooden #2 pencil.
11. How much lead can it hold?
I like to fill my pencils with as much lead as they can hold. I never want to be caught without lead. What do you do in that situation? Ask to borrow someone’s ballpoint? No, I would rather stop everything and find some lead.
12. Is it cool?
The final thing I look for is whether or not it has something unique about it. Is it a unique color? Is the design clean and beautiful? Is it covered in ugly logos and text?
So did my list persuade you to upgrade your writing instrument or just convince you that I am crazy? If you are looking for a great pencil check out jetpens.com. Happy writing!
September 11th, 2009 at 12:45 am
thank god i am not alone. i had been buying the same kind of pencil for the last couple of years because i know its feel, its lead-push per click, i can trust its extendible eraser even when it gets close to the end and *should* be falling out. it is heavy enough to feel like i’m holding a pencil yet light enough not require unnecessary clenching leading to fatigue. i am a mechanical engineering major and i have become completely dependent on a familiar pencil — i prefer the fine line of a 0.3mm but i break too much lead with it
i write kinda funny, too. i always flipped the bird to teachers when they told me how to hold my pencil as a youngun. like you, i cringe when i see others in my college doing math and physics problems and drawing free body diagrams with cheapo scavenge-pencils (sometimes even pens!) a good piece of homework filled with calculus and technical drawings is a beautiful work of art, and the pencil contributes 110%. it’s the F22 to the fighter pilot. lately i’ve been experimenting with a couple new pencils — and stumbled here to your blog looking up pencil reviews. perhaps you would be interested in my findings, as it appears we are on the same paragraph of the same page when it comes to pencils. (all are 0.5mm using HB)
i want to maximize lead usage but also prevent against lead breakage. i’ve been trying the e-Sharp by Pentel and it has AWESOME lead usage–nice smooth depression to click to push the lead out i’d say 75% the distance of typical pencils so there is never any need to manually push lead back in (unless i get carried away) and it has an automatic feed that will have the next piece of lead loaded before the one in front runs out. it also holds on to the lead tightly so that when you’re at the last 1/2cm of lead it doesn’t start falling out of the tube and messing up the flow of writing. the downside is it is too round, a little too slender, too light, the grip is too smooth (basically like the plastic it’s covering) and too hard. so it feels like crap. so much so i don’t use it. it also looks kinda cheap and plain.
i also tried the PaperMate clearpoint. good writing, satisfactory lead usage, hard rubber texture grip that takes some getting used to, and side-click with a great feel to it which makes clicking out more lead easier and more satisfying. the button sticks out a little more than usual, which makes it even more awkward orienting it in the same direction when writing (“laces out” hah). all of which are fine, and awarded it some usage time. the big con with it though is the bit you twist to extend more eraser is way too loose (same with multiple pencils, not just an isolated defect) so when you erase it will actually push the eraser back in. you have to get used to holding your middle finger on the twist part to keep it from sliding back in. decent cheap emergency pencil or briefcase lender, although i’d rather stick with my old Pentel Twist-Erase’s for backup. they held position at #1 for a couple of years in my pencil of choice.
then comes the champ. i’ve been using the Papermate Ph.D 0.5mm. i was hesitant at first because it is a little wider than i’m used to, but when i first started writing with it and did the spin to find the ‘sweet spot’ of holding it i found that on the grip it curves in to the natural feeling width. if i held my pencil normal when writing it would be absolutely awesome, but even without holding it as intended it feels good. the click is a mildly shallow depression on the eraser, with a good resistance in the spring, and the mechanism for lead maximization is very similar (if not identical) to the e-Sharp. in fact, i honestly do not remember running out of lead and playing the click and wait game except for one time — i put a piece of red lead in there to test the added durability to the lead and pulled out the current lead, clicked and clicked to find another piece of black lead, clicked and clicked and another piece of black lead (i ‘emptied’ the tube when i put in the red stick of lead) -i guess it had those stored ready to go? well i said F- it and here in the next couple of days i’ll be able to see for sure when the lead switches over
it. also for us heavy-handers, the tip is springed — when you push down on the pencil with the lead on the paper the front actually depresses in against the spring, preventing the lead from reaching the breakage pressure (until it’s placed at a low angle). the eraser functioning is superb, as well, sturdy twist-extention of the eraser and solid integration into the lead tube so there is no rattling of parts between eraser enclosure and pencil. i insist you try the PhD. from one man who knows the value of a good pencil to another. and for what it’s worth, pentel C505 0.5mm lead, tested against many other brands (both foreign and domestic) outperformed all others in the trials in darkness, erasability, and durability. learned by google-research, but personal experience is confirming for me. pentel has C525 lead also that is stronger… i just wish they’d have it come out in 0.3mm along with a 0.3mm PhD 
why do 0.3mm pencils have to all be thin gripped, uncomfortable, and with a tiny z eraser! b.s.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
o mah god. someone who understands my pain. i need a really good pencil but can never find it. you really grap mechanical pencil fans’ attention!!