Pentel GraphGear 500 Mechanical Drafting Pencil, (0.5mm), Fine Line, Black Barrel (PG525A)

Context: I wanted to get a nice mechanical pencil in 0.5mm lead that had finer lead advancement and better comfort for long writing sessions than the common bulk mechanical pencil. At first glance, the construction of the Graphgear 500 is what you'd expect for the price. The barrel and lead tube are indeed plastic. The grip is a single piece of machined metal that measures 9mm across, about a millimeter wider than most bulk writing utensils. Beneath the grip is a brass clutch fixed to the barrel. The action is more sophisticated than a typical gravity feed—keeping the button depressed doesn't allow the lead to slide freely, so you only get consistent advancements in what are roughly half-millimeter increments. My biggest complaint with the design of this pencil is the distance between the end of the clutch and the tip of the sleeve is rather long. That's a solid 14mm/half inch of perfectly good lead you'll never get to use. My other complaint is that the weight of the pencil is centered where the grip meets the barrel. While I don't consider this ideal (I'd rather have the weight centered where the barrel rests on my hand) the 500 is light enough for this to not really be a problem to me. In spite of the things I listed above, I really enjoy writing with this pencil. The grip is comfortable to hold and it's nice to not have a pencil shoot out lead by whole millimeters only to break. A fixed sleeve prevents the tip from ever wobbling, which makes it easy to write very small. All in all, the Graphgear 500 is a solid pencil that packs durability in all the right places and has everything I was looking for without any unnecessary frill to introduce points of failure. Post-script: The included Hi-Polymer brand lead writes very smoothly—too smoothly in my opinion. It's certainly high-quality stuff and I'm happy to use it, but I think I'll switch to another brand once I expend the other two sticks. Smoothness is overrated. Don't be afraid to have a little feedback from your writing utensil. I won't comment on the included eraser since I intend to use the remainder of my block.

Like most people who have used mechanical pencils for a long time, I settled into my favorite couple pencils, bought a number of them and used them for years. For me it was the Y&C Double Knock and the Alvin Draftmatic dating back to the mid-90's. But then I started using "luxury" pen and pencil sets from Cross, Parker, Pelican and Waterman and lost touch with the "functional" mechanical pencil market. But both between a realization that these "luxury" brands aren't actually interested in making a good pencil as much as something good looking (don't get me wrong, they're good, but writing quality of their pencils is not what drives them) and my kids getting to the age where they could use a good mechanical pencil, I decided to dig back in and re-learn the current offerings. I decided to give my older kids (as stocking stuffers for Christmas) one of each of the viable contenders and then borrow them on occasion to see what I thought. It's now been a couple months and I'm reviewing them all: Best overall: Pentel GraphGear 500 (this review) Best value: Zebra M301 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1U5S4D5OEPY3F) Best retractable tip: Pentel GraphGear 1000 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WGL8ZCB03SQK) Best rubber grip: Staedtler 925-05 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1ZX77U5OV8OS6) Also rans (in order of preference): Alvin Draftmatic (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VQY95VWPF0YI) Uni Kuru Tora (http://www.amazon.com/review/R2JV48N3D6KXH3) Pentel P205 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R3C11TD28G7BUT) Click on the links above for my detailed review of each. And now for the actual review for THIS pencil, the Pentel GraphGear 500: This is a medium priced ($5-$10) pencil but minus the clip has the feel of a higher end pencil. It has what the manufacturer calls a "metallic mesh grip" which is one of the three common types (along with ribbed plastic and the rubber grip). I generally like the metal grips because they are very consistent even if your fingers are slick or greasy. They are also very easy to clean and last FOREVER. The downside is that generally it is your fingers that take the beating, not the pencil. The Alvin Draftmatic is the most classic example of that. Many complain about it and one definitely builds up callouses if they use them regularly. However, this pencil's grip has a VERY nice feel to it. Not too aggressive on the mesh, far less so than the Draftmatic, but still nowhere close to slippery. This it what makes it my winning pencil for at home or in the office. Add to that a VERY sturdy/stiff tip, it has the least give in the medium price range by far, and a consistent clicking mechanism and you've got a winner of a pencil. If one is looking for downsides, the size and quality of the barrel leaves a bit to be desired. It's not horrible, appropriate for the price range, but it's a bit on the small side (one of the only ones where the barrel is smaller than the grip) and overall the pencil feels like a higher end tip on a medium grade barrel. But I ask you, if you had to pick, which would you rather have be on the high side? As stated up front, also in the downside category is the clip. In fact, it's the most glaring weakness. It's pretty wimpy, so wimpy I'll end up taking it off. Combine that with the lack of a retractable tip and the very small eraser on the top (frankly, they all do) and it's not your best pocket pencil for carrying around. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a pencil that you leave at your desk where you should have a big polymer eraser at your disposal at all times (and you should) and don't care about the lack of a retractable tip, this is a winner. Thus, this is my favorite (one of only two I gave a 5-star review) and will likely be yours too if you like a metal grip. That you don't have to pay a bunch for it makes it all the sweeter.

I'm speaking as physics major, student and tutor, not a drafter or artist. Also, I've had this family of pencils (.3mm, .5mm, .7mm and .9mm) for over a year now. I use pencils all day! At work, school, all the time. I got this little gem at my university bookstore, 'cause I simply didn't what to continue sharpening anymore, and wow , I soooo didn't know what I was in for! This is such an amazing machine! Ups: The crafting is well engineered -I often find myself just staring at it... but that might just be me procrastinating on doing homework, lol. Most of the weight is in the tip, all cast metal, a fine alloy; no funny smell even during long usage. The lead retracts beautifully and safely, no lead lost due to bad design. The metal tip is delicate and clean; strong enough to hold the lead without it cracking every ten seconds. The metal tip is also long enough to fit into all sorts of science devices: templates, rulers, compasses and other lab gear. It balances/fits so well in my hand that I use it as probe and pointer often. The plastic part of the body is made of a terrific plastic, no fears of it cracking. The eraser is white and refills are easy to find and replace, it's well hidden under a metal cap, so its always clean and ready for erasing. Downs: The clip is "removable" so it might not be the perfect pencil for moving in and out of shirt pockets all day long. That being said, it does give you the option of working with or without the clip. As far as I'm concerned, this clip is strong and well crafted enough to stay in place when you need it too. It is a precision tool, do not let it fall; with all the weight in the tip, it will fall tip-down. My .7mm is currently dented at the tip just for this reason, still its working beautifully. When I said its well balanced for my hand, please concider that I am female. If you're male and know that the size of a common no.2, wooden pencil doesn't work for you, then realize that the diameter of this pencil is not much bigger. I just can't do without this pencil. I love it so much, I ended up getting the whole set of different sizes and use them all, depending on the task. I know the GraphGear 1000 is out there now but, if its price is deterring you, then this is the pencil for you.

Mike Rowe, the story goes, auditioned for a job on a home shopping channel and was issued an on-the-spot challenge which he famously excelled at - "Sell me this pencil". Firstly, if you don't know about Rowe's start on home shopping look up "mike rowe katsak" and do yourself the favor of enjoying that video. But mainly - I never understood how anyone could have anything of substance to say about a pencil -- until the sheer mastery of craft and pinnacle of industrial design that is the GraphGear 500 graced the grid of my notepad. The scribes of yore would have their hearts stopped mid beat from sheer joy if a rift in time brought them to experience this-- Eh, okay no, that's total hyperbole. That said, if you're tasked with graphing a hyperbolic function -- look no further. This isn't some angle I'm running and I don't mean to be obtuse - this pencil is just great for anything you might be doing on graph paper. Yes, I am acutely aware that the wordplay is insufferable, but you've already come this far. What I'm doing with a pencil like this is drawing up plans and measurements of things that already exist to design and 3d print things that are perfectly sized for them. The photo for example is an absurdly complete dimensional study of a set of screwdrivers to make a rack that exactly fits those screwdrivers. The graph gear just *feels* right for the job, it feels precise. In point of fact though, it does have features that help with precision if one is using it for graphing; specifically, the long narrow tip and knurled grip. The tip means its easy to see around the point of your pencil to make sure you're marking the correct coordinates, and the knurled grip means it's not slipping a millimeter between your fingers. Even with the industrial rather than comfort grip, it's not uncomfortable to use or even write with. But you don't lean toward a pencil like this to write words, you look at a pencil like this to graph functions, or draft schematics, or draw complicated bridges and spacecraft in the margins of your quad notebook while you're not learning a thing in pre-calc. And buddy, let me tell you, it's great at that stuff.

Im using the Pentel GraphGear 500 pencil for sketching and it's working great. The pencil feels nice enough for the price. It feels sturdy and it has a good grip. My only complaint is, I thought it would have more graphite in it, but it only had one or two pieces l, which was disappointing. If I were to buy again, I would get one with a refill pack.

A while ago I got four nice 0.5mm mechanical pencils to compare: - Uni Kuru Toga Roulette : Haven't touched this one in months. It's very interesting mechanically, but the lead wiggles too much and the rotating feature doesn't make enough of a difference for that to be worth is for me. Maybe in a larger lead size this would work better. I have to admit it looks cool though. - Uni Shift Pipe Lock : The retractable lead pipe is nice. I have bent the lead pipe on the staedler and pentel pencils, so keeping it away can help with that. The wiggle isn't too bad but the weight distribution is a bit off for me. This would be a great pencil to throw in the bottom of your bag if you need a draft pencil that can take a bit of a beating. Otherwise see the options below. - Staedler 925 25-05 : My solid #2. Very well made, no lead wiggle as long as the tip is screwed on tight, so writing is smooth. The knurling is a bit sharp but personally I enjoy that grip. I keep one of these at my desk so I don't have to take my other pencil out of my bag. My biggest issue is that the eraser feels a bit loose, but it's not too bad. The price is a bit much for me too. - Pentel Graphgear 500 : Instantly my favorite, and has stayed as such for the couple of years I've used them. The lead pipe is totally fixed to the grip so there is no lead wiggle and I've only had it bend once when it flew spinning down onto tile. The knurling is a bit softer than the staedler, it's a nice middle ground. The eraser feels tight but it does wear a bit fast as someone who makes a lot of mistakes. Just a good pencil, and the cheapest of the lot. That's hard to beat. As someone who does a lot of math and diagrams on paper I pretty much stick to the 0.5mm graphgear now. Alongside it I use the Pentel Hi-Polymer eraser for bigger erasing jobs and a MUJI 0.38mm black pen for dark permanent lines. I highly recommend both of these too, no matter what pencil you use.

The first and hopefully last mechanical pencil I will ever buy. As a new college student, I gotta get good grades and save money. Part of getting good grades is taking notes and doing paper homework. We usually use pencils so we can erase better and because of the modern-world, we are switching to mechanical pencils. Forget the cheap plastic Bic ones, you need this one. It will last you for a LONG time. You'll spend $10-20 on PACKS of cheap plastic mechanical pencils every year but you'll only need to spend $5-9 on this which will last you atleast 2 years (granted you also take good care of it). The weight distribution is nice, tip heavy which allows for better stability on your hand. There are TWO downsides... 1. The size of lead you put in (not .5 or .7 way) but the LENGTH, is larger than the default, you will not be able to properly use the eraser that comes with it because it will not be securely put into the pencil. BUT, that's not something to worry because you have that metal casing at the top to hold it in (when not using) and that I'm hoping you have a separate eraser from paper mate for an example. 2. After a while of writing, you may develop a callous on your finger. There's nothing to worry about it in a health-perspective but if you're concerned about how precious your fingers need to look, then beware. Good product. HIGHLY recommended.

Love the feeling of the pen it lasted a long time and a lot of use! Solid choice for a mechanical pencil

Eu já sabia que o produto é bom porque, né... Pentel! Eu não consigo descrever o quanto eu gosto de lapiseiras pesadas. Diferente das escolares mais comunzinhas, as lapiseiras técnicas pesadas ajudam a fazer menos força na hora de escrever, no caso, o próprio peso dela faz com que o traço já saia mais escuro somado a força que você usa ao fazer o atrito do grafite contra o papel. É uma lapiseira que por si só é minha favorita, cara porque entrega um bom resultado, eu como uso pra faculdade, sei que ela vai durar bastante, mas como sua primeira lapiseira eu recomendaria que fosse com calma, grafite fino igual 0.5 é bastante frágil, então usar muita força igual faz com o lápis vai fazer com que você jamais consiga escrever de lapiseira. Dito isso. É maravilhosa!

グラフギア500はどの芯経でも紙に食いつくような感触があって好みです。安いのにいい商品。

Best tools ever for sketching. Perfect balance. All size are great: .3, .5, .7 and .9. I ordered them all and use them daily

Muy bueno, resistente y bonito

丁度良い大きさで使いやすい