Customer Reviews

The drafting pencil's biggest upside is definitely how durable and virtually unbreakable it is. I have a tendency to kind of...beat up my pencil cases throughout the year because I bring it with me everywhere. It gets scribbled on, dropped, lost several times, and the reoccurring event of exploding pens. =_= (It always happens and I don't know why)

My other mechanical pencils, erasers, etc break into several pieces or gets so contaminated with lead I can not use it anymore. BUT this pencil NEVER EVER breaks or even dents. I was amazed by the pencil! :O

BUUUUUT there is a big disadvantage too. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't get used to holding it. Mainly because the grip is slippery and strange to the fingers.
Also,
I think it's hilarious that any erasable writing utensil always gets an eraser unfit for how much the person will use it. The eraser is suuuuper tiny! Seriously, not even a centimeter. It goes away quick. Sure you can get refills but every week?

Overall, GREAT durability but kinda awkward to hold~

I purchased the Graphgear 500 to replace my previous daily use pencil, the Pentel P205, and because it had a knurled grip. After trying most of the 0.5mm drafting pencils that Jetpens has to offer, this pencil is my favorite.

Pros:
-Eraser cap stays in place
-Clip is removable (I do not like clips on my drafting pencils, as when I turn them they dig into my skin)
-Solid "click" sound
-Plastic body is strong enough to not bend under writing (in fact, this pencil and the more expensive Pentel Graphlet shar everything except the grips)
-The grip is the a comfortable knurling (the closest I have found to the Rotring 600's knurling)
-View of the lead is absolutely superb, yet the tip is still strong
-The balance is towards the tip, making it easier to guide the pencil as apposed to forcing it
-Very durable all around
-It's appealing to look at, and people notice the syringe-like look as an example of quality and precision

Cons:
-Not pocket safe (I make a little cap out of heat-shrink tubing to protect the tip and my pockets)
-Slightly awkward at first due to the difference in size of the grip to the shaft
-Sometimes the end cap/lead sleeve will annoyingly rattle, but it more often does not

I do recommend this pencil, for the price you get a knurled grip, very solid mechanism, perfect weight balance, and a very durable pencil.

I like this drafting pencil enough that if I blindly grab it out of my stash of drafting pencils, I wont drop it and pick up another. I would have given it more stars, but theres a few things that I would like to see on it to get 5 stars.

Pros:
Length - This is a goo length, I havent noticed that it was too long or short, so length is fine.
Weight - It's on the lighter side, but weight really isnt an issue with me in any drafting pencils.
Construction - The grip part is metal, knurled nicely, no issue gripping it while writing (for classes or work). The body is plastic, but its strong enough. I wouldnt use it as a prybar, not really sure how many really snap their pencils on a regular basis, if they do, might need to carry their writing instruments elsewhere. Though one bad thing about the body, but I'll post that in the con part.
Clip - Clip is pretty much standard, it'll hold, but if you bend it, you pretty much lost the ability of using it without really knowing how to bend the clip back to the curvature that it needs to be to be functional (if you do, not end of world, just now it wont have a clip).
Cap - On mine, its a tight fit. Again, I dont take it off and on a lot during my use, I really only take the cap off to fill it up or if I have to erase several mm of pencil markings. I use a different eraser for erasing.
Lettering - The lettering on the body is holding up, I havent had it for years, only about 6mo and so far its holding up.
Pipe length - depending on how you hold your pencils, it can either be a little on the long side or not a problem. The pipe length really isnt the issue, as most drafting pencils have this pipe length, but how the whole tip is with the pipe length. For me, its fine.


Cons:
Body - Not that its plastic, but that where it screws into the metal grip will unscrew at times. It'll only unscrew a little before I notice it, but it happens enough to make me want to put some blue lock on it. I havent had to take apart a drafting pencil in about 15yrs, so wouldnt think it'd be bad to put some kind of mechanic screw lock on it.
Lead Indicator - none, thats the problem.


Overall, its a decent pencil, I have the 0.3mm & 0.5mm and like them both. Will be completing the set here shortly.

Its a good pencil with a great grip worth the price. You can change the lead mode too. But you cant unscrew the tip. It a has great eraser. Great for pen spinning.The grip is fantastic very good for writing. Highly recommend. Great for drafting and drawing. If you draw you should get a 0.3 one.

Awkward. My one complaint is with the weight. Super heavy grip, super light end. I own a Rotring 600 and a Pentel Graph 1000 which are fabulously weighted but of course they are slightly more expensive. The pencil would be perfect if they made the shaft just slightly thicker and in aluminum or something a little more substantial than just thin plastic. Had to give it away. Other than that I have no complaints. Sturdy, good design. It's so close. But if you're not so critical on balance, and more on just having a decent drafting pencil, you'll like it. Good thing? It's cheap.

I like this pencil a lot, it's managed to survive with me for a whole year so far, and I hope it won't get lost like all my other pencils :P!

The Pentel Graphgear 500 has it's pros and cons, though. The pros (for me);

- How indestructible it is. It's very durable (I dropped it once on it's point, but with a tiny tweak the tip straightened and it's never bent since! This is one of those rare pencils that can bounce back from an injury. I also like this grip, it might look painful and awkward but my fingers have liked it from the start.)

- It's weight. It's not insanely heavy, but it still settles in your hand comfortably. I like to clip my pencils to my shirt collar, and this pencil lets me do that since it's not so heavy that it tugs my shirt downwards but still has a nice heft to it.

- It's reliablity. This little guy hasn't choked on lead ONCE since I've had it, I kid you not! The clicking mechanism is very sound on this pencil, which is a MAJOR relief - who likes a lead-crunching pencil?! (not me!)

~

The cons;

- The clip. It slides on and off, which is nice for people who dislike the clip, but I personally like the clip and this pencil's clip tends to be a bit slippery.

- The eraser, but this is a complaint I have about a lot of pencils in general. The eraser is pretty small and short, and if you push down hard when you erase (like I do), the eraser slides in sometimes, which I find a bit annoying. However, my personal solution to this issue was to get a Pentel Tri-Eraser (a precision eraser who's unique triangular shape ensures you always have a precise tip to erase with), and now I save my GraphGear 500's eraser for small mistakes :).

This is the best pencil I own over 400+ mechanical pencils too I use it for drawing on Bristol Board.
I used to favor the Pentel Kerry but I find my drawing look too Bloopy with it cause it's wider.
This pencil is perfect except how the metal grip attaches only like 1/3 of a inch of plastic threads.
Otherwise this pencil is perfect. I own like 18 of these =)

A great pencil! I enjoy using it. The knurled grip is great! I somehow find this pencil in my hand more than my Rotring 600.

Decent pencil that is made of high quality plastic and metal. This pencil is a good deal.

This is a very adequate pencil. The grip and tip are all one solid piece which promotes good allignment and rigidity. I feel the pencil is well weighted, not the best but suitable, and it's fairly sturdy. While there are better pencils, it is a very good pencil for the price.

This is a very adequate pencil. The grip and tip are all one solid piece which promotes good allignment and rigidity. I feel the pencil is well weighted, not the best but suitable, and it's fairly sturdy. While there are better pencils, it is a very good pencil for the price.

I bought one of these along with a Pentel P205, thinking I'd like the thicker grip on this better than on the other pencil. It's a well built pen, no problems with it really. The metal tip is not flimsy, and the clicky mechanism seems robust. But the grip is kinda painful to hold after a while, though maybe I hold my pencils really hard...

It's an ok pen, but I'd recommend the P205 over it any day.

I bought 3 of these for fine woodworking so I run them through the ringer. 0.9mm is a great diameter for this type of application. It's a pretty light pencil but has good balance. I may get the Graphgear 1000 series for a heftier pencil. Overall, a great tool at a great price!

I have the Pentel Graphgear 1000 in 0.5, 0.7, & 0.9.
Pros:
Very well made & just looks good. Color coded grips are appealing and helpful. Feels very precise. Retractable nib makes carrying it easy. Solid build, the clip is strong and gives a very satisfying "click" when the nib is retracted.
Cons:
Lighter weight than I expected (not a problem, more of an observation), wish the center of balance was closer to the front. The knurled grip is not quite knurled enough for me, but that's just personal preference & it works fine. Strange but true- the eraser gets very dirty unless the pencil is loaded with a very hard lead- maybe because this is more of a drafting pencil.

When I purchased this pencil I really wanted it to be my favorite, but it's not. But the set has a place in my desk & I use each of them regularly. Better suited to drafting than writing, this is a technical pencil that looks very cool & is a pleasure to use. A definite asset to any collection, you can't go wrong with the Graphgear 1000.

The Pentel Graphgear 500 is an excellent Drafting pencil for drafters. Obviously, as the 4mm lead sleeve is very fragile, extreme care is required, or else a little drop will ruin your 5 dollar pencil. The factory lead is nice & hard, wears fairly nice, and doesn't smudge (Great if you're a lefty). If you're going to bring the Pentel Graphgear 500 to a public place, don't flash your pencil to other people, unless you do want attention from people( " peasants " ) using cheap mechanical pencils. The Pentel Graphgear 500's eraser works decently, however as with most drafting pencils, the erasers are for well... minuscule mistakes, not for erasing an entire essay, or paragraph; for those duties, I use separate block erasers.

The grip has good traction and isn't too rough, however extended use will hurt your fingers.

The weight of the Pentel Graphgear 500 isn't heavy , but it is pretty substantial, especially when you compare the weight to the Pentel Graph 1000 for pro. The Graphgear 500 is top-heavy, and if it does fall, it'll fall tip down, damaging your tip, rendering your Graphgear 500 unusable. ( as brown, plastic barrel is very light, and the metal grip is pretty heavy)

A negative aspect of this pencil is the easily removable clip, as the clip would easily fall off whenever you actually get to use it. That being said, it does give you the option of working without a clip. I also don't like the awkward transition from the barrel to the grip.

If you want something durable, reliable, "fancy", entertaining to stare at when you're bored,and are willing to take care of your Pentel Graphgear 500, I'd highly recommend the Pentel Graphgear 500. If you're looking for something cheap, extremely expensive, light, very heavy, or easily breakable, then I'd not recommend the Pentel Graphgear 500. That being said, the tip is still fragile, and needs some care.

I'd also like to thank Jet pens, for the " Speedy Gonzales" super quick shipping. If your interested in this Pentel Graphgear 500, I'd get yours now, before the Pentel Graphgear 500 gets sold out.

I've been using this pencil for few days and it's excellent, I think most artists will love it. It has a nice weight, length, grip, everything you need for drawing, as well as good for writing.

Although if it weren't for these rubbers on the metal grip, it would be perfect. It feels fine but.. I'm not a very fan of rubber grips, as I know these will deteriorate over time and shorten the lifespan of the pencil.

My main dissatisfaction with this pencil is that the tip piece screws into a plastic body piece, not a metal body piece as I had hoped it would, but that is a feature very few pencils have.

Other than that, it is an excellent pencil. It is unquestionably stylish, easy to hold, and has an excellent clip. The mechanism feels solid and reliable. The barrel above the grip is an attractive textured metal that is comfortable to hold in your hand.

This pencil is heavier than most, but a bit lighter than I guessed by the picture.

Overall, I highly recommend it.

I totally love this pencil. I definitely love the thicker lead size.

I have no use for this in real life, yet I always want to try and use it when I can!

I find graphing pencils to be lovely to look at and this one is no exception.

It has a great weight to it, I can use it for hours, and because of the wider lead I can't remember the last time the lead broke on me while in use.

Workhorse of a pencil. Gets the job done, never had any problems with it, good value. The knurled grip seems to have the right balance between grip-ability and comfort. I have pencils that cost twice as much that don't feel as sturdy as this guy.

I have this Pentel Graphgear 1000, the Uniball Kurutoga, and the (2) of the Uniball PipeShift mechanical pencils, all ordered from JetPens.

I have to admit, this is probably the best one of the bunch. I thought the Kura Toga would be the best, and it is very good, but this one is longer and feels more precise. It's all made of aluminum I believe, which gives it a sturdy dense feel, but it's not heavier than the Kura toga. It' super precise and has a flashy, durable, quality feel to it.

Definitely, one of the best pencils I ever used and I use it for writing.

PENTEL is Definately My Favorite Pencil Brand - High style/design & Top Quality-overall
I have the whole set of these pencils :) All ranging from lead thicknesses 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7 & 0.9
Incredible pencils i might say.
Best for drafters in Architecture, Interior Design, Landscaping Arch. Engineering, etc. You name it :) These are for you

*Not only are these pencil incased w/aluminum but they also last much much longer than any other "plastic" ones, & by the way did i mention these are "Aluminum" so they are light-weight aswell :)
*Grip is very good, has a lead desity indicator that you are able to rotate & set.
*The retractable tip is great so that the tips wont get damaged.

Now to those that are looking for a good writing pencil. This is a drafting pencil it’s not designed to be held near the tip for writing. Drafting pencils are designed to be held a little further up so that when you are running along a straight edge or a template the lead is very close to the edge of it. If you are a person that holds a pencil close to the tip you will NOT like drafting pencils. If you are a person that holds your pencil a little further up the pencil this pencil has a great feel and weight to it.
First let me start off that I’m a Drafter (Board and CAD). Just like any other Artist we have our preferences of pens and pencils, myself I prefer the graphgear 500 the weight being focused near the tip allows me to keep a lighter touch even with the .3mm. Recently my faithful .3mm graphgear 500 (of 7 years) broke, the only place I have found it is here on JetPens. I ended up buying 3 500’s and 2 1000. I still like the 500 over the 1000 for drafting. However, to my surprise I find myself using the 1000 for calculations and writing over the 500, the retractable tip helps to guard it from bending, and “poking” my when I stick it in my pocket, plus the feel is very nice much like a nice pen. I do use different types of lead HB, 2B, and 2H the lead indicator is much nicer then the colored tape tied around the eraser cover. The lead size markings(are color coordinated too) on the eraser cover is very nice considering that all the different sizes are the same color barrel only the “rubber” is colored and is covered when in a pen holder. The clip is heavy duty and doesn’t feel like it’s going to break when you pull on it.
I’m reposting this under the .4mm because I bought a .4mm at the same time. I have never really used a .4mm and sometimes the .3mm is just too small and .5mm is too big this is a perfect in-between size and great feeling writing pencil. I’m probably going to buy a couple more when I place my next order for more lead.

Great pencil. Recommend for drawing.

I bought this pencil for it's unique "syringe" like design. Pentel ruined the design by adding a capped end on the new revised models. You gain a lead hardness indicator, but aesthetically it looks worse. The plunger cap complements the needle nose tip on this design.
For me personally it's not the most comfortable to write with, since I like to grip the pencil as close to tip as possible. For me the thicker barrel at the grip and it's unique needle nose tip are not conducive to comfort... for ME. For most this won't be a problem. I also don't like the unseamly look of where the hexagonal barrel meets the tubular metal grip. However These are very minor criticisms based on personel preferences.
Overall, it has good weight thanks to the metal knurled grip. It's a short pencil at 141mm. It has Pentel's quality brass clutch lead advance mechanism. It's relatively inexpensive and it's got a good-looking profile.

This mechanical pencil line exudes quality and precision. It is a work of art...the "Porsche Design" or "Mercedes" of drafting tools. Love the heavy duty feel of the locking clasp mechanism which extends and retracts the lead point. Feels like a German product -- heavy and a bit over-engineered -- built to last! A mechanical jewel which is a delight to admire and hold.