Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil - 0.5 mm - Black Body

Ever since middle school almost 2 decades ago, I've never been without a Pentel Sharp P205. I've owned only five or so during that period of time. And the only reason I've ever needed to buy a new one to date is because I've either lost the pencil, or someone's borrowed it and never gave it back. My current P205 is almost five years old, and may be the first to see retirement because the plastic cylinder the erasers go in is getting worn out. It's no exaggeration to say that I'll be a little sad to put it out to pasture.

I swear by these mechanical/drafting pencils. Buy one, and you will too.

I first bought one of these over 3 decades ago, and it has been the standard against which I have measured all other 0.5mm clutch-advance pencils. Plenty of other pencils have come and gone on my desk, but I still have a P205.

The P205 is a very good general-purpose pencil, plus I found it worked perfectly for drafting when I used to do that. It seems to fit in my hand really well, doesn't have a lot of extra bits and gizmos to get in the way, is _very_ durable, and it makes it easy to see the tip on the paper if you're drawing.

The only thing I'd say it isn't good for is putting in a pocket. It's long and pointy, and will put holes in your pockets or even you if you're not careful. (About the only pencil even less suited for a pocket is the Pentel PG5.) Yes, it has a clip, but I regard it as solely useful to keep the pencil from rolling off of a table or desk. I don't normally carry a pencil in my pocket, so I don't have any trouble with the P205 in this regard.

The P207 0.7mm and P209 0.9mm pencils are also very good, but I just prefer 0.5mm.

I have been using this pencil every day for about three months (I didn't get it from JetPens), and I am confident in saying this is the best cheap mechanical pencil I have used so far.

The plastic body is very sturdy; it feels high quality and has a very comfortable diameter. The ribs effectively provide sufficient grip. The metal tip screws onto metal threads on the mechanism inside the body, so there is no need to worry about metal-on-plastic durability. The action feel nice; I would describe it as having a soft, defined click and very little play in the button. It dispenses a very small amount of lead with each click, which I like. The clip can be moved, or removed, but I find it generally stays in its place.

All told, I couldn't ask for a better no-nonsense pencil.