Uni-ball Shift Pipe Lock Drafting Pencil - 0.3 mm - Silver Body with Light Blue Accent

This pencil is quite pretty and writes very well - unfortunately the main barrel is plastic, and the silver paint comes of very quickly just from being in a bag with other pencils or a pocket. I've had my pencil for two weeks, and it the barrel is already quite worn down. I was hoping, at this price point, that it would be similar quality/construction to the Pentel Graphgear 1000 (which I love) - the barrel on that seems to be more of a metal construction and doesn't wear down, even over a year of use. I guess I'm sticking with the pentel!

I found the reviews to this drafting pencil helpful as well as truthful. If you're considering a drafting pencil, keep in mind that they are precision instruments and must be treated with extra care and handling. Some pencils are sturdier than others, the differences may lie in your own grip and writing posture. I keep this pencil at my desk in a pen case box. I've gone through several lead refills and it still works like new. I would not recommend it as traveling pencil where you would throw it in a briefcase or have jostled in your shirt pocket.

It's a standard drafting pencil, with its best feature being the pipe holding the lead retracts.

When I first saw one of these I had to have one. I'm glad that I got mine before they were all sold out. The pencil is solid despite the fact that the body moves up and down. The body locks in both the writing mode and hiding mode. It twists to lock and unlock and the lock is solid both ways. This is no novelty hide the sleeve pencil. This is a true professionals pencil that offers a unique way of hiding the lead sleeve so that the pencil can be carried in the pocket of briefcase without damaging either you or the pencil's lead sleeve. It also feels solid in the hand and writes very well. Mitsubishi has a winner on it's hands.

This pencil is ridiculously good. It has a nice center of gravity which helps a ton with drawing lines. its shift mechanism protects the nib and lead perfectly. If you're a manga-ka like me, this pencil is perfect. However, i agree with the other users saying the plastic makes it feel too fragile, I would really like it if it were made completely of metal. nevertheless, the pencil's build is deceptively solid. The parts don't rattle loosely at all. The only misgiving I have about it is that the pencil lead snaps very easily, but that's probably because it's a 0.3mm lead rather than a defect with the pencil itself. other than that, I would recommend this pencil to anyone. Probably the best 16 dollars you can spend on a pencil!

An excellent pencil. I am a high school senior planning on using this pencil all throughout college, if i can keep it from being stolen that is.

Pros:

- Metal, but somewhat soft grip: It's odd, but the knurled grip, though metal, feels almost soft to the touch. It's less fatiguing too, because it does not give like other soft rubber grips.
- No lead wiggle: The lead sleeve perfectly holds the lead, so I feel no wobbling of the led, making writing to feel much smoother overall.
- Distance between grip and lead: I prefer to hold my pencil lower, where most other pencils' grips end. This pencil gives you this option with a shorter head than most.
- Sleek design: Just look at it, it's so sleek.
- Plastic body, metal grip: This gives a nice weight to the pencil and shifts the weight toward the tip, which feels solid while writing. Though plastic, it doesn't feel cheap either.

Cons:

- Lead sleeve retracting mechanism: If you like to write with a lot of lead advanced, then you should push the lead back in after use, because the point of the lead might stick out after retracting the lead sleeve. This isn't a huge problem though, but a problem nonetheless.
- Price: This could be a con if you tend to lose pencils often, but if not, this pencil will last for many years. I believe that it is an excellent investment to buy a comfortable pencil or pen.