Pentel Twist-Erase III Mechanical Pencils, 0.5 mm, Assorted Barrel Colors, Pack Of 2 Pencils

My first one of these was obtained for free - I found it in a parking lot. Score! It's the model that uses 0.7 mm lead. After using it for a full day of writing I liked it so much I paid my own money to buy this two-pack in 0.5 mm, which is what I generally use. I then gave my supply of Pentel Quicker Clickers to my teenage son - my old hands really appreciate the added comfort of the Twist-Erase III's thicker body and rubbery grip. I can't speak to what others are receiving, but I bought from Office Depot via Amazon (look at "seller" to see who you're buying from - it's not always who you'd prefer) and received a blister pack with two pencils (I got black and blue, FWIW) with two eraser refills. The pencils were each pre-loaded with a full-size twist-up eraser and one stick of lead plus one in the chamber. The ones I received have been very reliable, as I've come to expect from Pentel. The one I found in the parking lot had been at least lightly used, but probably not run over given its wear marks, and is now onto a new life in my hands. I also bought a green one because I wanted something other than black (I couldn't be sure I'd get a black/blue combo in the pack), and that one is superb too. Now, the TIP FOR POCKET CARRY... the cap of a Sharpie fine point (not the extra fine) permanent marker fits perfectly, and the rubber grip on the pencil makes a solid, even airtight, seal. No more holes in pockets or bags! Uncapped, the pencil (with the eraser retracted) measures about 5-1/2". With the cap lightly but securely fitted, it measures about 6", but if I jam the cap on, it's just 5-3/4". When writing you can use the pencil's clip to hold the cap, use the cap's clip to attach it to your work, or just set it aside (its clip keeps it from rolling away). I tried the cap off a Bic permanent marker of seemingly similar size, but it didn't fit. So if you have a half-dead Sharpie lying around, you can salvage the cap. Added bonus: now you have a clip at both ends, and the sleeve is protected. Your second bonus for reading this review comes from my teenage son, who was thrilled to be handed down my Quicker Clickers. He shared his way of quickly advancing the lead on top-click mechanical pencils. He just sort of quickly jabs the eraser (non-pointy) end of the pencil into his chest. That way, you don't have to change hand position to advance the lead - you can write almost uninterrupted. I've adopted this technique, and it works great. Old dog, new trick.

When you work in a pencils-only environment like a library or archive, you write on objects that should be written on only with pencil, never ink. Regular wood pencils gets to be a nuisance, and many of the other brands of mechanical pencils have only a nub of an eraser so are soon needing replacements or keeping a large eraser nearby. These Pentel Twist-Erase III have a long-lasting twist-out replaceable eraser. They also have an excellent lead capacity so when you fill one of these they keep operating for a quite a while before needing a refill.

The mechanical pencil has been in production for years which should tell you something about the product. I found an old one when I was cleaning out a drawer and started using it again. Very good pencil. I like that the eraser twists down and you get a long eraser that will last a long time. I have purchased several more of these for work and home use. Carry one in my pocket everyday.

Honestly my favorite pencil in the land! I've never used a more reliable pencil in all facets. The grip is the perfect combination of firm and comfortable. The click mechanism to push out the lead is smooth and reliable -- you will never experience the lead falling out or not coming out after 50 clicks with this pencil. The eraser it ships with is phenomenal, and erases cleanly on almost all writing surfaces, and does so better than any eraser I have used in the past. These pencils may be expensive, but trust me you will not lose them! You will protect them with your life and they will always be by your side :)! They are also extremely durable and I have had one of them for 4+ years. I use these along with the Pilot G2 pens, and my writing experience has never been better.

If you use pencil erasers (I'm not saying I make mistakes but...) these are perfect. Most mechanical pencils have small, hard, unusable erasers. These are very long lasting, they stay soft, they re easy to extend from the pencil, and they make it easy to erase one letter on a crossword without ripping a hole in the paper. Bought two sets so Ialways have one available anywhere I use a pencil.

Excellent graphite quality, it writes smoothly and I haven't broken a tip since buying them a month ago. I'm an artist and can be kind of picky about graphite and overall feel of a pencil. I use them mostly for everyday writing and some light sketching. The lead is held in place tightly and will not spin. The clicks are nicely fine, which gives me easy control over how much lead is sticking out. It's about 1/32 of an inch at a time. The grip is comfortable and hasn't stretched. The back of the pencil (where it touches the space on my hand between thumb and index fingers) is smooth and it's easy to keep the clip up and in place. I was excited to see that the clip can be removed and is reattachable, but unfortunately there's a molded ridge, which defeats the purpose of me removing the clip for comfort reasons. The eraser is high-quality and solidly attached to the pencil, twisting is a little too easy and unintended twisting will happen. It loses a star because the back section of the pencil comes off far too easily. It's impossible to slide the clip onto something without the back section moving.

I've tried several different mechanical pencils, this one is the best I've used. I like using 0.5 mm 4B leads (4B is very soft, very dark, so you can actually see what you've written. 0.5 mm seems to be very sharp and crisp without being too fragile. ) The erasers are good, but the replacements are either very expensive or you have to buy a huge box. I found a long mechanical pencil eraser, no metal, no notches, it fits, works great and has to be less expensive than the official ones. I measure the diameter of the eraser to be about 6.5mm or 1/4"

I love these pencils. I've bought several throughout the years. Won't use anything else. Feels good in the hand. LONG lasting. I have several that are 10+ years old and still work like new.