PentelGraphgear 1000 Mechanical Drafting Pencil 0.3mm Brown (PG1013)

In short: Fulfils all criteria to guarantee an excellent product experience.Looks: I have lost track of how many years I have had mine (best part of a decade now). They still look the business and are often asked about by my clients whilst I am using them. One was even stolen, so I suppose that makes them quite desirable.Construction: The retractable tip is just perfect. It has a slight springiness to it that not only cushions the writing/drawing experience, but also helps avoid lead breakages, although the modern hi-poly' refills are pretty good in their own right. Made principally of plastic and aluminium, it is light yet very robust. The combination of a knurled section and rubber grip is perfect - no readjustment or sweaty finger problems. There are no fancy gears that turn the lead around (as advertised by other products) neither have I ever thought to myself that I need one of those - one less unnecessary mechanism that can go wrong = minimalism = long-lasting = happy owner.Use: Always works well, very easy to carry around (very light). Solid enough construction to withstand severe punishment - mine has been submerged in water for ~3 days (flood while I was away) & dropped from a height of over 10m (~30ft) - accidentally dropped in the space between staircase - which obliterated the lead refills inside but the pen works just fine. If it was the cheaper plastics varieties of mechanical pencils then they would not have survived. I'm also sure that some of the more expensive varieties will not be able to boast this. Even if it did stop working, replacing them is not going to be too painful. As testament to how well these have worked, I now have 3 varieties of these that take different refill sizes, as well as a spare 0.5mm as my all-rounder when I have to jot down or explain anything on the go. The oldest one is pushing a decade in age and looks/works like new. [For the astute fans out there: yes, they did make minor changes in their construction over the years, but not to any detriment]Conclusion: I have never been let down, only pleasantly surprised. I would highly recommend this over any other product I have tried (including comparisons against other brands that are >4x more expensive). A fantastic product that offers excellent value and many years of great service. This product has never disappointed me and I'm certain that most will agree once they have had the pleasure of using it.

As far as I am concerned this is the best mechanical pencil you can get. I already own one with a 0.5 mm lead which has given sterling service so was delighted to find the 0.9mm at a good price. ( I am somewhat clumsy so anything I use a lot has to survive being dropped, getting dirty and lots of sack the juggler moments.) Like the other, this one is a pleasure to use. The pads on the grip make it comfortable to use for long periods, unlike some with metal grips that tend to make my fingers sore. The way the clip easily retracts the collar and lead means I preserve the leads and save time and money. The colour coding on the barrel makes it easy to recognise different sizes.It is perfectly balanced and the design and construction is of excellent quality. in my previous review I referred to this as the Rolls Royce of mechanical pencils and stand by this opinion. Anyone who constantly uses a mechanical pencil will find this a pleasure to use.

Perfect for drawing or just jotting down shopping lists etc. well made , nice grip and well balanced. Also great value for money. The 0.9 size lead is ideal for larger writing.

This is the best mechanical pencil I have ever had. It is solid, sturdy and feels just perfect in my hand.

Only had it a few days but so far it's great good quality pencil

I think this pencil is very well made and feels very good in the hand. It also appears to be very sturdy. However one problem is that i bought the 0.4 lead size and now find that i cannot buy replacement leads anywhere. ( i did however find some in a specialist shop but they cost more than the pen themselves!!! So not an option ) I wish this was notified at time of purchase.

A super comfortable, weighty pencil with lots of well thought out design elements. The pocket clip is sturdy and spring loaded so I doubt it'll break off and the ability to keep track of the hardness of the lead is really nice

This is a fine mechanical pencil and the best I’ve used. The nib retraction is very good, a press of the pocket clip and the nib fires back into the pen body. The knurled and rubberised grip is very comfortable and the pencil has a good balanced weight to it. The pen outer is all metal, but some of the internals are plastic.A colleague of mine has the rotring 800 which is nice and seems all metal, but the nib is more loose than I would like, while the nib in the pentel has minimal play.I bought a 0.3mm and 0.7mm of this pen in approx 2008, both are still working as new. I bought another 0.7mm in 2019 so that I had a spare, in this time the pen clip has changed from a spring to a hinge. The hinge works the same but requires a little more press force to retract the nib, but Increases it’s functionally as a pocket clip. Also in the time, the metal shaft that houses the spare leads has been swapped for plastic, I guess this is to reduce costs, while it doesn’t seem to have any adverse effect on function or performance it’s a little disappointing it see, but for £7 it isn’t surprising. If pentel offered an all metal graphgear that replaced the plastic internals with metal, it’s likely buy it.For £7 this is a fantastic mechanical pencil and is the benchmark.