I think you all know I love drawing right? Well I also love discovering and trying new art supplies! As I mostly use mechanical pencils in my sketches, I have tried a lot of them in my life. They have different form, weight, materials, some of them are more expensive than the others, some of them are better for writing rather than drawing etc.. they all have different properties, I will show in this post my top 10 favorite mechanical pencils.
Of course, these are again, according to my own experience and opinion.
My top 10 Favorite Mechanical Pencils
Graphgear 500 Pentel
The Pentel Graphgear 500 is a good pencil. It has a knurled steel grip providing you with a firm and comfortable grip. With the plastic body, it leads to a very well balanced pen where a majority of the weight is closer to the tip than the back. For me, this makes it more comfortable to use it. This pencil is quite heavy and well balanced. I have the 0.5 and 0.3 and I use them for drawing only. I don’t really like writing with them as their tips are very thin. These are great for making quick sketches etc.
The thing I hate about these pencils are their tips. They are not retractable. I really don’t like this part because I usually just take my pencils on my pocket or my bags without a special case each time. So it either breaks or bends. And also the eraser is super tiny and it does not help at all.
Overall, I am happy to have them.
Rotring / Scrikks
The Rotring and Scrikks mechanical pencils are very similar and they are probably the pencils I use the most. They are extremely easy to control since it has a knurled grip. The weight and balance is perfect and also makes it easy to control the pencil. However, the included eraser is not very useful but that’s the case in almost every mechanical pencil.
Luckily, the point is retractable so it can be safe in case you drop it when not in use. The materials feel very good quality, and make them look like these are used by “professionals”.
Overall, I like to use them for writing as much as for drawing. Highly recommend.
Staedtler Graphite 777
I love to use the Staedler Graphite for daily use. These are great “everyday” pencils that are of a very good quality, as I would expect from Staedtler. The bright colors are very original and the mechanism works reliably. Besides, the eraser is big and that’s amazing.
They write so smoothly and are very comfortable in the hand. I have them in two size 0.7 and 0.5 and I like them both for writing and sketching and I really recommend them for regular use.
My top 10 Favorite Mechanical Pencils
Rotring Tikky
If like me, you keep losing your mechanical pencils so you don’t want to spend a lot on them, the Rotring Tikky is perfect for you. It is currently available in four different lead diameters, labelled as 0.35 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm and 1.0 mm.
Zebra Drafix 0.3
I bought the Zebra Drafix in a little shop because I didn’t have any mechanical pencil with me and I really needed one at this time. I was hesitant because it really light I thought it would be a bad quality. As it wasn’t expensive, I bought it anyway. Now I am so happy that I did!
Yes, this mechanical pencil is soo light but it is also amazingly solid! It just feels good to draw with it. I love to use it also in my “every day” sketches. Although the tip is not retractable, I am really surprised I still didn’t break it.
So yep.. It is durable and great quality for the price.
Graph1000 For Pro 0.3 Pentel
The Graph1000 (for pro pentel) is the most pleasing to the eye according to my opinion. One of the best, well balanced, not heavy, the materials and color are just perfect. It’s incredibly well made and it looks fantastic. More than that, the comfort of the grip and the balance that it provides make this pencil feel like something that was designed to be used, and this is a real pleasure to draw with it.
I love the color, the weight, the grip.. I love everything about this pencil except the tip which is not retractable. Unfortunately, I bend it a few times while on my bag, now I am scared to break it.
Blackline Adel 0.7
The Blackline Adel is pretty good and versatile. Body is full metal and the tip is retractable. Thinness is ideal, writing with this pencil is satisfying and smooth. Despite the fact that this is cheap, it is really solid. This is a good alternative to the Rotring Tikky.
Mono Graph 0.3
The Mono Graph is comfy to hold and draw with. I don’t like to write with it but I love to use this pencil for light “helping” lines under my skeches.
The thing I like the most about this pencil is the eraser which is bigger than the regular mechanical pencils, and which also twists up and down.
Pen + Gear Mechanical Pencils with Grip, 36 pack
Not a lot to say here. I bought these mechanical pencils in Walmart during my trip to the US. There are 36 pencils in the pack and it was just a few dolar. The kind of pencil I am not scared to leave wherever I go. I got them a few years ago and I still have half of the pack. The quality is not amazing but it does the job for such a cheap price.
Lamy Pur 0.7
I use the Lamy Pur mostly for writing. It is comfy to hold and satisfying to use. The body is thick compared to the other mechanical pencils. The tip is retractable which makes it a pocket safe pencil and this is awesome!
That’s all for now! These were the best mechanical pencils I have ever tried until now. Feel free to share with me your favorites! I would love to try new ones.
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