I'm wanting a fat-lead clutch pencil, not sure which are good.

[KBeezie]

There's two that I'm looking at, one being an E+M Workman Long clutch pencil, which takes 5.5 leads (which they have HB, 5B, and two 4-packs of color leads), but can also handle the Kaweco 5.6mm color leads (according to Jet's in a comment), or a larger Maruzen Art 5.8 with an incremental advance and a built in sharpener.

The E+M seems to have more lead options at it's size, but the Maruzen has 6B option (but I don't think it could hold anything smaller at a 0.3 difference in size). The built in sharpener is appealing but I can get the E+M + sharpener for 21 (though they say the cube sharpener isn't as precise).

The E+M is wood so would be lighter and it seems like with the clutch I could just extend the lead out a little quickly if I want to do some broad rubbing.

I don't really see reviews of either out there.

[brunico]

I prefer a separate lead pointer because it's less messy. I have a couple of 5.6mm pencils - a Cretacolor Ecologic and a Koh-i-Noor 5340 (solid, nice sage green): 5.6mm leads are more a standard size, and as well as 6B you can get media like sanguine and charcoal, as well as Koh-i-Noor's multicoloured and metallic leads. Similar lead and pencil sizes might work fine together unless you get a mechanical pencil like the Maruzen rather than a clutch pencil.

My Koh-i-Noor is apparently 46g, but I don't really feel it because I don't tend to hold it in a writing position. I have a 2mm Rotring Rapid Pro because it's cool to have a mechanical pencil in 2mm, but the good old-fashioned clutch pencils are handier for sketching and for switching quickly between 2B and sepia or whatever.

I've not seen any reviews of the Maruzen, but I've come across two or three of the E+M. There's a surprising number of 5.6mm clutch pencils: try cultpens.com and pencils.jp to see what else is out there.

[top pen]

Considered the Worther ones? The Profil and Compact both take 5.6mm

[KBeezie]

Not familiar with Worther though I am using new-old-stock Worther 1.15 leads in my 1930 Eversharp Rosewood mechanical pencil. (1.1~ is about the largest pencil size I use if I don't just have charcoal sticks or wood pencils).

Part of the reason I was looking at the E+M and Maruzen is because both are on Jet's and between either I could get the free shipping if the total order is over 25. IF the E+M can fit 5.6 as well as 5.5 (designed for 5.5), and if 5.6 is more the standard size for the larger leads, that might be the better route to go especially if I want to shop around for different brands/types of leads.

[KBeezie]

I got the E+M , but I'm not really impressed with it color-wise (that and the lip of the chrome in the front seems to have plating loss as such it's sharp and snags to the touch), sort of like you ordered a cinnamon stick but got a poop stick in color especially when you can't really see the grain and it's so dull.

http://i.imgur.com/FIElYDG.jpg

Image of their site for larger size:

http://i.imgur.com/8J1BIZY.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gEV1UwC.jpg

In regards to the color:


...
I also checked our stock of the Mahogany lead holders, and the difference in the texture and color may be due to the natural variations of the wood. Regardless, I will make a note for our photography team to look into this.
...


Though that's a pretty big difference in color, I can understand the grain appearing different but not the color if they dye it (since the 'natural' one is a whitish color of the natural beechwood they use). And I wouldn't expect any new product to have plating loss.

[Quantum Sailor]

Just out of curiosity are these drawing pencils? I haven't seen them much.

[KBeezie]

Just out of curiosity are these drawing pencils? I haven't seen them much.

For sketching/drawing/etc, I wouldn't use something as fat as a 5.5mm lead for general writing, the point would get broad too quickly and most of the time sharpening them is not very precise. Would be sort of the equivalent of trying to write with a graphite stick.

Idea being that you can do a smaller line at the point if you use a lead pointer, or tilt it on it's side a little (or extend the lead for broader coverage) to do large shading areas.