Clutch pencils

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I am looking for a pencil with thicker led. I like the 0.5 and 0.7, but I need a calm place and a desk to write and not break the led. I have a basic clutch pencil with likely 2 mm lead (it doesn`t say on the package). It is fine, but I am trying to broaden my horizon a bit and are asking you if you know about any good alternatives in this direction. It doesn`t have to be 2 mm spot on, just a lead that does break easily and will behave in wobbly situations.

[Dougc]

.9 works well for me since I also tend to break leads.
Spoke Design makes .9s.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

[Lloyd]

Ever try a cushioning mechanical pencil?
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Lead-Guard-Mechanical-Pencils/pt/941
https://www.thepapermouse.com/products/cushion-spring-mechanical-pencil-0-5mm

Typos courtesy of Samsung Auto-Incorrect™

[Jaguarish]

Vintage pencils tend to be 0.9mm. You can also consider sketching clutch pencils which can be 3.2mm or 5.6mm!

[christof]

for 2mm leads, I recommend Caran d'Ache Fixpencil. It's a classic.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4834/45073079525_31279b0643_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2bEXjdM)Fixpencil Plakat (https://flic.kr/p/2bEXjdM) by c_m_z (https://www.flickr.com/photos/61764212@N02/), auf Flickr

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Thanks for the suggestions all of you.

Here is a small update; I found a vintage Pelikan that looks good and I have noted down a Caran d`Ache 3 mm, maybe a bit thick still worth trying. Further I noted down a Pentel Graphlet 0.9; a Kuru Toga pencil and a Platinum Oleenu both slim leads, but cushioned. If I am correct, slightly thicker can be an advantage for colored leads in general, since they break even easier.

[Cyril]

Mama Mia !!!:hail::hail:! What an eye candy this is !!!!

[Kaputnik]

I have a few clutch pencils. L-R, in the picture below, a 3.2 mm Kaweco, 3.0 mm Caran d'Ache, 2 mm Mitsubishi, and three 2 mm Staedtlers. The 2 mm pencils all have different grades of lead in them.

I use these all occasionally for drawing, although I like the Kaweco the least (not really comfortable to hold and I'm not really sure I trust the quality). Breaking leads is not really a concern, though. I've learned to have a lighter touch, and rarely break even a 0.3 mm lead these days. I even have a Pentel Orenz that uses 0.2 mm, but it has a special lead shield that makes it harder to break the lead.

With clutch pencils, it's worth considering how you're going to sharpen them. The Staedtler pencils actually have built in sharpeners in the metal caps, but the other pencils do not.

The Kum sharpener at the top right is intended for regular wood pencils, but it has holes on the sides for 3.2 and 2.0 mm clutch pencils. The red dot you see on its left side is the hole for 3.2 mm leads. The fold-over clear plastic lids on these tend to break off, and this one is held on with electrical tape.

The little metal Mobius and Ruppert on the bottom right has holes for 3.0 and 2.0 mm. The Staedtler sharpener next to it is for 2.0 mm only, but will put a longer point on the lead than the cap sharpeners, and will do either a sharp or a dull point.

[Lithium466]

The CdA should have a lead pointer blade thing in the cap too, unless that part detached and fell (happens sometimes) or it's a very old model.

[Kaputnik]

The CdA should have a lead pointer blade thing in the cap too, unless that part detached and fell (happens sometimes) or it's a very old model.

Actually, you're right. I'd been using the external sharpener and had forgotten that the Caran d'Ache also had that feature.

[Lithium466]

My favorite sharpener is the small brass M&R you have there, easy to carry everywhere and durable, but messy.
I also have a bigger version of the Staedtler rotary, it's a different brand that I'm forgetting at the moment, made in Switzerland. The advantage over the Staedtler is it can accommodate much thicker lead holders!

The basic Faber-Castell lead holders are also very recommendable (in 2 and 3,2mm), and their leads are pretty good (IMO better than their Castell 9000 pencils, I know that shouldn't be the case but that's my opinion). I think at the moment I prefer Caran d'Ache leads, or vintage Koh-I-Noor made in Austria...sadly very hard to find nowadays.

[calamus]

I remember back in the pre-CAD dark ages I was an architectural draftsman for a few years, and we used clutch pencils (although I don't recall them being called that) with different hardness leads in them for architectural drawings. We had rotating pointers with replaceable strips of fine sandpaper. I was making $1.25 an hour.

[christof]

... it's a different brand that I'm forgetting at the moment, made in Switzerland.
...



Gedess?

https://live.staticflickr.com/4301/35348217634_3b63b68944_b.jpg

[Lithium466]

Yes, Gedess. I recommend this model over the Staedtler.

[KKay]

Tombow Zoom 505 Mechanical Pencil - 0.9 mm will not break easily. I got one recently, and love it. Would like to get another in a different color. I do not know if I have a "clutch pencil", but have a variety of mechanical pencils. If you need just a sturdy pencil that will not break easily, look at images of carpenter pencils.

[Chrissy]

Tombow Zoom 505 Mechanical Pencil - 0.9 mm will not break easily. I got one recently, and love it. Would like to get another in a different color. I do not know if I have a "clutch pencil", but have a variety of mechanical pencils. If you need just a sturdy pencil that will not break easily, look at images of carpenter pencils.
I have a couple of Tombow Zoom pencils and think they are great. Not certain if they are the 505 model but they look very similar. :).

[welch]

I still have my .7mm Alvin Draft-Matic pencils, but have settled on Autopoint pencils. They come in .036 inch and .046 inch, or, roughly, .9mm and 1.1 mm. They are larger pencils, and fit my hand comfortably. And they are easy to find, since Autopoint sold advertising pencils for decades.

John Veley -- Legendary Pencil Company -- sells spectacular, incredible, indescribably great leads. My favorite is his Wet Noodle .046, a 4B. Autopoint went out of business about a year ago, leaving their shop and all their machinery, which Jon bought. He has revived it as the Legendary Pencil Company.

https://www.legendaryleadcompany.com/

[christof]

I do not use these very often, but I like these fat lead clutch pencils very much!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50713723667_3c4f2ef4a3_b.jpg

[charliejone]

Staedtler Mars Micro 775 is a good option for you. This pencil has a 0.7mm lead size and a metal body with a knurled grip for added control. pokedoku (https://pokedoku.io)

[christof]

some rather uncommon vintage Caran D'Ache Fixpencils:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53590845011_27ea39c5d0_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53589970562_4c7a5839b8_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53591050318_b8c6a33cf8_b.jpg

#0.5 which is actually a repeater pencil
#1 for 1mm leads
#77 longer than the #22
#24 round shaped instead of hexagonal
#25 with calendar

[Doggy Daddy]

Back in the day, draftsmen always kept one of these handy for that final touch up of the lead point. Called a Sandpaper Lead Pointer, it is simply multiple layers of sandpaper stapled to a wooden paddle. When the top layer is used up, just rip it off to expose a fresh strip underneath. Available at Amazon and other retailers carrying mechanical drawing & drafting equipment. 83545

[christof]

I only used these to sharpen the lead of my compass but I still have one.
For leadholders, I preferred the less messier Gedess or Staedtler 502 pointer (which is even better than the Gedess).

[Lithium466]

I'm curious, what makes you say the Staedtler is better than the Gedess? It (Staedtler) seems to use a finer grain abrasive and so produces points that look better and are probably pointier too, but the Gedess is more convenient as it accepts a wider variety of lead holders (the Staedtler only takes "narrow" ones).
The Gedess can also be used one handed, which is harder to do with the Staedtler. I have both, and as I'm not particularly fan of Staedtler lead holders I tend to use the Gedess more.

[christof]

I'm curious, what makes you say the Staedtler is better than the Gedess? It (Staedtler) seems to use a finer grain abrasive and so produces points that look better and are probably pointier too, but the Gedess is more convenient as it accepts a wider variety of lead holders (the Staedtler only takes "narrow" ones).
The Gedess can also be used one handed, which is harder to do with the Staedtler. I have both, and as I'm not particularly fan of Staedtler lead holders I tend to use the Gedess more.

Maybe I should have mention that it is my personal choice and I mostly used Fixpencils, so didn't know the difference in accepting a wider range of diameters. That's a good point of course.

The Gedess works with a sanded surface for grinding and the staedtler is fitted with kind of a milling cutter. I find that the Staedtler works somehow smoother and more precise than the Gedess. But both of them are very old and probably worn out a bit. I do not use them very often these days. Since I draw a lot less, I changed back to wood pencils.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53596330613_ce34fea317_b.jpg
Staedtler on the left, Gedess right side



...and unfortunately, I am not skilled enough to use the Gedess with one hand only :)

[Sosiska]

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