Hi Stub, that's a Pentel PSD5, double-knock retractable tip. Locks in place with no wobble. Comparable to a Pilot H-2005 or H-3005. While not as beautiful as the PILOT equivalents with their etched metal front sections, the PSD5 is nice quality.
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:) I have a few. Both mechanical and clutch.
I’m ending up with quite a few.
For a long time I just used my Rotring 800, it was and still is perfect for me overall.
I recently became intrigued by thicker leads though, and have since acquired a Retro 51 tornado, a beautiful Yard-O-Led from a member here, as swell as a Rite in the Rain branded Autopoint and two vintage twist pencils.
Guess you could say I’m collecting at this point, LOL.
Rotring 800 is a nice one. I have the 800 with the stylus because we have the iPads. Enjoy!
Do you know those wire shelves that are easy to find at Home Depot and Loews? There are these soft PVC end caps that are used with them. They fit quite well over the business end of mechanical pencils, for protection. But in addition to that, they can turn any mechanical pencil into an iPad stylus. ;)
Most of my pencils, I heritated. All in decent quality!
https://picload.org/image/doacgggr/mech-pens-770.jpg
I looked at eBay and saw the price...not bad. There would be a couple of other things on my wish list. It will be a target of opportunity. Thanks
Found an odd mechanical pencil. Remember the Pentel Quick Clicker, where you'd push a button on the barrel near the grip area to advance the lead? Apparently that's called a "side-click". Well, there's a similar method, but involves "bending" the pencil, to achieve the same thing. Only this one is done in brushed stainless steel with an expandable/retractable body. It was made by Artline.
https://s19.postimg.cc/7ynon34cz/Art...chihata_01.jpg
Unscrewed, there's an elongated dome-cap that covers over the lead tube. It may be rounded as the barrel inside presses up against it during the click-action. The advance mechanism looks be triggered just forward of the screw mount on the front half. An eraser is seated in the tail, covered over by a machined solid steel screw cap.
https://s19.postimg.cc/femy8vzs3/Art...chihata_03.jpg
EDIT: Here's a short video demo: LINK.
I find it interesting that for the mechanical pencils so many advances have been made. As old as it is, it is current with the times. You now have this system, the shaking as you mentioned and one that you can bend the lower body. The coolest and neatest is the Kuru Toga rotation of the lead.
There certainly have been a lot of advances, some lost and then repeated, others completely new. The Kuru Toga lead rotation is a terrific feature for note taking. You simply don't have to rotate the pencil in your hand, as the mechanism does it for you. But it can be a problem for people who write in script, or need control of the tip (allowing a "chisel" shape can have advantages). One feature I just don't understand is the Del Guard, with the tip breakage protection. In my book, if you're using 0.5mm or larger lead and it breaks, either the pencil is faulty or you're pressing too hard.
For lead advancement, the shaker design bothers me as I just don't want to be doing that shake motion. I'd much prefer to click on a button or pusher with a finger. Twisting is OK. But this "kink" method of pressing on the barrel with the Artline is pretty amazing. I edited the post above to include a link to a short video that demonstrates how it works. My only complaint for this would be the uncertainty on longevity for the brushed steel surface. I expect if using this pencil very frequently, it'll develop smoothed over wear spots. Probably remedied with some abrasive micro mesh, although it won't look totally like stock. In any case, time will tell. The barrel extension/retraction is also quite innovative, making it easier to carry without sacrificing writing comfort.
Hmmmm. Bored. Looking around for any new offerings in the world of [new] mechanical pencils. Anyone find something interesting lately?
I'm quite tempted to treat myself to a nice mechanical pencil. However, there are so many different kinds of pencils out there, and so many mentioned in this thread that I'm finding it quite bewildering to pick one.
If it's for writing, I find the Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 very useful and comfortable in the hand. For drawing, others can give better advice than me.
I am a music nerd, and teach at a music school so lots of pencil action. I dig wood pencils but have also been through lot of mechanicals. The ones that I have liked and used the most are:
Pentel GraphGear 500. I do not love the GraphGear 1000 b/c I don't like rubberized grips and I don't love those little silicon nubbings they put on the 1000 but the GraphGear 500 is a great pencil with a solid grip and works great with rulers. Yay! The cheaper one is better & a really good everyday user. The 1000 is, however, retractable and one of the few that does not wiggle around. I hate when the sleeve wiggles so I do keep my GraphGear 1000 for grab and go but the GraphGear 500 is the better pencil (imo).
Alvin Draftmatic. Super. All around great pencil with epic knurling. light but solid. Love it.
rOtring 600 is also a great pencil a little heavier than the Alvin Draftmatic but similarly rugged. Again, the 600 (imo) is better than the more expensive ones like the 800.
I also like the plain old Pentel P200 Series (light, rigged, no rubbery grip but a little thin). I also like the Pentel Kerry. I also like some of my old vintage Sheaffers that are nice and chubby and textured grips.
But if I had to pick just three and toss the rest. Alvin Draftmatic, rOtring 600, Pentel GraphGear 500 are so far my favorites.
I wish someone would make a chubby pencil. I am note sure why everyone thinks a pencil has to be thin.
for me #1 issue has to be a solid non-wiggle point with no play or cushion or whatever. That lead sleeve has to be rock steady or it bugs me.
It seems loads of people are getting the latest Spoke pencil if that floats your boat. Or the Pental Orenznero 0.2mm. I haven't tried either of those, though - I'm happy with more of the classics, from Pentel P205 to Yard-O-Led Diplomat.
I would say pick one of the Pentel P200 series, Pentel Kerry, Rotring 600 or Kuru Toga to start you off. Whichever you like the look of most, then you can go from there once you have a frame of reference.
There's the Lamy Scribble. I have the 3.15mm version and it's great, but I imagine the 0.7mm is good too. For more posh writing, the Lamy 2000 or Faber-Castell e-motion aren't exactly thin. For a cheap option, the Faber-Castell Grip 2011 mechanical pencil is a bit light and plasticy, but I find it fantastic for writing.
I've read this whole thread, and I read up about pencils on Cult Pens. I wanted something that wasn't thin, and wasn't too expensive. In the end I ordered a Tombow Zoom 505 SH from Amazon as it was a significantly lower price to buy it directly from Japan. I'll let you know what it's like in a month after I've received it. :)