Mechanical pencil

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Looking to acquire a nice pencil, I usually permantly borrow them from work but wouldn't mind a nice shiny addition to my growing family of writing implements.
It'll be mostly used for writing and the odd bit of sketching.
I'm liking the look of the Lamy safari as I know the grip from the pens and like writing with them.

Any other recommendations?
 
Can't go wrong with any Japanese mechanical pencil: Uni, Zebra, Pilot.
The more special the model and if "Made in Japan", the better writing experience it will offer.

Alternatively, you could look for a Staedtler, again a special .7 (say) mp model.

What's the lead size you prefer? .5, .7, .9mm?
 
For drafting it doesn't get any better than a Rotring 600
I have 2; black 0.5mm & silver 0.7mm
An iconic piece of design & a cult pencil amongst engineers.
My 0.5mm is 20 years old & still looks brand new with daily use.
(Although I do look after it)
For sketching schwan stabilo make a lovely rocket shaped pencil,
It is knocking on for 20 years old as well, no paint left on the barrel at all.
Makes no difference & it has a certain shabby chic. I think the current equivalent is a 160/77

As posted by @N_ar all the Japanese pencils are terrific value, probably the best value of all.
I like zebra & pentel.
 
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For drafting it doesn't get any better than a Rotring 600
I have 2; black 0.5mm & silver 0.7mm
An iconic piece of design & a cult pencil amongst engineers.
My 0.5mm is 20 years old & still looks brand new with daily use.
(Although I do look after it)
For sketching schwan stability make a lovely rocket shaped pencil,
It is knocking on for 20 years old as well, no paint left on the barrel at all.
Makes no difference & it has a certain shabby chic. I think the modern equivalent is a 160/77
do yourself a favour,,,get one of these first

Pentel GRAPHGEAR 1000
Enabled!
What a beauty!
 
It's good to hear that pencils are still in use by architects and engineers and that sterile computer software suites haven't taken over.
Still carry a "red & black" (log book), pencil sketches for the initial ideas, recording bench measurements etc. & it's not just my age, the recent graduates too.
Beyond that, it is all CAD though.
 
For drafting it doesn't get any better than a Rotring 600
I have 2; black 0.5mm & silver 0.7mm
An iconic piece of design & a cult pencil amongst engineers.
My 0.5mm is 20 years old & still looks brand new with daily use.
(Although I do look after it)
For sketching schwan stabilo make a lovely rocket shaped pencil,
It is knocking on for 20 years old as well, no paint left on the barrel at all.
Makes no difference & it has a certain shabby chic. I think the current equivalent is a 160/77

As posted by @N_ar all the Japanese pencils are terrific value, probably the best value of all.
I like zebra & pentel.
 
Totally agree that the Rotring 600 is the best of the best. For drafting, however, I preferred a wooden pencil with a chisel point. More line variation. Architects probably want to show-off a little more with drawing style than engineers. I'm convinced the only thing architects can do better is print, which is meaningless.
 
I use the Caran d'Ache 849 Metal Ballpoint Fluo - fluorescent orange and yellow. So far I haven't lost one. The biro version is really nice too.
Superb build, metal body and they feel really nice in your hand.
I would recomend cult pens - great service.
 
Looking to acquire a nice pencil, I usually permantly borrow them from work but wouldn't mind a nice shiny addition to my growing family of writing implements.
It'll be mostly used for writing and the odd bit of sketching.
I'm liking the look of the Lamy safari as I know the grip from the pens and like writing with them.

Any other recommendations?
Here's a great website that seems to review every mechanical pencil made since the beginning of time.

http://davesmechanicalpencils.blogspot.com.es/p/list-of-reviews.html

Because paper based activities are not what it used to be, mechanical pencils are vanishing. I used a Koh-I-Nor 5611 drafting lead holder for years and the point was sharpened with a manually rotating lead sharpener that incorporated a cigaret filter in it to clean the dust from the point. This was done by jabbing the lead point into the small filter. Many of us, in our haste, missed the dust cleaner and stabbed a finger instead, cleaning the point and leaving a tattoo-like blackish mark that I still have.

Wood pencils are great to use for sketching and allow you to vary line weight - something a mechanical pencil struggles to do. The Palomino Blackwing is a good one and can be sharpened with a pocket knife.
 
As much as I love Rotring 600 for its quality I find it a little too slim for my hand. I've taken a hard rubber sleeve from another (cheap) pen and fitted it over the barrel, and that works quite well for general writing and note taking, although it's not as precise for drawing.

Not as high quality as the Rotring but more comfortable for me is the Staedtler 925-25-xx.
925_25_05.jpg
 
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