Mechanical Pencils for artists and graphic artists 

As a collector, I have thousands of pens and pencils, this was a very nice and informative presentation. Thank you

I just love pencils, the more the merrier. Thanks so much for showing us the neat things that mechanical pencils can do

I fell in love with kuru toga the moment I came to know about it, I'm a beginner artist so I'll buy it when I'm a pro as a gift to myself.

I don't really have a real use for a mechanical pencil, I just like the designs and I'd like to imagine having a use for one. Still, this a great video showcasing lots of different ones for different uses.

I'm not an artists, but I have done a lot of sketching, a deal of it work related. I'm not a draftsman, either, though I had some training in the area, and had to draw a thousand miles of line over several years. My main job, though, was writing. In these endeavors, I used all sorts of pencils, always looking for the perfect one. Like most of the professionals around me, I started with fancy, feature rich, often extremely expensive pencils. We broke so many expensive pencils that I was afraid we would bankrupt our employer. As we gained experience, we nearly all went back to simplicity. The number one pencil, by far, that we eventually settled on was the Pentel P 200 series. The only features they have are the ability to write well and reliably, and the ability to last a long, long time. I bought three P 200 pencils, a 0.5, a 0.7, and a 0.9 about thirty-six years ago, and put more than half a million words on each, plus miles and miles of lines, a lot of sketches, etc., on each, and all three are still working. .. I tried the rOtring pencils, and they are beautiful, they feel great, and while they work, they work well, but I had four of them break on me. Each lasted three months, but the workload was just too much. I also had some very, very expensive Japanese drafting pencils break. Some others didn't break, but just were not comfortable. We nearly all put slip on grips on our pencils, so the grip was seldom a problem, but balance was. Most of the grip material we used was thin silicon tubing. Cut off a length of the appropriate size, slip it over the existing grip, and our hands never slipped. There are several pencils on your list that weren't around then, and I wish I could have tried them, especially the Pentel Graph Gear 1000. Maybe the 800, as well. I'm retired now, which means I work harder than ever. I just don't get paid for most of it. But suddenly I had all this free time, so the standard line was, "You have time to do this, don't you? I'd really appreciate it." I finally started charging everyone except family and close friends. I thought this would drive people away. It just drew more in. Anyway, point being is that I still use pencils nearly day, though I certainly don't have the five to twelve hour stretches of head down work. There are some new innovations that are definitely cleaver and cool. And most pencils can stand up to the light work load I have now, so I try every one that comes out, if it looks at all like it can do the job. Or if it's just cool. I still use my P 200 pencils eighty percent of the time, and the Graph Gear pencils are second. Anyway, the lesson I took away from all those years of intense pencil use is that simplicity lies at the heart of perfection. They say that perfection is the enemy of good enough, and since perfection is a never-ending quest, good enough is real world perfection. I believe it. Most "features" were things we either never used once the work started, or they were things that would break, or just cause aggravation. Anyway, good, good review of such pencils. Which to use is a highly personal thing, but they're all fun to try.

I've watched this three times now. It is extremely informative, useful and interesting. Thank you!

This is a super video. So many videos don't make the distinction that people use their pencils for different tasks. Writing, art, graphic design. This really helps buyers make an educated decision. Thanks.

Excellent video. Very well explained.

I still have my Rotring 600 from 30 years ago when I was at Uni. That thing is bombproof! Don't use it much since I find Staedtler 780 Clutches are more useful for art and shading. Having long extendible leads and allowing for looser hands is where the 780 seems to play well for me.

Great video. Thank you so much, this really helped me to chose some pencils to give a try.

I love the pentel orenz 0.2 for really detailed drawing, just bought yhe pentel orenz nero 0.2 can't wait to try that. As artists buying mechanical pencils is very addictive

Lately I have been more on the Fountain Pen side, but I have lots of Pilots "The Shaker" 0.5mm that I can wholeheartedly recommend. As I decided to learn to draw, I have come to appreciate 2.0mm mechanical pencils. Looking forward for a 5.6mm clutch pen in the future. Mechanical Pencils have been a staple of my education, so I have a big soft spot for them. They are inexpensive, reliable and allow for corrections.

Excellent, no nonsense review. Thank you. The only problem is that now I have an urge to go and buy all of them!

That's so awesome

Thanks for explaining in detail, and solving the confusion of what to buy first. As being middle class I can't afford all of them at a time. But you have clearly defined them all . You have one of the best pencils of world in your collection.

Excelente video. Saludos desde Medellín Colombia

This is sick ! We really love your stuff ! 🔥🙌🏽🔥

Very nice, thank you!

I like your presentation on mechanical pencils. I like to draw with a 2.0mm with the lead extended and laid on an angle for a calligraphy effect while keeping the tip sharp for accuracy. I was looking for a 0.9 mm for the same style of drawing but I haven’t found one.However I did notice that the super promecha seems to be capable of a flared effect in this way.Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the video, I am a woodworker and very hard on mechanical pencils. It is a bit of a love hate relationship.The Zebra Delguard you showed is not only sprung so the lead retracts into the tube to protect the lead it also has an additional tip feature that resists breaking the lead with side pressure by using a small sprung bevel on the base of the tip. I find it a better system than the Pentel Orenz system that has the sprung lead alone.. All the best.

fantastic video, just what I needed.

Great video. Deserves more views.

that was pretty cool dude, thanks for that

Thank you. This was very helpful. You reviewed a few I had never heard of. Lefties unite.

I just want to buy the best mechanical pencils, roting, pentel pp3003, Platinum Pro use etc, and use them to write my homework and exams lollll

So much insight. Especially those les known ones Thanks!

great review! i like how you describe things

good to know about the DOUBLE CLUTCH mechanical pencils. wonder who else makes them...

Just thanks

かなりいいレビューでした。そして日本には見なかったシャーペンもあって驚きました。

Thank you for this video, it's really very helpful

This video was unexpectedly informative - I watched it from start to end twice. Thank you! My father is an engineer and would always bring home these color coded pencils (black - 0.5mm, blue - 0.7mm and yellow - 0.9mm, I don't remember the brand) for me to use as a child. I just purchased a few cheap mechanical pencils for my son to use in school, but now I may consider buying something a bit more expensive for myself. Love that mechanism of that Kuru Toga.

Good job. 😀

very educational ,those are some wide varieties pencil .

liked this video and also subscribed, i love the way you answer almost every one's comment. so nice of you... i am a beginner. trying to get Pentel graph-gear 1000 in Pakistan, but here in Pakistan we cant order from Amazon. And if there is any website which is able to ship in Pakistan that web is charging 4 times of its actual price... :( It is very difficult to get gud Art supplies here in my country.

A lot of info on different pencils! It would be nice if there was amazon links to the pencils mention in the video.

You should try the pentel twist erase three. Its a really well rounded pencil. The only thing that i find wrong with it is that the grip can get sticky after some time. Other than that it will last you forever!

Can we get this gentelman to make a video about sketchbooks / drawingpaper? Please.

really informative, thanks !

Great clear, concise, thorough and really well presented video. Many thanks Roy. Loved to have seen some of your artwork. Sadly you didn't give us your surname, do I can even check you out online. Have you made any other videos? I hope you have because you're an absolute natural when it comes to presenting. Stay healthy my friend.

I have had a beautiful but more expensive Staedtler o.5 automatic feed mech pencil for probably 25 years and ahead of it's time.

You might like the new Kuru Toga Advance and Advance Upgrade :) I am just ordering them...

Seeing that the Kuru Toga is constantly rotating the lead so that it’s sharp edge always meets the paper, would this mean that the line it is drawing is finer then other .5mm pencils? If so, what thickness would this be equivalent to?

You can try Muji abs resin pencil with double clutch which allows to use most of the lead, they claimed until 1mm is left ofnthe lead. Most pencil stops at 8/10mm and after that it's unstable to write with.

A very nice presentation, thank you very much. I'm also a mechanical pencil enthusiast, I'm not an artist, I'm just a design engineer. I only have thicknesses of maximum 2.0 mm. Between 0.2 and 2.0 mm. As a small observation, at 5:34 min. I think it's not the Pentel 600. That's the classic Rotring 600, isn't it? Good thoughts!

Hi as a college student buying these tools can be expensive, but I believe in quality. I've invested in fountain pens in the past and I love them, but recently I saved up to buy a Pentel Orenznero because as a physicist I need the smaller lead to fit more math in tight spaces. Do you think the orenznero is a good choice for a student?

Sir please reply me Have you heard about tombow variable mechanical pencil . It also has same mechanism just like in ohto super promecha 1500p and should I go for it? Thanks

what lead do you use? its so dark! I wanna buy it!

Should I buy the Kuru Toga or Zebra DelGuard?(I still can't choose ; __ ;)

I dont think you realize that the delgaurd protects against sideways pressure as well. You can’t break from any angle even if you tried. The faber Castell cannot protect against sideways pressure

please make a video showing your fountain pens

Okay if I have a 0.5 pencil could I also use blue lead that is what I was curious about because I know that there's regular lead and blue lead for tracing something but if I have a 0.5 mechanical pencil will it also take blue lead? Thanks

Please make an update

Hello there. I am thinking of buying a mechanical pencil to give it to my girlfriend. But I have no idea which pen to buy. He uses 0.7 nibs and likes Rotring style pencils. Is there a nice pen you can recommend? Thank you.

I’m new to mechanical pencils so I’m trying to find something very small 0.3mm or less in a 2B so I can draw in tiny details in my graphite drawings. Any help and or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

What about leadholders?