Mechanical Pencil reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 472 Reddit reviews across 12 subreddits and 50 posts to rank the best Mechanical Pencil brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/mechanicalpencils, r/EngineeringStudents, r/EDC, r/pencils, r/stationery. Top-rated brands include Pentel (4.5/5), Rotring (4.6/5), Uni (4.4/5).
Stats
Reviews472
Subreddits12
Posts50
Brands31
Products87
472 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Pentel
4.5
(165)
"Been using graphgear 1000s for 10 years"
"I have a Pentel Graphgear1000 that I've been using for close to 15 years. 10/10"
"I’ll go for Pentel Smash. The rubber stubs perfectly sit in between your fingers when forming a natural grip."
"Personally, I love the pentel Nero metal grip in 0.3. it's one of the very few pencils that has an amazing knurled grips."
"It's like a better Graphgear 500."
"Pentel GraphGear 1000 was what got me into the rabbit hole"
"You've already got it - the Kerry Sharp. Just an amazing design."
"Pentel orenz (just the base model, not the Nero) in 0.5mm. The lead sleeve works perfectly and doesn’t get in the way, the lead is practically impossible to break with it."
"I love my graphgear 500. Getting a good pencil is soooo nice and got me loving writing things on paper again and drawing gorjus fbds"
"HUGE ups to the Pentel. My workhorse. I have several. (0.7 gang)"
#2
Rotring
4.6
(79)
"I love my RotRing 600. 0.5 lead. The gnurled grip is comfortable and the weight of the brass in my hand is very satisfying."
"If you have the money for it rotting 800. The tip is retractable unlike the 600 which means if you drop it it isn't bust."
"Rotring 800 is my personal choice"
"Rotring 800"
"Rotring 600"
"Rotring 600 here"
"I've had my Rotting 600 for 7 years, love that thing."
"I have a rotring600 which I used for years and it’s great."
"Rotring 600"
"Rotring. End of thread."
#3
Uni
4.4
(66)
"Uni Kurutoga Advance - It rotates the lead so you don't get the flat spot."
"The kuru toga is my go to long write pencil. The rotating mechanism keeps a sharp edge."
"The Uni Kuru Toga Roulette is a great one. Got me addicted."
"Kuru toga advance upgrade."
"Kuru toga Elite/Roulette"
"Kuru toga Advance Upgrade"
"Uni Kurutoga is by far the best I’ve used. I have 3 of them now."
"I absolutely love my Uni Kurutoga Advance Upgrade, it writes really well and has a good build."
"Kuru toga. The auto rotate clutch thingy is just magic"
"Uni kurutoga hands down."
#4
Staedtler
4.4
(25)
"Hard to beat staedtler 925 25."
"Staedtler 925-35"
"Staedtler Mars Technico 700 because it's the longest."
"The Staedtler Mars Technico 780 has always been my favorite."
"The Steadtler Mars Technico for drawing."
"If you’re function over fashion kind of person, this is only pencil you will ever want to own again."
"May I suggest a 2 mm lead holder like the Staedtler Mars Technico or it's click-to-advance brother, the 925 35-20?"
"Absolutely unbelievable how good one feels in the hand for just $12."
"I recommend an inexpensive pencils with a retractable tip and a good eraser."
"0.5 mm Steadler 925"
#5
Pilot
4.2
(24)
"Pilot S10 is my personal favorite."
"The PILOT S10 is one of the best value pencils ever made."
"Pilot S10, and Pentel Orenz. ... I use my S10 for engineering calcs, notes and sketches. Beautiful balance and solid as a rock."
"Dr.Grip pencils! Ive tried sooo many throughout the years but this one is my all time fav."
"That pencil is incredible, so sturdy."
"Pilot also sells the Dr Grip in a mechanical pencil version too."
"Yeah, a Pilot Dr. Grip is fine."
"Other good plastic pencils are the Pilot S10"
"From what ive heard the uni alpha gel and pilot dr grip are good"
"If you want to try something else, get the Pilot S20 for writing."
#6
Zebra
4.5
(15)
"No love for the zebra delguard? Game changer."
"2) Zebra Del Guard"
"Zebra DelGuard Mechanical Pencil ..... Eliminate Lead Breakage with Patented Technology"
"Either Zebra, Tombow or Kotobuki, ... I like light weight pencils though."
"Love the weight, and the grip geometry is perfect wherever you hold it."
"Metal frame, hard plastic groved grip."
"One of the best engineered mechanical pencils."
"The zebra delguard has pretty a pretty good system agai"
"Kokuyo FitCurve, Sakura SumoGrip, Pentel Orenz models, Zebra Del-Guard, Pentel Twist-Erase are the pencils I found decent for cursive handwriting."
"My favorite is zebra delGuard."
#7
Kuru Toga
4.4
(10)
"Kuru toga. Auto rotation is useful for me."
"Gotta stick with my Kurutoga Dive."
"Kuru toga (preferably advance) or Pental Orenz 0.2."
"I'm loving it."
"Try Kuru Toga Advance. It rotates 2x as much as the regular one."
"Kuru Toga Dive until it dies."
"Kuru Toga."
"Kurutoga ks probably."
"I second the kuru toga."
"You could try looking into the Kuru Toga lineup"
#8
Graph Gear
4.6
(8)
"Great choice! I did the same thing and have been using it for the last 6 years now."
"Awesome Choice I love the graph gear 1000 well balanced mechanical pencil."
"I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the GG1K."
"GraphGear1000, I really like it."
"Graph gear 1000 0.3."
"Graphgear 1000."
"Graph gear 1000. Relatively cheap compared to other drafting pencils."
"Now GG1000 for pro is one of my favorites instead."
#9
Alvin
4.7
(6)
"I really liked the Alvin Draft/Matic when I was studying engineering."
"I've been caring the same Alvin Draft/Matic Mechanical Pencil since 1997. I love it and it loves me."
"I've been using the same Alvin Draftmatic for over 20 years."
"Great looking, spring-tip, great value all around."
"IMO the Alvin DraftMatic has a better weight distribution since it has a light hard plastic body and metal grip."
"Alvin DM07 Draft-Matic Mechanical Pencil 0.7mm."
#10
Kaweco
4.3
(6)
"I haven’t used it since buying a Kaweco Special Brass though. The Kaweco just feels better in my opinion."
"Orenz Nero, Kurutoga Dive. Kaweco Special. Really love Kokuyo Enpitsu Sharp as well and all my rotrings"
"Kaweco special brass"
"Kaweco Special is also good."
"Kaweco Special Brass 0.5mm."
"Kaweco Special Brass!"
#11
TWSBI
4.2
(6)
"The tip doesn't wobble at all :)"
"TWSBI precision is similar to a R600 but can have a retractable sleeve. Think it is lighter too."
"People have recommended the TWSBI precision which is very similar to the 600 but with a retractable tip like the 800, at the price of the 600 with similar build quality"
"When picking between something like Lamy 2000 (an obvious "writing" pencil) and, let's say, TWSBI precision (drafting-style pencil), I'll go for TWSBI in 7 cases out of 10."
"TWSBI Precision, sliding barrel, 0.5mm."
"I think I would go with the TWSBI Precision."
#12
Faber-Castell
4.2
(6)
"Faber-Castell TK9400 in 2mm for drawing."
"Tk9400 2mm is superb! Lovely pencil"
"Faber Castell Apollo has a comfortable triangular grip."
"This one is my go to: Faber-Castell Grip 1345 Mechanical Pencil."
"Try the Koh i noor 5900 or the Faber castell 9400."
"And faber castell gripmatic."
#13
Platinum
4.6
(5)
"Grab a Pro Use 171 and you can throw away the gg1000, thank me later."
"The Platinum Pro-Use 171 is my favorite among the various drafting style mechanical pencils I own."
"In my opinion the Platinum Pro Use 171 is the best. Firstly because it has no nock and you can still hide the guide pipe."
"Pro-Use 171 is good too, solid writing, and good weight and built."
"My fav for features is the platinum pro-use 171."
#14
Ohto
4.2
(5)
"I've got an Ohto MS-01 and it's awesome. Full metal construction. Retractable tip so that it doesn't get bent or stab holes in things while being carried around"
"Ohto MS-01!!"
"Ohto MS01"
"Some other pencils which come to my mind: Uni Kuru Toga (Advance), Lamy Safari, Otho Promecha MS01"
"I sometimes use the Ohto MS01 for writing."
#15
Lamy
4.2
(5)
"Lamy safari is great."
"The Lamy Safari is a great looking pencil."
"The Lamy 2000 pencil is also good."
"Some other pencils which come to my mind: Uni Kuru Toga (Advance), Lamy Safari, Otho Promecha MS01"
"The Lamy are liked among a lot of people but I have to warn that anyone looking at one should test out the grip."
#16
Bic
3.6
(5)
"But I also liked bic’s mechanical pencil"
"Bic 0.7mm 30 pack from Costco for like $10"
"Bic mechanical pencils .7mm lead"
"Some bics to carry on trips and lose."
"The big 10 packs of 0.9mm BIC pencils that are rainbow colored."
#17
Koh-I-Noor
4.3
(4)
"I have and use one to be very satisfied with, hence my recommend."
"My fav is Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic."
"Try the Koh i noor 5900 or the Faber castell 9400."
"I've got a Koh-I-Noor 5900 that I really like."
#18
Graphgear
5.0
(3)
"I like the graph gear 500 for sketching."
"Graphgear 500 for linework and details."
"Without GG500s i am nothing."
#19
Pilot S10
5.0
(3)
"Fantastic pencil."
"Like the others have said the Pilot S10 is great choice."
"The Pilot s10 is excellent."
#20
Tombow
4.7
(3)
"+ on the monograph. had 6 of them now, loved them all to death."
"Tombo Mono Graph"
"I also like the Tombow Monograph because they have the same hand feel as KuruToga but without the mechanism, and as a bonus they have a nice eraser"
#21
Kokuyo
4.7
(3)
"Really love Kokuyo Enpitsu Sharp as well and all my rotrings"
"Perfect for writing, gives a good pencil feel."
"Kokuyo FitCurve, Sakura SumoGrip, Pentel Orenz models, Zebra Del-Guard, Pentel Twist-Erase are the pencils I found decent for cursive handwriting."
#22
Sakura
4.3
(3)
"If it’s for a long time I like my sakura sumo-grip. The pencil is thick, soft, and has some flex and puts the least strain on your hand and wrist."
"Other good plastic pencils are the Sakura 125"
"Kokuyo FitCurve, Sakura SumoGrip, Pentel Orenz models, Zebra Del-Guard, Pentel Twist-Erase are the pencils I found decent for cursive handwriting."
#23
Orenz
4.3
(3)
"I am a cursive writer as well and like the Orenz in .2 and .3."
"The orenz nero appears to only be $18 on amazon right now."
"Probably like Orenz or any stable .2-.3"
#24
Zebra DelGuard
4.0
(3)
"I'd recommend the DelGuard in this case because it's designed specifically to prevent lead from breaking."
"Zebra Delguard. Very forgiving."
"I just use the DelGuard from Zebra. It doesn't do anything, it's all bullshit, but hey, inexpensive."
#25
Platinum Pro Use 241
5.0
(2)
"Pro Use 241 is better than both."
"Platinum Pro Use 241 and Staedtler 925, are way better than the 171."
#26
Blick
4.5
(2)
"FYI. Blick Premier"
"Rotring 600, pentel Kerry sharp, or Blick Premier"
#27
Pentel GraphGear 500
4.5
(2)
"Graphgear 500 is the best."
"Pentel GraphGear 500, 0.3 mm size."
#28
Paper Mate
4.0
(2)
"I really like the paper mate clear point ones with the clicker on the side."
"Paper mate sharpwrighter. The spring keeps it from breaking all the time they last forever."
#29
Bolero
5.0
(1)
"Rotring tikky 0.7 and bolero is best of the best always"
#30
Tactile Turn
5.0
(1)
"Tactile turn mechanical pencil is high quality, very much an engineering students writing utensil, and has a lifetime warranty with good customer service"
#31
Montblanc
4.0
(1)
"I generally use my MONTBLANC Meisterstuck Solitaire 0.7mm"
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