Pentel Graph Gear 500 Premium Mechanical

New favorite pencil!! Writes so smooth and lead is sturdy and barely smudges. Grip is quite uncomfy for note taking but that was expected, I just put a grip on it and it’s totally fine! I love the quality of this pencil, feels really nice for the price!

Nice mechanical pencil.

Never regret

Bought because I need a single pencil that’ll last me throughout the years, love the design and it’s very good quality

Me encanto este producto, su diseño es perefecto para dibujar

In terms of ergonomics, its good to okay. I expected the whole pencil to be uniformly weighted, but most of the weight occurs at the bottom end where the finely knurled metal part is. The rest of the pencil (black portion) is light plastic so its off-balanced. I also prefer a round girth (outer cross-section shape) like most pens versus the hexagonal shape (like wooden pencils) that this one has. The metal hook is a bit long so it annoyingly gets in the way in certain angles, but luckily its detachable so I just took it off. The eraser is hidden under the shiny cap and uses those small skinny types. Maybe thats why there is an included high performing polymer eraser in the package. The lead included is nice, writes very smooth and good dark lines. I noticed that the long metal tip where the lead exits out is a bit longer than expected and is permanent (it doesn't retract into the body like some mechanical pencils). I do prefer a permanent lead support versus the retractable kind but the length of it takes a bit getting used to. For my hand-writing style, I hold my pencil close to the paper, but this one forces me to hold it at about 2mm further away. Doesn't sound like much, but I noticed the change. I would test it out with your normal pencil by moving your hand just a tad bit higher up and see if it effects your handwriting.In terms of performance, I think it does great. It does what it sets out to do. I like that when you click the cap for more lead it comes out at finer increments than most of my usual mechanical pencils. No more worry of lead breaking off from hard handwriting. Both the lead and eraser(s) perform well and attest to Pental quality. I think it all boils down to your handwriting preference.

Some prefer the the sleeker metal tube design of the (more expensive) GraphGear 1000, the finesse of the (much more expensive) Rotring, or the lead-sharpening technology of the Kura Toga. But for our purposes (math homework, pencil art sketches, science data journals) this pencil can't be beaten.The long metal sleeve never jams, and gives you a better view of the contact area for detail work. Each click advances just the right amount of lead, not so much that you get breaks, and not so little that you need to click again often.The metal grip area feels super sturdy and the grip checkering holds the pencil firmly with no slippage. But it's not scratchy or uncomfortable to hold (like the GraphGear 1000 might feel to some).I like the versatility of 05.mm lead. But my son prefers the lead durability and thicker lines of the 0.7mm model, so we got both.This is a premium-feature pencil at a very reasonable price. Highest recommendation.

so I actually bought this pencil back in 2017 as a risky move because I always lose all of my pens and pencils, but the moment I drew with the GraphGear500 I just knew that it was going to form an essential part of my art supplies. the pencil itself is very light weight but the metal grip is everything, it adds just enough weight for a comfortable grip and it doesnt make your fingers and wrist hurt after a while of using it compared to completely plastic/ hollow pencils. the big winner for me would be the tip and how there's enough separation between the lead and your fingertips so you have full visibility of your work compared to other pencils. As an artist I try lots of pens pencils leads and inks apart from other things and this pencil hasn't let me down even once.