(Part 2) Top products from r/pencils

Welcome my friend, my only real advice is don't let it become an obsession, at the end if the day, the lead you choose has a far larger impact on your writing enjoyment. Getting that out of the way, I highly recommend the pentel kerry. It has the unique design of being a capped mechanical pencil which makes it completely pocket safe yet has a fixed sleeve so there is no tip wobble when being used. I find that for everyday use, 0.5 mm lead in grade B (which is slightly softer then the common HB (aka #2) grade) is a solid choice because it puts down a slightly darker line. I have had my Kerry for 11 years now and I had to get it repaired once due to my own fault. Pentel repaired it free of cost in one week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006SW6YO?pc_redir=1412262079&robot_redir=1

I also suggest a Lamy Scribble if you prefer 0.7 mm lead size. It has a great feel to it, though is slightly thicker than the Kerry. There is something special about the scribble that just makes you want to pick it up and start writing with it. I will say that I do find lead breakage in the advance mechanism of the scribble more often than the Kerry.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00118Z0BY/ref=pd_aw_sims_4?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1

Both are great pencils and you can't go wrong with either of them for everyday use.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be glad to recommend some others if neither of those fit your fancy.

is the cp1 really metal? i know the lamy st, which is all metal, and also a little less expensive.
i own the lamy st tripen and the lead isn't springy like it is in the scribble.
and about the mechanism, i bet lamy uses Schmidt systems, as almost every german company.

here are few metal (not always solid) mechanical pencils with sleek straight aesthetic i know:

Staedtler Organizer is very thin and designed to be used with notebooks.

Faber Castell Ambition Black resin with metal. Twist lead advance system.

Faber Castell Basic with a rubber grip. there is also a shiny version of it.

Lamy 2000 has a 100% metal version too, but its a very different price caterogy.

Since you mentioned the kaweco sport al (a pocket pen), maybe you could look at the Kaweco Special as well. there is a black anodized version as well. both aluminum.

The rOtring 800 is the one with retractable sleeve? I know one of the rOtrings very famous pens have a fixed very very thin sleeve, that could bend once it falls. It is surely a nice drafting tool, but probably meant to be kept on the desk of an office. A bent tip would be a headache...

International shipping rates is why.

I mean, I was in New Zealand a few months ago, and I saw General's Pencils sets in a major bookstore chain there. Take one item which is listed at 13.99 NZD, or about 9 bucks USD. The same item in the US is under 5.00 on Amazon, and not much more in a retail location. So I certainly wasn't going to buy any of those there...but, European art supplies were much cheaper there than what I was used to paying in the US. I splurged on Staedtler pencils and French gouache while I was there, lol.

I have used Japanese forwarding services, they do the job well. But...using Tenso's calculator for shipping+handling on the item (finding out the exact weight per box), and the listed price on Amazon JP....technically the Amazon US seller is cheaper (about 8 bucks and free shipping, vs 10-11 depending on exchange fluctuations. Some banks in the US charge foreign transaction fees, too.). Markups at JetPens aren't too much worse (1.05/pencil, so 12.60 for 12 of them). Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore may sell these, and I remember a slightly similar pencil (9800) being about 1.00 a pencil.

Try the graph gear 1000. It's made of metal with a retractable tip and feels great on the hand. its $10.06 at Amazon with prime. Probably the best pencil on the market for the price.

USA Gold Natural (Price fluctuates a lot, average price according to CCC ~$3 for 12) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00144111I/ Target and Walmart near me always has the yellow pencils in stock, not the natural wood case for some reason.

General Cedar Pointe #2 is around $0.30 each if you have Blick's nearby. Great pencils. Natural wood case with black ferrule and erasers.

Still want to try the Palominos sometime.

wow I didn't see that it takes flat lead!

Here is one source for flat lead refills, but probably not the right size: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/s?keyword=flat+lead

see also: https://www.amazon.com/Striker-Replacement-Mechanical-Carpenter-Pencil/dp/B000JYJBTI

The Paper Mate PhD is a good one. So is the Pentel Twist-Erase III, available in 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9mm leads.

If you like the design, I'd say the Pentel Kerry.

Kum Masterpiece

GraphGear 1000
http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Automatic-Drafting-Brushed-PG1015A/dp/B000GAU2RU/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1464447103&sr=1-4&keywords=Pentel+Graph+Gear+1000

Graphgear 500 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047CP7PA/ref=psdc_1069816_t3_B0006HXQXA

rOting 300 http://www.amazon.com/rOtring-0-5mm-Mechanical-Pencil-502305/dp/B001A1POYA

rOting 600 http://www.amazon.com/rOtring-Mechanical-Pencil-Black-1904443/dp/B00AZWYUA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1464448403&sr=1-1&keywords=rotring+600

rOting Rapid Pro http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXIRDSW/ref=psdc_1069816_t3_B00AZX0GOM

Staedtler 925 25 05
http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Mechanical-Pencil-925-25-05/dp/B002BNHMC8

Platinum Mechanical Pencil PRO USE 03
http://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Mechanical-Pencil-MSD-1500-MSD-1500A/dp/B004G0AFP0


Here are the links

Smash.

Someone linked this one the other day. Apparently it stands up too, IIRC.

I found them on Amazon. There are a few different types with more drawers too.

TBH, Musgrave pencils aren't that great. I'd use these instead: https://www.amazon.com/Uni-ball-Vermilion-Prussian-Wooden-Pencil/dp/B001BL1T98