Staedtler Mechanical Pencil 1.3 mm, Yellow Body (771)

I've been disappointed with how easily my .5mm leads break with my Alvin Draftmatic when I'm sketching big or bold. Wanted a thicker lead so that I could use 2B without having to deal with constant breaks. This pencil is a great compromise, with 1.3mm leadIt weighs nothing - like a feather. Took a while to get used to, but I like it now. Feels great in the hand, nice and chonky, and I haven't had a lead break yet. 1.3mm is fat and sturdy, yet not so big you need to sharpen it. Big pencil, big lines. The tip retracts inside for protection.The eraser is refillable with the June Gold retractable 12 pack, just cut them in half. I don't usually like plasticky things, but this is the exception. Bought the mega pack of Bild 2B leads and I'm all set.

I'm an older man, and have some small tremors in my hand... this is problematic when writing, so I compensate by bearing down hard... this controls the tremors, but when using a normal mechanical pencil I break leads a lot when pushing like that... this pencil is the thickest lead I've ever found in such a pencil, 1.3mm, and it works well for me... very satisfied customer...

Nice easy grip. Writes well. Comfortable to hold. Good value.

Love them! I saw Willem Dafoe using one on his movie. ‘The Hunter’ , liked it so much. I decided to buy some.

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Good value, quality product.

I love a good quality mechanical pencil, so I got this as a sort of gift to myself for being so productive in my first year of college and for becoming a student instructor for one of my classes. I caught it while it was on sale for about 8 Dollars which I thought was a bit high, then looked at the original price to see that it was originally 20 dollars."Who the hell in their right mind would pay 20 dollars for a pencil?" I thought.I was tempted into buying it since the sale rate was so high, and I have been using it nearly every day ever since. Like I said before, I love a good quality mechanical pencil, but the problems that they usually give me are that they are usually too small for my hands and the lead snaps too easily. With this pencil, both of those problems are solved. Both the pencil and the lead I put in it have survived being dropped on the floor, crammed in my back pack, and thrown across the room by my annoying younger sister.The only immediate problem I have with this pencil is trying to find replacements for the twist eraser at the top, but even then it looks like it would take a pentel brand twist-eraser pretty easily.Despite all of this, I think even the sale price is just a little too high for what your getting. If I were in charge of sales, I would probably sell each pencil around 6 dollars a piece, but there's no way that I would let the price get even close to 20 dollars.Overall the pencil is a little pricey but worth it for people with bigger hands or who constantly break smaller pencil leads.

Hands-down, best pencil on the planet. The girth of this lead is substantial. I know that’s personal preference.

Very pleased with purchase so far. I'm using mostly as carpenter's pencil. 1.3 mm lead is ideal size. Narrow enough for reasonable accuracy while not requiring point sharpening. Thick enough to resist breaking. The lead extends from a narrow steel tube, which allows point to get close to whatever you are tracing against. The whole tube and lead point can be retracted, but i don't bother. The thicker body of pen is great, especially when wearing gloves. Triangular shape is comfortable and prevents rolling. Extendable eraser is pretty long. There is access under eraser to store spare leads. Only comes with one lead, so order extra with pencil. Can't speak to long-term reliability, but seems well made. Made in Japan, NOT China!