You can use laptops and tablets to draw for fun or for your customers. Technology has made all of that possible. There are gadgets you can now use to draw anything that interests you. One of these types of gadgets is the mechanical pen. The market is replete with several kinds of mechanical pens. Therefore, it is important to know what to look for before buying any pen. It pays to spend money on nothing but the best mechanical pencil for drawing. The best drawing pencils possess a few exceptional qualities. A few of these qualities include:
a) Good anti-slip grip
b) Round shape
c) Right amount of thickness
d) Appropriate weight
e) Fully retractable sleeve
Mechanical pencils are older than wooden pencils. They have undergone multiple innovation and refinement to be the best. Some mechanical pencils are now harder to find; hence, highly priced. Others are readily available; hence, costing more. Essentially, the grip area should be made of rubber to give you the much-needed solid hold. Take your time to choose wisely. It is not wrong to base your choice on how you intend to use the pencil in question. You have a wide selection of colors, sizes, and designs from which to choose.
Below is a review of the best mechanical pencils worth buying for your drawing needs.
rOtring 600
Fewer mechanical pencils are perfect for drawing like the rOtring 600. It has everything you need in a mechanical pencil. It reeks of quality in every aspect. It is made of brass. The pencil has just the right, comfortable weight. Its knurled grip ensures you can draw comfortably. It also boasts of a solid, anti-slip grip. The pencil’s central area is hexagonally shaped. It has a sturdy clip too. The pencil is one of the costliest in the market due to its fixed sleeve. Several parts of the pencil are made of brushed aluminum.
Pros
- Superbly designed
- Excellent build quality
- Nice weight
- Performs exceptionally
- Tip does not wobble
Cons
- Non-retractable metallic sleeve
- Grip could be thicker
Pentel Graphgear 1000 PG1015
Although it looks a bit strange, what you cannot take away from this mechanical pencil is its ability to draw amazing images. What makes it strange include the large clip and the many dots found in its grip area. The dots serve a very effective purpose – they enhance your grip. The retractable sleeve is a good feature too. It also has a small eraser located right beneath the pencil’s top button cap. It comes with a lead indicator that shows the degree of hardness.
Users are free to select a degree of their liking, which can be anywhere between 2H and 2B.
Pros
- Retractable tip
- Outstanding document clip
- Lightweight
- Perfect eraser mechanism
- Lead size clearly indicated
- Knurled grip
- Comfortable and effective to use
Cons
- Lead is only capable of advancing by ridiculously brief increments
- Eraser is too small
Staedtler 925-25
Staedtler 925-25 remains one of the most highly sought after mechanical pencils for drawing. It is a “Made in Japan” pencil. It has many attractive features that make it not just functional but also aesthetically pleasing. It comes with lead grade indicator too. The grip area has enough texture to give you a solid enough hold as you draw. The concrete grooves on the grip area also enhance your hold. The weight is just about what is to be expected from an aluminum pencil. The pencil has several pros and cons, as you will notice below.
Pros
- Looks and feels great
- Efficient grip
- Good design
- Eraser produces less dust
- Convenient pocket clip
- Refillable
Cons
- Fixed, non-retractable sleeve
- Too light for some users
Pilot Mechanical Pencil Automac, 0.5mm, Black (HAT-3SR-B)
It’s one of the most elegant and beautiful mechanical pencils for drawing you can ever buy and use. The vanishing point is the pencil’s biggest pull. The sleeve’s entire tip section is capable of retracting into the body of the pencil. In this regard, it operates similarly to a ballpoint pen. However, a bit of caution is necessary to avoid damaging the pencil while trying to advance the tip. Too much pressure could mean retracting instead of advancing the tip. An eraser is concealed right under the pencil’s top cap too.
Pros
- Fully retractable tip
- Beautiful design and look
- Lightweight
- Vanishing point
- A rarity
- Perfect for drafting, drawing, and sketching
Cons
- Absence of anti-slip grip
- Made of plastic
- Expensive
Tutto3 (CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK)
Tutto3 is the type of mechanical pencil you need for all your drawing needs. It has the right balance between softness and thickness you need in a drawing pencil. It comes with a different caliber of leads. Similarly, it has different hardness too. With these two qualities, you are guaranteed the use of a pencil that allows you the freedom of creating different effects. The pencil is comfortable on the hands. It has a solid enough grip too. It is sufficiently long thus allowing you to hold or grip it as further away from the tip as you want.
Pros
- Comes with three lead calibers
- Incredible look
- Excellent lines and strokes
- Requires no sharpening
- Easy to constantly change width of the lead
- Operates on gravity-based mechanism
- Available in silver and black
- Nice weight
- Made of brass
- Durable
- Retractable sleeve
- Beautiful carrying clip
- Back button has a small eraser
Cons
- Not easy to find
- The 3-way mechanism might rattle slightly whenever you shake the pencil
Conclusion
Therefore, you now have all the information you need to choose the best mechanical pencil for drawing. As previously stated, the market has a fair amount of pencils to choose from. Getting the best could be problematic, especially if you have no idea what to look for in such products. You may end up with something that does not give you what you need. Your selection should hinge on your needs. Remember to choose the pencil with the best grip, shape, softness, thickness, weight and retractable sleeve. Pay close attention to the lead too.