Kohinoor RAPIDOMATIC Mechanical Pencil 0.9 mm, (5639)

Painless transaction, delivered as advertised.

I am an engineering student, necessitating my use of, and fondness of, mechanical pencils with drafting characteristics. My favorites so far are the Pentel GraphGear 500 and the Pentel Sharp series. I bought the Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic to try it out, and I must say that I am disappointed so far. First off, I'm not a huge fan of 0.9mm lead, which was the only size available at the university bookstore, but I bought it anyway to give it the benefit of the doubt. I am reminded why I don't like 0.9mm lead by the clumsy and unwieldy feel that the lead provides. Second, I am dismayed by the quality of this pencil. The threading for the knurled grip is off-center on the plastic body, causing the grip to be off-center. The lead sleeve at the tip of the pencil is slightly crooked, and the lead indicator is so tight that it is very difficult to turn. The "CHINA" imprinted on the clip provides a clue as to why the quality is so dismal. If you want a good drafting pencil that is well-engineered and precisely manufactured, THIS PENCIL IS NOT IT. Get a Pentel GraphGear or a Rotring pencil if you want high quality (the Rotrings' high quality comes with a higher price about 2x that of this pencil or the GraphGears, though).

I have had 2 of these since 1990. Lost one and misplaced the when I ordered these 2 to replace them. Found the one remaining pencil when my package arrived. I have tried others like this and they just don't compare/

Koh i noor is still the best - just wish they would have their metal pencils still available - plastic does feel cheap