I used to own a similar Pentel pencil before I lost it so I found these and was like, hey why not try these, they're fancier and metal. And they actually are super pretty! They're just not great for the one thing they're meant to do... write. There's some sort of odd design flaw in the tip of the pencil where the thin metal tube that connects the plastic head of the pencil to the lead somehow gets loose/slips out after just two weeks of writing (I'm a college student, and take notes with pencil), so with a loose metal tip, the lead is free to move around, so it has no resistance against any form of force. And the lead keeps breaking. And don't even bother repairing the loose metal tube on your own, the plastic around it breaks if you try to fasten the tube too hard.

Coming from a person who's owned the same pencil from 7th grade to college, I was extremely disappointed when two of these pencils broke the same way in a span of two weeks.

So unless you write without putting pressure on your pencil, consider buying something with a little more design integrity.

I received the new version of this product with the ribbed grip not the version they have as their description picture. Proof is the picture I just attached of my old version pencil and the blue ribbed version they sent me. I am 100% dissatisfied.

These are my favorite mechanical pencils. I was introduced to them in 2007 when I went to college in Arkansas and they were just sitting in a bucket at the register in the campus bookstore. I thought they looked very nice so I decided to buy 1 or two to try and feel in love.

These are the 0.5mm which I much prefer. I like the thinner lines I write and I have found it harder to find this size in stores, where the 'default' is .7mm which is far too thick and dark for me. The eraser is good as removing the pencil marks and last a pretty long time "‹and doesn't just crumble to pieces like some others I have tried. The grip is soft as well. This pencil is easy to fix if it gets stuck as there is a twisted turn at the bottom. I have never had the metal (with is nice compared to most plastic) clip fall off or snap.

Both the erasers and the lead are replaceable and sold.

They come in a few colors but .5mm is I believe only Icy grey and blue, will the .7mm offer more colors like the pink and green. (This is what I remember, could be wrong). That would be the only drawback, is more colors. But hands down my favorite, and best mechanical pencil!

I have used Pentel brand auto-pencils for 8 yrs now. I stopped using another model they have because the removable top was too loose and would sometimes cause the body to crack. These are perfectly balanced pencils! That is important to me!
The cushiony barrel is super comfortable.

The listing says colors may vary, and while it does show the other colors in other pictures, it was surprising to get pencils with a ribbed grip versus the smooth grip ones shown in the picture. I should have looked closely at all photos before buying. They do have the ribbed ones pictured in a different photo, so make sure to look at all the product pictures before purchasing. If you like all the colors and grips, then go for it. But I was hoping for one kind, and got the exact opposite.