rOtring Rapid Pro Mechanical Pencil, 0.7 mm, Black

This lead holder is probably one of the best lead/mechanical pencil I’ve own. The weight is good and feels nice in your hands. The grip feels nice when drawing and for extended use. I bought the black pencil and love the look of it. I know it’s a little pricey but the quality is amazing and you won’t have to keep buying cheaper lead holders and mechanical pencils that will add up to one of these. I love there are two ways to release the lead. One you can just hold down on the top and you the lead will be free to adjust to your liking. The other way is by just clicking on the top, it will gradually release a little bit of lead at a time. The top is also a sharpener if you are in a bind. I use a third party sharpener but the top sharpens and does its job. Overall a great product and if I could, I would purchase all the colors

I have a LOT of mechanical pencils and lead holders of various brands and sizes, and this is one of my favorite brands. Yes, they are expensive, but they make nice pencils. this lead holder has a very nice, heavy feel, works smoothly, and it a joy to use. I will say that if you are used to a clutch pencil, this may not be what you expect - this lead holder advances the lead incrementally, like any click-advance mechanical pencil of a smaller lead size. If you want an open feed so the lead can be fed out in large lengths quickly this will not be the best choice. That said, I don't find the slower advance a problem, even when sharpening.To point the lead, you can do one of two things: advance the lead by clicking a number of times, point the lead, then hold the advance down while slipping the lead back into the barrel to the desired length, or you can hold the advance in while slipping the lead out of the barrel, point it, and then slip it back in. If you try to point the lead using a pointer without advancing the lead a few inches it won't point - the lead won't be able to reach the blade or cutter threads. For me, this is no problem - I'm very happy to trade the open clutch for a much nicer tool to draw with.There is a pointer in the cap as well, which does not require as much lead length as a 'trash can' style pointer and I find it works quite well. There is a small plastic insert in the cap that prevents the 'lead' shavings from going into the barrel body, so be sure to gently tap out the shavings after pointing or you may have fine dust occasionally falling from the cap. The convenience of having a pointer built-in like that is quite nice if you travel or work in the field.Pros: Solid construction, good hand feel, sturdy clip, built-in pointer, controllable advance, appearance.Cons: Cost (this costs a lot more than many of the plastic-body alternatives)

This pencil is great - I highly recommend it. I am comparing it to three other pencils. All three are excellent and I would be happy with any of them. But, I ranked them in order of preference. However, if I could make a perfect pencil, it would be the body of the Rotring 0.7mm but in 2mm size.Rotring Rapid Pro 2mm:- knurling grip is fantastic- beveled edges of pencil are perfect - just enough to feel them but not sharp like some pencils- Lead cushion that allows lead to move into barrel when impacting the paper: very nice. It minimizes lead breakage and gives a softer feel when you are dotting lots of letters, or writing formulas or printing. It also does not allow the lead to wiggle or wobble when writing, which is critical to me- Weight is just right, and the barrel feels solid, like it won't crush if you stepped on it or sat on it with the pencil in your pocketRotring 600 0.7mm:- The barrel is solid, the same as the Rotring Rapid Pro. But it has more aggressive hexagonal edges that don't feel as nice as the Rapid Pro. However, the body is one solid piece and is preferred to the Rapid Pro since that model has two pieces that screw together using a plastic thread. The thread is fine, but I prefer one solid piece- Knurling is identical to the Rapid ProStaedtler 2mm night blue series:- knurling grip is a bit aggressive for me. it has bands that are recessed and these can hurt your finger if you grip really hard for a long time. It is good, just not as nice as the Rotring pencils- weight is lighter than the Rotring Rapid Pro 2mm, but it still feels very good. The barrel seems to be of aluminum, though, and i suspect that it could fold or bend if I sat on the pencil or stepped on it- The lead is held firmly in place