Confession time: I’ve never been a fan of mechanical pencils. The lead snaps as soon as it touches paper, or it refuses to emerge from the pencil in the first place. The thin plastic barrel causes your fingers to cramp within minutes. And the whole thing rattles like a baby toy.
At least, that’s what I recall from my school days, filling in ovals for multiple-choice tests. However, if you’ve had a similar bad experience with mechanical pencils, it might be time to rethink them. After researching 28 mechanical pencils and spending two months writing and drawing carefully with more than a dozen of them, we’ve found picks that are a pleasure to use, rather than the frustrating tools of the past.
As with pens and other writing and drawing tools, the best mechanical pencil(is nicpro mechanical pencil good for writing) for you is the one that feels right—this depends not only on how well the pencil makes marks on paper, but also on factors like comfort, style, and sometimes specific features like a retractable tip.
We’ve provided a range of options below, from affordable, lightweight mechanical pencils to robust, metal models that are engineering masterpieces. All of these are sophisticated, more advanced alternatives to the generic models that might have turned you off mechanical pencils in the past.
Blick Premier Mechanical Pencil
The Blick Premier Mechanical Pencil offers excellent value at under $10 and is more reliable than many other mechanical pencils. Unlike most retractable models, which require you to hold down the knock (typically the top of the eraser cap) while pressing on the tip to retract it, the Blick Premier extends or retracts the lead sleeve with a single click, much like a retractable pen.
This means you won’t accidentally advance the lead and break it. To extend the lead, simply double-click the eraser cap button. This double-knock feature is clever and, unfortunately, quite rare these days.
The Blick Premier is also a well-rounded mechanical pencil, featuring elements not often seen at this price. It has an all-metal body that feels premium, a cushioning mechanism to prevent lead breakage when you press too hard, a lead indicator at the top, and anti-slip knurling that is smooth yet offers a subtle grip.
If you’re accustomed to heavier drafting pencils with rougher grips, the Blick Premier might feel too smooth for you—if that’s the case, the more substantial rOtring 600 Mechanical Pencil 1 with its textured grip might be a better option. The Blick Premier is made in Japan and can only be found at certain art stores, but it could be worth seeking out for such a solid mechanical pencil.
Widths available: 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm
Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide
The Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide is a lightweight, always-sharp option that looks and feels more premium than most other plastic mechanical pencils in the same price range. It features a retractable tip, so it won’t poke through your pocket, and it rotates the lead when you lift the pencil from the paper—twice as quickly as the original Kuru Toga model, ensuring the tip stays sharp longer than other pencils in the Kuru Toga lineup. Many testers favored the Pipe Slide’s thicker barrel over the slimmer bodies of other budget-friendly pencils, and they particularly appreciated its comfortable, grooved grip section.
Widths available: 0.5 mm for the Pipe Slide; 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm for the Kuru Toga Standard
rOtring 600 Mechanical Pencil 1
Are you a pencil enthusiast? Do you draw diagrams and illustrations more often than you write words? Or perhaps you just prefer the feel of solid, heavy metal over plastic? If so, the rOtring 600 is a traditional mechanical drafting pencil you might want to consider.
While it’s not as portable as some of our other picks because it doesn’t feature a retractable tip, what it lacks in tip protection, it more than compensates for in lead stability—the fixed sleeve ensures precise, consistent strokes. All of our testers favored the rOtring 600 over similarly priced alternatives. Is it heavy? Yes. But that weight gives it a sense of importance.
Widths available: 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm
Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil
The most giftable mechanical pencil is the Pentel Sharp Kerry. With its elegant fountain pen or rollerball pen appearance, it stands out as a stylish option. The unique cap protects the lead and tip during travel, and because it isn’t retractable, the fixed lead sleeve is sturdier and less wobbly than retractable models.
Similar to high-end pens, the Pentel Sharp Kerry features a wide barrel that is comfortable to hold, especially if you tend to grip your writing tools tightly. However, its grip is smooth without any texture, so if you prefer a textured barrel, this may not be the right choice for you. As always, design and aesthetics are personal preferences.
Widths available: 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm
Why you should trust us
Senior staff writer Melanie Pinola has been researching, testing, and writing about all types of home-office gear and stationery for Wirecutter, including pens and notebooks, since 2019. Before joining Wirecutter, she spent over twelve years covering technology and productivity for sites like Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, PCWorld, and Laptop Magazine.
Although she enjoys using a razor-chiseled charcoal pencil for drawing as a hobby, two months of daily use with mechanical pencils for various writing and doodling tasks has led her to appreciate the precise lines, versatility, and ease of use offered by our top picks.
As with earlier versions of this guide dating back to 2013, we consulted seasoned stationery bloggers to help us evaluate all available options and determine what to prioritize. Recently, we spoke with Michael Fryda, who runs the Clutch Situation YouTube channel. In the past, we’ve gathered insights from experts such as Austin Smith of Art Supply Critic, Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict, Elizabeth Price of No Pen Intended, Johnny Gamber of Pencil Revolution, and Brian Greene of OfficeSupplyGeek.
This guide also builds on the work of writers Tim Barribeau and Kevin Purdy.
Who this is for
We love a good pen, and we get it—if you’re no longer in school and don’t need a pencil for work, why bother with pencils at all? Pens deliver bold lines and don’t come with the hassle of sharpening or refilling lead. Plus, you’d never sign a document or a check with a pencil.
But the best pencils have their place, too, for when your ideas are temporary or you simply want the freedom to make mistakes. Whether you’re filling in a crossword puzzle or jotting down a tentative appointment in your paper planner, pencils are forgiving. Pens mean commitment—pencils offer flexibility.
If you only need a pencil a few times a year, any basic pencil will do. Our non-mechanical pencil pick comes in a pack of 12 for about the cost of one of our budget mechanical pencil picks.
Switching to a mechanical pencil, however, means you never have to deal with wood shavings or struggle with a short, possibly chewed-up stub. You can create precise lines with consistent widths, and easily refill the pencil with any lead hardness you choose. Plus, mechanical pencils come in a variety of styles and materials, so you’re not limited to just the classic hexagonal shape.
A mechanical pencil’s precision and its compatibility with rulers and stencils make it an essential tool for technical drafting, drawing, and illustration. But its ease of use and adaptability also make it a great choice for anyone who wants to write with a pencil for the long haul.
It’s worth spending a little more on a high-quality the best mechanical pencil because the components, like the lead-advancement mechanism and lead-holding sleeve, last far longer than the ones found in 12-pack options.
How we picked and tested
Based on input from mechanical pencil experts and our own research, including insights from resources like JetPens’s mechanical pencils buying guide and enthusiast forums like Reddit’s r/mechanicalpencils, we compiled a list of pencils to test. We narrowed down the testing list based on owner reviews, price, and availability.
We chose not to test the best mechanical pencils costing over $30—an admittedly somewhat arbitrary cutoff—which gave us a broad selection of higher-quality pencils that were much more affordable than small-batch models made of materials like titanium and bronze.
To test the pencils, I used each one for over two months for all the note-taking, list-making, and doodling tasks that I normally use a pen for (and trust me, that’s a lot). I also made several sketches with the top contenders, tested them with stencils, and experimented with any special features, such as the Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide’s auto-rotating lead mechanism.
For additional feedback, eight Wirecutter staffers—some with years of mechanical pencil experience and even collections of vintage models—were given customized sets of pencils based on their preferences for plastic or metal bodies, lead thickness, and lead hardness. Six of my friends (office workers and fellow art hobbyists) also tested all 15 models with the default 0.5 mm, HB leads.
The panelists wrote, doodled, and drew in Field Notes notebooks or legal pads for at least half an hour with each pencil. They then filled out a survey evaluating the pencils on the following criteria, in this (rough) order:
Writing Experience: We focused on how smoothly each pencil wrote, how crisp and consistent the lines were, and any issues such as lead breakage, difficulties with the knock mechanism, or tip wobbling.
Comfort: We paid attention to the grip section and how the pencil felt to hold over several minutes of writing. We also considered the pencil’s weight and center of gravity.
Design: Aesthetics are important with stationery, as these tools can feel very personal. We noted the pencils’ looks and available style options.
These criteria are largely subjective, so we compared pencils within similar price groups, almost like a mechanical pencil bracket tournament. For instance, we tested metal drafting pencils like the Staedtler Mars 925 and the rOtring 600 against each other.
We’ve also noted where a pencil stood out for its eraser or clip quality, but to be honest, most mechanical pencils have tiny erasers and delicate clips. If you do a lot of erasing, especially if you often draw or diagram, you may want to invest in a separate eraser.
For erasing, JetPens recommends the Sakura Foam Eraser as an all-around performer. Many of the expert pen and pencil bloggers we consulted also recommended the Tombow Mono Zero Erasers for precise erasures.
Our pick: Blick Premier Mechanical Pencil
The Blick Premier Mechanical Pencil is the best mechanical pencil you can buy for under $10. It writes smoothly, and during our tests, the lead never broke, thanks to its lead cushioning mechanism that prevents breakage.
As a double-knock pencil, it’s as intuitive to use as a retractable pen: Click the top to extend the tip, and click again to retract it. This also helps avoid the common issue with other retractable pencils, where you accidentally advance the lead when you meant to retract the tip.
This sleek, full-metal-bodied pencil has a very smooth, knurled grip. Senior staff writer Sarah Witman, who wrote our guide to the best traditional pencils, chose the Blick Premier as her favorite because it’s sturdily built, comfortable to write with, and has a clean, all-metal look.
Everyone who tested the Blick Premier chose it as their favorite over our previous upgrade pick, the Pentel GraphGear 1000, which feels less balanced in the hand and has rubber ovals on the grip that are distracting and don’t add much value.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Our main criticism of this otherwise superb mechanical pencil is that the grip may feel too smooth. It’s knurled with two patterns: a long section with minimal texture and a shorter section with ringed grooves. The latter provides more pronounced texture but doesn’t have the same sturdy feel as traditional drafting pencils like the rOtring 600, our upgrade pick. For some, the smooth grip on the Blick Premier pencil is more comfortable than pencils with rougher grips, but if you find that pencils or pens frequently slip from your hand, the rOtring 600 might be the better option.
The Blick Premier is only available directly from Blick (including its subsidiary, Utrecht Art Supplies), either online or at physical locations, which can be found in many—but not all—states. However, it’s worth a trip if there’s a Blick store near you or even if you need to pay the $10 shipping fee for orders under $49.
Like our other picks, the Blick Premier is only available in 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm sizes. If you need thinner or thicker options, check out the other excellent mechanical pencils we recommend.
Since the Blick Premier is a relatively new model, we don’t have any long-term data on how it holds up. We’ll update this information once we have more feedback.
Also great: Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide
The Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide was previously our top pick because it has a unique feature that no other pencil can match: it automatically rotates the lead every time you lift the tip from the page, keeping the lead constantly sharp. This feature ensures your lines and letters remain sharp, rather than becoming broader and more faded as you write.
However, if you mostly write in cursive—rather than frequently using math symbols or making short strokes in languages with dense characters like Chinese or Japanese—you might not need or notice this automatic lead-sharpening feature. Even without it, the Pipe Slide would still be our favorite plastic pencil pick, thanks to its lightweight build, retractable tip, and comfortable thick grip.
The Pipe Slide is a newer version of the standard Kuru Toga pencil, which was our initial pick in 2013. The Pipe Slide rotates the lead twice as fast as the original Kuru Toga, turning the lead fully once every 20 strokes instead of every 40. In addition to keeping the writing sharp and consistent, this rotation also helps prevent lead breakage since the pressure isn’t concentrated on a single part of the lead.
Upgrade pick: rOtring 600 Mechanical Pencil 1
The rOtring 600 (Best Mechanical Pencils) Mechanical Pencil 1 is a classic drafting pencil that, once you pick it up, immediately feels like it means business. The knurled grip is easy to hold, and the pencil’s heft means you don’t have to press down too hard to write or draw with it. The main shortcoming: this is a desk-bound pencil because its lead isn’t retractable.
Of all the $10 to $30 mechanical pencils we tested, the rOtring 600 felt the smoothest to write with. It’s one of the slimmest options, with a hexagonal body that helps prevent it from rolling off the desk and a cross-hatched metal grip.
Senior staff writer Phil Ryan noted, “There’s something very strangely great about the rOtring 600—I can’t put any kind of reasoning behind why I like it so much. It just feels really comfortable.”
Also great: Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil
Apologies for this pun, but the Pentel Sharp Kerry Best Mechanical Pencil is a sharp-looking pencil. It has the elegance of a fancy fountain pen, with a thick, shiny barrel and metal accents. The cap protects the pencil tip (and your pocket) during transit, and you can advance the lead by clicking either the eraser button or the top of the pencil cap.
Thanks to its fixed lead sleeve, the Pentel Sharp Kerry had little to no tip wobble in our testing, and writing with it felt smooth and consistent. The knock advances the lead in small increments, so you won’t accidentally extend too much and break it.
The metal, knurled grip section may be a bit too high up on the pencil if you tend to hold pencils near the tip, and it’s not as textured as the rOtring 600 and similar pencils, so it feels more decorative than practical. Still, the Pentel Sharp Kerry has a balanced weight, and our testers found it comfortable to use for long writing sessions.
It’s also aesthetically pleasing enough to give as a gift to a fellow pencil enthusiast—unless they don’t like smooth barrels. “I always gift people the Pentel Sharp Kerry,” said Michael Fryda of Clutch Situation. “The design will fit anyone’s aesthetic, and it has been continually manufactured since 1971 for a reason. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Other good mechanical pencils
If you’re looking for a quality mechanical pencil at the lowest cost, the Pentel Sharp P205 Mechanical Drafting Pencil is a fan favorite. It has a traditional, slimmer design compared to other mechanical pencils and comes in sizes from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm. Past Wirecutter testers have described it as feeling like something an engineer from the ’50s would use—either charming or outdated, depending on your perspective. Some testers felt that it was a bit “cheap” or “slippery,” and the narrow body and grip may not suit everyone. However, it remains a budget-friendly option with a variety of shiny colors. Note that it isn’t retractable.
For those who want an all-metal mechanical pencil with a rubbery grip, consider the Pentel GraphGear 1000. This pencil has a knurled metal grip dotted with colorful latex pads. While some testers found this grip comfortable, others found it distracting or unattractive. The GraphGear 1000 also features a retractable tip that works via the strong clip—though be careful as it can catch your finger. It’s available in sizes from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm.
If you’re seeking customizability in your pencil, the Platinum Pro-Use 171 might be your perfect match. It allows you to adjust the length of the lead sleeve and offers a lead cushioning mode, which uses a spring mechanism to absorb pressure and prevent breakage. This pencil is available in 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm sizes. The main downside is that it often goes out of stock, but if you manage to find one, it’s a great addition to your collection.
For those who want to click less, the Pentel Orenz Nero features an auto-advance mechanism, which automatically extends the lead as you lift the pencil. This reduces the number of times you need to click the knock. However, the tip needs to be exposed only a little, which might feel scratchy depending on your writing angle. It’s available in 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.5 mm sizes, and is ideal for those with small handwriting. The hexagonal, knurled grip and sleek black finish make it perfect for professional settings.
Best Mechanical Pencils Of All Time
Whether you’re a student or an artist, the perfect pencil is out there for you. In the first video of this two-part series, we highlight our all-time favorite mechanical pencils. Explore all the products here.