Mechanical pencils

Features of a mechanical pencil

You never need to sharpen a mechanical pencil. You click or twist the refill out, and the line thickness stays the same down to the last millimetre.

Graphite stays legible on wet paper and in the cold, where ink runs or stops. That makes a mechanical pencil practical in a notebook that goes outdoors with you.

How do you choose the best mechanical pencil?

It starts with line thickness. 0.9 mm writes fine and is meant for small lines. 1.3 mm is thicker, breaks less easily and works better with gloves on.

• You press a clicker with your thumb and it is quicker. You twist open a twist model and it does not come out in your pocket by accident.
• There are separate pencils and sets of three, useful if you want one in the car and one in your backpack.
• Almost everything has a clip for the edge of a notebook or a trouser pocket. The housing comes in black and in bright colours such as orange and yellow, which helps if you drop it in the grass.
• Refills and separate erasers are sold separately, the refill in black and red, in packs of twelve or twenty-four.

All the mechanical pencils here come from Rite in the Rain, the same brand as the water-resistant notepads. Graphite and water-repellent paper are matched to each other, so that combination is no coincidence.

If you are looking for something with ink, have a look at the pens.