Pentel QE519A Twist-Erase III Mechanical Pencil, 0.9 mm, Black Barrel

Edit 12/29/2013(The information I wrote here earlier about lead replacement turned out to be incorrect) Ever since I was little I have always had a desire to draw(make drawings). I guess I could call myself an amateur artist. Pencils and pens were always my preference. Of course I also used/use pencils to write. The problems I always encountered with cheap #2 pencils was that they would break frequently at the wrong time, you needed a pencil sharpener to make them useful, and the eraser would become useless before the rest of the pencil. The writing tip was never the same size, lines on paper would change from dark to light creating an un-even image/drawing or un-even handwriting. I was set in my ways for a long time, until about a year ago. I began to explore different writing instruments and my point of view began to change. I soon was converted to using mechanical pencils instead of "regular" pencils. Not having a need to keep a pencil sharpener around simplified my life both at home and at work. The "lead"/writing tip remains mostly the same creating nearly identical lines, making writing or a drawing look "cleaner". For a while I frequently used a Pentel e-Sharp Mechanical Pencil, which were available at my previous work location. The e-Sharp works fine, but they are built to be disposable - being mostly made of plastic. The PDE-1 type erasers it uses are certainly an improvement over the erasers of older style cheaper mechanical pencils I used for a very short time when I was still in school more than a decade ago. It lasts for a while, but does not extend and has to be replaced when there is still 40% of the eraser remaining. I wanted to upgrade to a better mechanical pencil, so I decided to buy a 2 pack of 0.7mm and a single 0.9mm Pentel Twist-Erase III Automatic Pencil(s). I was not disappointed, they are certainly not cheaply made. The "clip" and lower "writing" point are made of metal, the lead at the writing tip is also enclosed in metal reducing breakage of the lead. Although the rest of the pencil is plastic it is not a flimsy plastic. The rubberized "soft" grip is an improvement over older cheaper pencils, it reduces discomfort caused by constantly holding pens/pencils between your fingers. The eraser extends and retracts by twisting(in either direction) the upper part of the pencil, as the name of the product suggests. This type of eraser(E10 type) is one of the main reasons why I bought these pencils. They are longer and wider than average size erasers in other mechanical pencils, and of course as a result I don't have to replace them often. They can also be bought at a fairly cheap price, if one knows where to buy them. The "lead" is fed/extended by pushing up on the bottom part of the pencil(while holding the upper part in place or doing the same in reverse), which is kind of different from other mechanical pencils which mainly require a downward push or "click" on some button like mechanism. This feed mechanism is separate from the eraser twist mechanism, therefore they don't interfere with each other. I have not had any issues with these mechanisms so far, they have been quite reliable. Replacing the "lead"(not actually made of Lead) in this pencil is easier than replacing ink in various pens, because ink refills between pens are frequently not compatible. The "lead" is a standard size - 0.7mm, 0.9mm, etc. Pull the pencil apart, then insert the pieces of "lead" into the opening into the lower part. After that put the pencil back together.(It may be necessary to un-screw the lower metal tip to remove pieces of used lead) Push the parts together to feed the "fresh" lead into the tip. Tasks involving writing or drawing with this pencil are accomplished with ease, I already went into why I believe mechanical pencils are superior for these tasks several paragraphs above. I have to do both at work, in the office and out in the field. Unfortunately I do not spend as much time actually drawing as I would like. These Pentel mechanical pencils have not failed me yet in the work environment, no matter if its cold, raining, snowing, etc. If I have to write something down while I am looking at a location while doing field work I just take out a Twist-Erase III pencil from my binder and it is ready to go, this is after that binder has been thrown around a vehicle and probably fell on the ground once a week. A cheaper pencil would likely fail in such conditions(basic #2 pencils have in the past - the writing/lead tip would break off at the wrong time). I would recommend this pencil to others, and would buy it again if I needed to.

I once - upon the inveterate whim of fate - found myself in need of a pencil, and so borrowed such a tool from a friend. Often a purchaser of .5mm mechanical pencils, I was lent, much to my dismay, a .9mm pencil, of a cheap brand (whose very name I will not state here, though the brand is a common producer of pencils of the mechanical type), of a watery azure, the clip broken and the eraser almost beyond noticing. What a short eraser! My wont of writing with .5mm pencils had impressed upon my intellect the very notion that no pencil of such wide width of lead could ever surpass the pointed precision of the particular point-five millimeter pencil. Alas, in using the .9mm pencil, I gathered the lofty truth of its inherent faculty. The grip holds well in the hand. A strengthened tip reinforces one's action of writing. The lead does not break. Such a simple idea, that. There are no interruptions in one's writing. The ritual I had so often performed has ceased to show itself to me: first a snap, leaving me incredulous, and then a weary sigh; I continue with a sense of futility, clicking the back of the pencil, attempting to push forth the silvern fruit of the pencil's womb, only later to have a reoccurrence of the very same dilemma. Never again. Oh do please note - of this, I beg of you - that, earlier in this review, I have named a different pencil than the one about which I am about to write. Of course, succumbing to the general notion of etiquette - those torturous laws, fueled by the threat of shame, toward which I often find myself inclining - I proceeded to return the pencil that I had borrowed, offering it back to my friend in a state of melancholy. I began to ask myself: "Will I ever be able to write so?-- until the end of my days, until the cessation of the beating of my heart?" I decided to provide for myself, with a simple purchase, the very answer to that question. I bought this pencil. Never before have I written with such a sleek prowess; no, never before have I placed upon pages bare and white the characters of an unutterable beauty. Never will my tip of my lead spring forth from my pitiless utensil. I write to no end. The thickness of the lead allows, unlike a .5mm or even a .7mm pencil, slick motions, smooth movements, and swift contortions of the pencil. No longer do I scratch the poor white page of paper before me in an attempt to simply write a word. My pencil, my tool, the harbinger of my thoughts, bends to my very will and writes without the faintest hint of distress. Oh, and lest I make a mistake whilst writing: extant is the eraser, the length of which so very great, the body of which so furtively hidden within the sable carapace, whose efficacy of erasure is without equal. This is a marvelous pencil.

I never dreamed that a simple pencil could have such an effect on life. I know this may sound stupid for a simple pencil, but bear with me. I originally ordered this because I have Parkinson's and had been using .7mm pencils for years but was having a great deal of problems with the leads breaking when I had a spasm. I decided to try this pencil because it had a .9mm lead and I thought that it just MIGHT help with the lead breaking problem so I ordered one. Well, it worked very well for the breakage problem. I haven't broken a lead since I started using this pencil. However, I have discovered other great benefits. The new retracting eraser smooths the whole erasing thing out nicely and makes eraser longevity and changing much less of a problem. The larger soft rubber grip also makes the pencil a LOT easier to hang on to, especially for those with my condition. One improvement I have learned to make on the grip: The fattest part of the grip, as it comes, is at the top and doesn't add to the ergonomics of holding the pencil much. I have found that if you simply unscrew and remove the bottom of the pencil where the lead comes out, the rubber grip can simply be slipped off, turned around and reinstalled. Now the fat part of the grip is at the bottom and keeps the fingers in a more sure and comfortable position. The way the manufacturer delivers them doesn't make sense in this respect. However, this pencil is a quantum leap in usability over every other pencil I have ever used and I have since thrown out every other pencil in the house and replaced them with this one. Thank you Pentel for making a better product to simplify our lives.

Ive been using these since high school years ago quality is the same. My favorite to this date.

I am in love with this pencil. I do believe that this is the only kind I will ever buy from here on out. I use to always run into problems with the regular mechanical pencils and their flimsy design. Then, I went back to using regular pencils, but that can get so messy with the constant and sometimes imperfect sharpening. Then, I don't even remember how, but I managed to stumble upon this little gem and life changed. Okay, that is a bit dramatic...but my point is I am not looking back. Do not hesitate. BUY THIS PENCIL!!! You will not regret it. FYI: I am very heavy handed, very, and yet these held up to me. NO BREAKING WHAT SO EVER. EVER!!! Not one time since I've had it. I made it through an entire semester taking Chemistry and regular Math and it held up. In fact, I find myself using it more frequently even in place of my pen when possible as it is so dependable. Not to mention, the design. The cute little, okay, not so little, but very generous eraser that appears when you twist the pencil. I cannot say enough. Who knew I could get so excited over a pencil. Let's just say this pencil makes me happy to be a nerd. Lastly, I just wanted to add that I had also bought an additional refill pack, but I can see that that is going to last me a longgggggggggggggggggggg time. And yes, I had to do that.

This pencil is seriously the best pencil I have ever used, and I am seriously not kidding about that. First of all in the end there is a cool twist eraser, and the eraser is amazing, one of the best, it erases cleanly and smoothly. Next off is the actual pencil itself, if you write really hard then this pencil is definitely for you. On normal, cheap mechanical pencils if you push down hard on the lead then it goes right back into the pencil which can be really annoying. On this pencil so matter how hard you push it won't go back, and I love how it does that. The pencil fits in my hand very well and I really love it. This pencil is great for people who push hard on their pencils, but also good for people who don't. If it's the best pencil I have ever used your probably thinking why I rated it 4 stars rather than 5, this is because of the price. The cheapest one I found on Amazon was $3.68, but I had to have more than $35 worth of stuff in my cart to get free shipping for that, and if I payed for the shipping then that would've been an extra $5, so I moved on to the second cheapest one, which was for $4.69 with free shipping, it was quite expensive for a pencil, but I still bought it anyways. When I told my friends I bought a pencil for that price, they thought I was crazy, I could have bought a huge pack on 24 pencils for that price. Anyways the pencil is still definitely worth it, but it should atleast be $2-3 rather than $5. In the end the pencil is definitely worth it and is definitely the best pencil I have ever used.

This pencil is very comfy for me, the grip has a texture that is fantastic. The twist eraser is the absolute best, because sometimes fancy pencils have short eraser which I waste easily, but the lead although breaks easily sometimes. So not made for heavy writers personally what I've seen. I'm a light writer so it works good for me, although sometimes I write heavy. Other than that, its honestly a good pencil for school and etc.

I sketch and do a lot of woodworking planning, so having a pencil that is always sharp and not prone to the point breaking is a must-have. The Pentel .90 mm pencil is perfect. Unlike the .5 or .7 mm pencils, the lead does not break when writing or sketching. I also use the pencil in my shop, and it's great to have a pencil for marking on wood or writing down dimensions or figures that is ready to go at all times. I also like the fact that the eraser is full sized and can be eased out by twisting the top of the pencil. The erasers are replaceable. The pencil has a rubber grip that is very comfortable and I would recommend this pencil for the artist and crafter alike.