Alvin, Draft-Matic Mechanical Pencil, 0.3mm, Stainless Steel Drawing and Design Tool for Students and Professionals, Great for Drafting, Architecture, Engineering, and Art

This pencil is amazing. True, the metal tip is sensitive to denting, so it's best to be careful with it. But, given appropriate caution, this writing utensil can be a God-send to people who write or draw or generally use a pencil a lot. As for me, I'm a college student, and as such have a lot to write down. I take notes by hand in class (can't stand to type my notes), and I tend to at least begin papers by freewriting in pencil. However, most pencils would leave my hand cramped after only a few minutes. Not to mention the usual problems of lead breaking or having to constantly sharpen in the case of classic wooden pencils (half my classrooms don't even have pencil sharpeners anymore. I feel old and I'm not even out of my 20s.) Enter the Alvin. I can't say why, but I could write for hours straight with this pencil and never cramp. Maybe it's because the barrel has a little more girth than your average pencil or because of the added weight, but this pencil is probably single-handedly reducing my chance for arthritis. It also makes my handwriting about 20 times better. The lead smoothly glides across the paper and doesn't drag or lurch like other mechanical pencils seem to do. The lead will come out reliably in small increments. It won't suddenly jet out all at once like I've experienced with cheap plastic mechanical pencils. It's got fantastic fit and finish, feels solid the whole way through and won't jingle or rattle as you write. In short, once you've written with this pencil, you will not ever want to go back to buying those cheap packs of 20 mechanical pencils. The $10 price tag is definitely worth it. Hell, if the tip were a little more sturdy, I'd pay $30 for this pencil in a heartbeat. It's THAT good. Buy it, you'll love it, and you'll wonder why the hell you didn't shell out 10 measly dollars for this pencil earlier.

The .3mm Alvin Draftmatic mechanical pencil is perfect. Has excellent weight and balance, feels substantial in the hand—not too light or too heavy. The stainless steel grip doesn't irritate my fingers at all. Don't even feel it. In fact, it's one of my favorite features of the product. I also appreciate and admire the lead windows. Yellow is a recent favorite color of mine so I'm happy they have it for this mechanical pencil. My only wish is that they had a variety of colors to choose from. I recently purchased the Mab Graves limited edition mechanical pencils the company collaborated with her on, and they are wonderful as well. I won't deduct any stars on the lack of additional colors though bc the product performs beautifully. I ended up using nail art from Sally's and transparent tape to the handles to be able to tell the yellow .3mm pencils apart from each other (so I don't have to look at the lead window every time I want to change lead)—problem solved. Also worth noting: the previous yellow .3mm Alvin pencil, I had for 9 years. I still have it, but just updated with some new ones. They will last you a long time.

I'll include a disclaimer that I'm not a professional engineer, architect, or anyone who might be drafting. I found these on a quest to find the perfect pencil, and my search ended here. Initially introduced to me by a professional architect, I was instantly enamored with this line of mechanical drafting pencils. The craftsmanship is wonderful, from the plastics to the metal accents, making it a lustworthy writing implement. The pencil is very lightweight yet feels balanced in your hand, almost weighing down onto the paper when writing and yet lifting as easily as a feather. The metal grip looks as though it may be painful or coarse on your fingertips, but it feels natural, and keeps your pencil fixed in your hand. It feels very sturdy, as though it will last the test of time through all of your usage. Yes, it has the flaw of a delicate metal tip, an overly loose lead indicator, and the spring loaded tip may be an annoyance to professionals (I find that it has actually helped me by preventing me from breaking lead). But they detract nothing from the sheer joy of using this pencil; I completely recommend the Alvin Draft Matic line of pencils. (I have tried the .3mm, .5mm, .7mm, and .9mm pencils, and of those found that the .7mm is by far the best for common application, but still recommend the entire line).

I want to start out by saying that I use this pencil for writing. This pencil matches my writing style perfectly, small and precise. - The build quality, aesthetics, and feel are great. - The pencil is heavier than what I am used to, but very comfortable to write with. Since the weight is towards the tip, it makes extended writing sessions much more comfortable. - I hold the pencil close to the tip and have no problems with writing. - The grip is very knurled (which I find is a great feature). I own a Rotring 500, and the Alvin is a bit more knurled but very comfortable. I find that the grip offers a great deal of control over the pencil. If you are looking for an outstanding 0.3mm pencil for a fair price, this is it. I own many other 0.3mm pencils and the Alvin is always my go to pencil. My only advice is to get some good lead. I have found Uni-ball Hi-Uni Hi-Density Pencil Lead to be the best. It is a very strong and durable lead. (Word of advice, Amazon isn't the only place you can buy the lead).

I do not draft, I do not draw, and I don't even write much with a pencil, but this particular model is a God-send. When I recently went to my local Staples for a new mechanical pencil, I saw all sorts of fat, rubber encased "comfortable to hold" models from such reliable names as Pentel and Papermate. I wanted something good, but not expensive, as I might get from Cross and Parker. So these looked like really good bets, to replace my old yellow Bics, whose only problem was that they were hard on the fingers (they were very reliable, worked like a charm.) But these new guys, whether 0.5 or 0.7 mm, just seemed to develop problems virtually right out of the plastic and cardboard hanger package. Usually, the little nub down near the business end, where the lead comes out of the pen, would fall out. On my third trip to Staples, I could find no "no nonsense" pencils, even among the drafting supplies. So here I am at Amazon, trying out a pencil by a well-known drafting supplies brand. And, it works like a charm. Nothing ever falls off, and it is not appreciably less comfortable than the padded variety. It is preferable to the old reliable Bics in that it has a better heft, plus an abrading near the bottom to give your fingers good traction. I'm here to get a second one of these, because I don't want to risk losing one, and being without.

The thing I love about this pencil is that, when writing, the lead doesn't squeak. I'm a college student and I often have to write quickly. With my other mechanical pencils, I get an annoying squeak when the lead comes into contact with the paper. I'm guessing it has something to do with how well/steady the pencil holds the lead. This pencil fortunately doesn't have that problem. It's also retro-looking, sleek, and lightweight. It's only been a few days but I've gotten a few compliments on it already! I wouldn't recommend this pencil, though, to people who hold their pencils strongly when they write. The grippy part of the pencil (the place you hold when you write,) is metal and semi-jagged (it's raised, but not sharp) and hurts like heck if you hold it too tightly. Some of my friends are stubborn and have a "death grip" even when they write, so if that describes you, don't get this pencil. Otherwise, it's a really great pencil and I love using it and I would recommend it to others. Another thing is the price. I don't mind spending extra for a quality pencil that will last me a long time, but $11 seems a bit much. I would put this at $8.

This model Alvin is my favorite pen that I own. It feels like a sturdy well built pencil, however it's pretty light, weighing in a 18 grams. It has an almost unnoticeable balance leaning towards the writing side of the pen. The full length of the pencil measures 5 5/8's In. (14.3 cm) with the metal knurled grips measuring 1 1/8 In. (3 cm), which is enough space to easily grab on to. They knurling is slightly more pronounced than that of the kuruToga roulette, it has a slightly cool feel to it and is very comfortable to use. Accenting the metal on the front of the pen is the metal clip, metal eraser cap, and a knurled rotating window which helps you keep track of the lead you have inside. The colored cylinder is plastic and while it would be nice to have an all metal case, that would adjust the balance and probably add to the price. This pen also comes in .5, .7 and .3 size leads, which the kuruToga does not. It costs slightly more than the KuruToga. I rank the pens I own as follows(Pricing as of 02/18/16). #1 -Alvin Draftmatic DM05($10.34) & KuruToga Roulette($9.79) #2 -Staedtler Night Blue series($12.29) #3 -Pentel for pro Graph 1000($9.45) #4 -Staedtler Mars 970 technico($9.32) #5 -UniBall KuruToga($4.17) #6 -Faber Castell TK Fine vario($1783)

I bought this pencil on a whim about 6-7 months ago and since then I have used this pencil exclusively. The feel of the pencil in your hand is the biggest pro in my opinion, the textured metal grip on it is very easy to hold and gives you excellent control over the pencil while writing or drawing on a small scale. Another pro is the lead size .3mm I haven't had any issues with excessive lead breakage and having a pencil that always has a very sharp fine point makes it greats for any notes or technical drawings. The color of the body is also something I like, when I first received the item I thought it was a bit garish but I have really come to love the familiar shade of yellow. I upgraded to this from using a pentel sharp p205 which, while a great pencil had some issues namely the clip and issues with the sleeve. I would recommend this pencil to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of a head turner when it comes to their writing utensil and if this pencil ever breaks I would 100% buy it again.

Perfetta per il mio lavoro

安っぽそうな感じと裏腹にしっかりとした書き応え。黄色のハッピーカラーが良い

Excelente produto !

Ótimo!

Es una marca que difícilmente se consigue en México y quería conocerla. La verdad es que hasta el momento parece un muy buen producto. Es muy extremadamente similar a los Rapidomatic de Koh.I.Noor (más económicos). El plástico la verdad es que no se ve muy resistente pero creo que mientras no se golpee ni se exponga al sol puede durar bastante. El precio me pareció elevado pero lo recomendó mi profesora y decidí darle una oportunidad.