ALVIN DM05 Draft/Matic® Mechanical Pencil, 0.5mm, 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 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 imagine you are looking at reviews to see what others thought of this pencil and/or you are on the fence about purchasing.Let me say that this is EASILY worth its price!Pros:Excellent, confidence inspiring, build qualityExceptional knurled grip sectionFront balanced weight (making writing more comfortable)Satisfying, solid lead advance clickLead grade indicator (not necessarily useful to me)Sturdy spring tensioned pocket clipLightweight+ more!Cons:Plastic body (it is of a good quality and feels tough despite the fact)Non-retractable lead sleeve (This is not so big of an issue, as most mechanical pencils are not. Just be careful not to poke yourself!Lead grade indicator rotates instead of locking in place (This is more personal preference. I've yet to come across a pencil that does click into place. However, it is still quite stiff and is unlikely to move accidentally.)This is an EXCELLENT quality pencil. The cons are very slight and more personal preference. I bought this at the same time as a Rotring 600, and although I prefer the Rotring's weight, this pencil is preferred when trying to write quickly or for a long period of time.