Uni M71010.26 Shift Pipe Lock Drafting 0.7mm Pencil, Silver Body with Orange Accent (M71010.26)

Very neat pencil. I like the style very much. The twist and lock motions are very satisfying. Nothing seems to have too much play and it seems well-made.The standard mostly-useless eraser hides under another cap that can get lost... I don't know why nice pencils are made this way.The weight is good, and almost entirely in the metal grip. It's a good grip and the forward weight is better than back-end weight. I can write quite a bit with no fatigue with this pencil. Also, the grip is very good.I wish it had a better eraser and sometimes if you twist too far it starts screwing into a mode that is apparently for keeping the tip fixed out instead of using the twist-lock extension feature... it seems weird, and not useful to me. I'd drop a half-star if I could.All in all, it's mostly worth the ten dollars I paid. It looks very cool and has unique features.

This is changed sketching for me. The pen is beautiful and sleek very good quality and it makes sketching so much easier as I’m not constantly trying to roll the pencil in order to keep Sharpoint, it does it for me. I love it definitely would recommend it to others. I think it’s a MUST for a sketch artist. If I can give it more than five stars, I would.

So here's the deal, I like to think I'm a well seasoned writing utensil enthusiast and for quality and writing experience, my benchmark is the rotring 800. I appreciate pencils with a retractable lead sleeve and further more appreciate it when the mechanism is not just a spinning grip-section. That being said I was very excited to see what this pencil had to offer. I have been daily using this pencil for a few days now and think its time for me to give my opinion:Right off the bat I swapped out the included lead with some higher quality lead which made a big difference. My initial thought was "wow, this sure feels cheap for a pencil of this class". The weight can be quite off putting as the entire barrel is made of plastic and the knurled grip only felt "adequate". As for the looks, this pencil really shines. It gets quite a bit of attention wherever I use it with people asking me what that is.The mechanism on the other hand was amazing. It was smooth, easy to use, and best of all: unique. The writing experience was quite good but it felt somehow lacking to me. The problem I found was that it's look and shape made me feel like I was using a kuru toga, but the lead wasn't rotating. Throughout my testing process I couldn't help but gravitate towards the kuru toga.So whats my final opinion? This pencil is great. Not only is it well priced, but it is new and exciting. I loved having a new way to take out the lead sleeve and it feels amazing to do. If you're someone who's looking for a pencil with a retractable lead sleeve in this price range I strongly suggest you consider the Uni Shift Pipe.

I'm pretty picky about writing tools. This is a very nice pencil. I thought the diameter at .4 inches might be a little large but it's very comfortable. And the knurled grip area is perfect. I wouldn't mind if it were a little heavier but it's fine. Not so light you hardly know you're holding it. I got it earlier today and I keep picking it up just to admire it. The way the pencil tip retracts is interesting and elegant engineering. I'm very impressed.I know it's listed as a "drafting" pencil but I use it for general writing, note making, etc. It's perfect.At this price, throw away all your cheap plastic pencils, get these for a few dollars more and have a lot greater satisfaction, if you care about that kind of thing.This pencil hits way out of it's class. Looks great, feels very nice in your hand, you will not regret buying this pencil.

Very workable design that works reliably and is durable

I never understood the point of spending more than $8 for a pencil, until I bit the bullet and splurged on this one (and for me, this was a big splurge on a pencil). It's got a little flair with the orange stripe, which I love. Plus, in the office with other co-workers with drafting pencils, this stands out so no one can "borrow" it:) But the greatest thing for me is the shift pipe lock- greatest part about it. It protects the pipe from being bent, but more importantly, I can stick this in my nicer purses without worrying about it tearing a hole. It's got a decent amount of weight to it, so if you grip the pencil and write pretty hard (like me), this may be an option for you. My only issues would be that the diameter could be bigger (my last pencil was a Dr. Grip), and that the eraser is TINY. But overall, this is a great pencil.