ALVIN Draft-Tec Retractable Tip Mechanical Pencil 0.7mm Model DR07 Mechanical Pencil With Retractable Tip For Drafting, Architecture, Geometry, Art, and School

Or maybe more appropriately, “unrated” instead of underrated. Couldn’t find many reviews or YouTube recommendations prior to purchasing, but this mech pencil is great. It’s light. It DOES has a retractable lead pipe. I have the 0.3mm version and yes, lead breaks easily, but that’s not a knock against the pencil. Alvin makes quality gear and this is a nice, affordable option.

Point .03 lead that is always sharp and ready to use for drawing and writing. Smooth operation, feels good in the hand. The tip retracts to protect it from bending if dropped on a tile floor. I use it for drawing and for taking notes in the margins of books.

An affordable mech pencil with a retractable lead tip. Hard to find similar. If the retractable tip is its big plus, the lack of leads hardness (HB, B, 2B, F, H, etc.) visual indicator is its weakest point. If I load the pencil with B leads, but than if I need HB or 2B in five or six days, suddenly I'll have a hard time remembering what I already have inside the pencil. Overall, a very good pencil that's very useful when traveling or moving around with the pencil in your pocket.

This mechanical pencil is a fine piece of work. It fits pretty well in your hand and writes like a charm. The main reason I bought it, though, was because of the retractable tip. Thanks to that, I don't have to worry about boring a hole in my pocket. It feels very light, and the body is very sturdy. I will definitely buy another one.

Great all around.03 mm mechanical pencil. Love the double knock mechanism.

This pencil was a pleasant surprise. The mechanical workings are precise and smooth. A "long" or "deep" click extends the metal support for the lead. A "short" click extends the lead. Very easy to get accustomed to. After writing, just "deep" click and hold, then push the lead back in and release the cap.My only gripe is that the cap, which covers the eraser, is very smooth and hard to get a grip on when pulling it off to expose the eraser, since it is pushed down when you want to pull it off. If you take the cap off, you can't extend the pencil. If the cap had a different finish, it might be easier to pull off. But for the money, this is a great pencil.By the way, the eraser is soft and does a good job of erasing.

First of all this is a true retractable pencil and it took me a long time to find one. Some retractable pencils you have to press the tip to retract it. This one uses the eraser end to advance the lead and the point and the eraser end to retract. This pencil compares to a Pilot pencil (.5 mm) that I bought in Japan in the 70's for $15 US and now sells for $150 on auction sites (it is no longer made). The quality is not as good as the $150 Pentel but costs $140 less. This pencil is also made in Japan, and the good quality shows. It comes with a UPC sticker on it that is somewhat difficult to remove (I do not have a hair dryer), this is good because it looks better than one with a printed UPC on it. The only negative thing I can find is the lower half has molding seams that show, the upper half does not.I have been looking for a mechanical pencil that compares to the 70's Pentel (quality retractable) in .7mm for a long time and am very happy with this one. The mechanical feel between the two is the same but the sound is different, this one makes more noise.I replaced the HB lead that comes with it, with 2B and it writes much better. It holds 4 leads. Shipping was somewhat a little slow (not 2 day) but the wait was worth it. I do not agree with any negative comments here. So this is now my go to pencil because I want to keep the price less than $10 for a .7mm true retractable pencil.This came loose in a padded envelope and was a little scuffed up but cleaned up nicely. I am going to order two more,

Best mechanical pencil on the market!! I'm very particular about how a pencil feels in my hand for writing and drawing. It's lightweight but doesn't feel junky or cheap. It also doesn't tire your hand if you have to write a lot. The only thing I do differently is change out the lead from HB to 2B. Again, this makes for softer writing and is easier on your hand.