What’s The Best Mechanical Pencil For Sketching?
Are you frustrated from sharpening your pencils again and again? Does the lead of your pencils break again and again? If yes, then you should switch to a mechanical pencil. If you have already heard about is then it’s fine. But if the term is new to you, let’s give you a brief to it.
A mechanical pencil is a reliable friend for an artist, a designer or a draftsman, and also for a student. It is a great alternative to pens and wooden pencils. The mechanical pencil is a pencil core made from graphite which is not bonded to its outer casing and can be extended mechanically if you wore away its point. It is also called as a drafting pencil, automatic pencil, technical pencil, clutch pencil, lead pencil, pen pencil, etc. A mechanical pencil helps you to draw constant lines and to make quick and neat writing. It is also very useful for the fine arts drawing.
Let me explain you the features which are the possible reasons to get choose a mechanical pencil:
Day to day, a mechanical pencil comes in a shorter and thinner size compared to a normal pencil. It can be kept in your diary without making a big pen loop in it.
It is available with the variety of lead sizes ranging from 0.3mm to 4mm and more. So, it helps to choose the best option for you. For example, if you are using it for writing or drawing, then 0.3mm to 0.9mm range is most suitable for you.
It has a lead sleeve which comes in a thin and round or conical shape which surrounds the lead just behind the writing tip. The thin and round sleeves are useful for drafting and the conical sleeves are best for writers.
The retractable tip helps you to save your leg and pocket from the damage when you travel with the pencil and putting it in your pocket. This will be less important though when you use a mechanical pencil with a conical sleeve.
Some mechanical pencils come with a Lead Grade Indicator. You can set to show the grade of the lead you are using your pencil. It is very helpful when you use different pencils with different grades.
Mechanical pencils come with a variety of grip options. Whether you like the Faber-Castell Grip, Staedtler’s Triplus, a plastic, metal or a rubber grip, you will find a range mechanical pencils available in all types of grips. A mechanism like Faber-Castell Grip advances the lead slowly as you are drawing or writing by itself, which eliminated the need of ‘click’ and breaking the concentration.
Most of the mechanical pencils come with a pocket clip. It will help you to carry them in your pocket with ease.
Different mechanical pencils have the different lead advance mechanism. The most common are the button type mechanisms (top or side). The mechanical pencil comes either with a button on the top or at side. Some pencils come with a twist-to-advance mechanism. Few of them comes with a ‘shake’ mechanism, in which, you have to shake the whole pencil up and down to advance the lead.
Most of the mechanical pencils come with an eraser on the top of the pencil and covered under a cap. Some of them come with an eraser which can be advanced by twisting the top of the pencil.
The mechanical pencils are built with a refillable mechanism, so you need not buy the pencil again and again. Just get its refill and start working again.
In the end
After the first use in the 18th century, drawing mechanical pencil is becoming more and more popular day by day. It offers great advantages over a pen and a wooden pencil. You can get a number of types and styles to choose for the best mechanical pencil for your specific work. Tell us if you like the article and are/will using the mechanical pencil or not.