Well I need a good durbale and reliable pen or mechanical pencil.  

The space pen caught my eye..and I remember seeing a space pen/pencil...anybody have a link to this?

Brigade Quartermasters sells Fisher space pens.  $7.00 for a lower end model.  I know from first hand experience that they will write on allmost anything, in allmost any temperature, in any direction.

I wnet to Sams Club and go a 10 pack of Zebra Mechanical pencils.  I love them. Steel outer barrel, steel lead guide. Much tighter and crisper than any other pencil Ive used.

It was about $10 for 10 IIRC. I had had one for more than a year and it still works. Great pencils.

Avery eGel retractable black ink pen with medium point of 0.7mm.  I buy them in packs of two at the drug store for $3.99.  Best pen under $50 I've ever used.

Quoted: I wnet to Sams Club and go a 10 pack of Zebra Mechanical pencils.  I love them. Steel outer barrel, steel lead guide. Much tighter and crisper than any other pencil Ive used. It was about $10 for 10 IIRC. I had had one for more than a year and it still works. Great pencils.

+1 on the Zebra's. I used them all through out college.

Get some mechanical pencils from Pilot. I've had one since freshman year of high school and it still works fine. I'm a graduate student now. That thing's gotta be 10 years old.

are these for drafting or everyday use?

I like the pilot precise V5 Extra Fine pens. I've used a lot of different pens and these work better for me.

Ive worked in office supply many years. Zebra r0x0rs....

For a good working "mechanical pencil" with a very useful features:

Pentel Twist Erase .5mm is tops!. It has one of the inch long erasers that twist out the end. Since I erase a lot, a good sized eraser is a must and I hate having to remove caps and stuff to get to the eraser!!! I do NOT like to have to carry a second eraser. Those dinky little 3mm wide erasers in many pencils just dont cut it. Plastic body, with rubber around grip area. Full metal end piece doesn't wobble even after a lot of writing/dropping, etc.



The other recommendation for a mechanical pencil with a LARGE eraser is the Papermate Titanium. It too has a LARGE twist eraser and can be had in .5 or .7mm (maybe even .3mm, but I consider that size too fragile for real work). It also has a floating end piece (you can push in the end so it doesn't stick out in your pocket). The downside is that the floating end make s it feel wobbly when writing hard. Also has rubber around barrel area for grip.



Obviously both come in different colors, although I always choose black or blue. I like the Pentel better as it seems to be sturdier over the long run.

These recommendations are from last year's college curriculum consisting of TONS of calculus, physics, and chemistry. Hence the need of a REAL eraser!!.

I tried more expensive/fancier mech pencils, but these two are real working tools. I rarely use pens so I can't help with that.

Oh, yeah, the Papermate Logo4 is also a good large erasser model. It's bascially the same as the Titanium without the retractible end.

Quoted: I like the pilot precise V5 Extra Fine pens. I've used a lot of different pens and these work better for me.

Big +1

I usually buy two bulk packs at a time. I hate writing with ball point pens, and gel pens are too bold and run out of ink too fast IMO.

I also hate using pencils for anything other than when I'm woodworking or taking a Scantron test. The mechanical pencil I use is the Pentel with the "smoke" colored body, .5mm lead. Don't know the name/model of it.

Just found an interesting pen/pencil? Apparently it's graphite suspended in a liquid so it writes like a pen, but erases as a pencil. Wonder how well it works.



Ingenuity™ Liquid Mechanical Pencil
Graphite suspended in clear fluid creates a pencil that works like a pen. No more hassles with advancing or breaking lead. Erasable. Pocket clip, eraser. Refillable.