Can we talk about that 'premium' drafting pencil set I bought for $85 that snapped the lead every single time?

I lost a whole afternoon on a set of foundation plans because the 0.5mm lead kept breaking inside the clutch, and now I'm back to my old $12 mechanical pencils.

2 comments

2 Comments

evannelson19h ago

It's wild how the expensive stuff can fail at the basic job. I wonder if the fancy set has a clutch mechanism that's too tight or out of spec, crushing the lead instead of holding it. You pay for the brand name and the fancy case, not for better engineering. That old $12 pencil works because it's built to do one thing right without any fuss.

umaprice15h ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling. Honestly, I've had that happen with a fancy drafting pencil too, where the lead just disintegrates the second you put any pressure on it. Tbh it makes you want to throw the whole expensive set out the window. Nothing beats the cheap one that just works.