Architect Pencils: 5 Best Mechanical Pencils for Architects

Being an architect is a serious career and you need a serious mechanical pencil to get the job done. You need the perfect pencil for your masterful work, a pencil that will aid in the precision of your sketches and architectural drawings.

A mechanical pencil, also known as a drafting pencil, with the right features can enhance your drafting. Finding a decent pencil can be a hard endeavor in a saturated market. There are companies out there selling lies about their products so you end up paying high prices for a poorly madegraphite pencil or straightforward colored pencils.

Therefore, we made this guide to make your life easier. Here are the top 5 mechanical pencils that every architect should invest in.

Why You Should Be Using Mechanical Pencils for Drafting

There are several concrete reasons that architects love pencils over pens, mechanical pencils being the most used writing instrument for architects.

• With a pencil, an architect or artist is allowed to make mistakes from time to time. Erasersare an architect’s best friend. Sometimes your lines don’t come out the way you intended and you need to start over. Erasable pens leave indentions and don’t work very well for an architect’s needs.
• With your average pencil, you’re stuck constantly sharpening it to keep it sharp and keep your line widths consistent. It becomes dull after so much use and breakages. Mechanical pencils, however, don’t require sharpening. If you’re concentrating and your ideas are flowing, you don’t want to interrupt that flow with the task of sharpening your pencil. In the worst-case scenario, you will have to refill your mechanical pencil.
• You’ll always have consistent line widthswhen using a mechanical pencil. The width of a line depends on the width of the lead. A normal pencil’s width will change and depends on the sharpener being used. The duller it gets, the wider the line. With a mechanical pencil, you get to choose the width by the lead you use. The lines will always be consistent with each other, it will never be an issue.

Best 5 Mechanical Pencils for Architects

Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil

Modern Fuel’s mechanical pencil is an update from their original pencil, which started as a campaign on Kickstarter. This pencil is one of the most amazing pencils any architect could come into contact with. This pencil beats every other pencil in quality.

The dedication to heirloom quality and the perfect engineering is what makes this mechanical pencil so special. First, this pencil is made of metal, making it a much higher quality pencil than the cheap plastic models that are easy to break. Better yet, you get to choose what material you’d like your personal pencil to be made of. You get to choose between titanium, copper, or stainless steel.

Every pencil that’s made is tested for perfect balance to ensure a high quality and equal drafting experience. You get to choose the lead size to fit your project and you can even switch it up if you have two pencils. The retractable tip ensures there will never be damage to your pencil.

Modern Fuel makes a promise for a forever pencil, a mechanical pencil that will last you forever. If not, they promise to either replace or fix the pencil.

Staedtler Mars 780 Technico Mechanical Pencil

Staedtler makes high-quality pens and pencils right out of Germany. With 180 years of experience under their belt, they’ve been innovators in the writing and drawing utensil industry. They’re also dedicated to eco-friendly products.

Staedtler’s Mars 780 Technical mechanical pencil has been a favorite for architects and serious artists across the board. It uses 2mm lead and has a great grip for stability while drafting and drawing. It also has a push button as well as a built-in lead sharpener.

Retro51 Hex-O-Matic Mechanical Pencil

Retro 1951 was created in 1990 to design the best pens and pencils for everyone from the hobbyists to the professional. They are not only designed for convenience but they are also designed for fun and funky artists and drafters.

Retro 1951’s Hex-O-Matic mechanical pencil has a unique hexagonal metal design. This brings comfort to your drafting experience. Between the metal barrel and the knuckled grip, it has a great balance of weight for stability.

Pilot Dr. Grip Mechanical Pencil

Pilot has been a household pen brand in homes for decades. They’ve been designing high-quality pens and pencils with the customer’s needs and wants in the back of their mind. They’re also the 3^rd largest instrument writing company in the United States.

Dr. Grip was created specifically for the comfort of the pencil user. It has an ergonomic cushion grip. This prevents your fingers from cramping up after spending a large amount of time on a project. It’s even been commended for Ease-of-Use by the Arthritis Foundation.

Alvin Draft Matic Mechanical Pencil

Alvin has been a wholesaler company involved with high-quality drafting supplies since the 1950s. They supply numerous stores with supplies throughout the United States, Canada, and even a few other countries.

Alvin’s Draft Matic mechanical pencil is specifically designed for professionals like architects. It has stainless steel finger grips so it won’t slip from your fingers and it has cushion points to prevent blisters and callouses from pressure and constant use. It even has an eraser underneath the cap so it’s easy to access.

Conclusion

Architects are stacked with projects and have little time. You’re often under pressure and you want to put your best effort into every draft you create. The best architects have the best materials always at their fingertips.

From the right drafting paper to an old school ruler, every piece of material counts. This includes the pencil you use to work on your projects.