Staedtler 925-27 Color Series Drafting Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

A lot of us got our start in fine-tuned stationery with precise drafting pencils. These were fairly easy to find in big box office supply stores, and even easier to find in college bookstores, art stores, and crafting supply stores. The specifications and features on these pencils went beyond the generic "0.5mm mechanical pencil" description, and that was deeply attractive to those of us that craved more precise control of our writing instruments and the ability to fine-tune our writing experience.

Drafting pencils have always held a special place in my heart. I would ransack my dad's supply in his oak roll-top desk when he wasn't home and explore all the old relics from his days as a drafting student in engineering school. Drafting pencils first introduced me to the concept that other lead sizes and lead holders existed outside of the 0.5mm and 0.7mm varieties we had access to during back to school shopping season. It was a fascinating and lasting glimpse into another world where it was obvious that people took these instruments very seriously, and that really resonated with me.

Fast forward a couple decades, and here we are. I have more pens and pencils than I'd rather count, and I'm aware of a vast majority of writing instruments and endless customization options. Even though my interests and preferences have expanded, I always remember the humble beginnings of the drafting pencil with great fondness. And that's why the Staedtler 925-75 drafting pencil is an interesting product that is worthy of attention.

The Staedtler 925-75 has a very boring name, but the color options are very exciting in a world of black, gray, and silver writing instruments. Drafting pencils are usually very business-centric instruments, but the playful color options of this Staedtler line is refreshing. I have the purple option here, and it really does add a nice pop of color to my desk amidst the many other pens and pencils that frequent the desk space. With pastel color options that include green, purple, yellow, pink, blue, and white, you can definitely find something that fits your palette preference.

Aside from the fun colors, these are actually solid drafting pencils. While they only offer a lead size of 0.5mm, the plastic construction is solid and lightweight, while also keeping costs down. On top of that, there's a small lead grade indicator ring on top of the pencil to help you keep track of what type of lead is in the pencil.

In concept, it's a great pencil at a great price, and I'm sure that it will work well for many. For me, the grip is just uncomfortable no matter how I hold it. As far as cheap drafting pencils go, I've always been very partial to the Pentel line — particularly the similarly-priced Sharp drafting pencils and the slightly more premium Pentel 120 A3DX pencils. At under six bucks for any of these, you can't go wrong. I just happen to prefer the grips on both of the Pentel models that I have.

The Staedtler pencil functions perfectly. The mechanical pencil mechanism is precise and crisp, and the material quality is top notch. The 4mm lead pipe provides excellent visibility and a nice solid piece to hold against a straight-edge when needed. It even includes the gratuitous (and mostly unusable) tiny eraser that doubles as the lead stopper. The inclusion of a lead grade ring indicator is nice, but it's too loose for me to trust. A slight bump of the ring is enough to move the indicator to a different lead type, which is annoying if you really rely on it. Comparing that to the Rotring 600 isn't fair given the price difference, but the Rotring lead grade ring has a good amount of friction that makes it really difficult to accidentally adjust it, while also being easy to adjust when you mean to.

At just over four bucks, it's hard to complain about such a great pencil. I really am splitting hairs when it comes to the Staedtler 925-75 line, and it mostly comes down to personal comfort and how the grip feels in my hand. It's an excellent pencil that ticks all the boxes in terms of how it performs as a mechanical pencil, and the price is really hard to beat for a drafting pencil!

If you like the colors of these pencils and need a good 0.5mm drafting pencil (or even a few for different lead grades), then give the Staedtler 925-27 a shot! It's a great pencil that will serve you well assuming you can agree with the grip.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Platinum Pro-Use 171 Drafting Pencil 0.9 mm Review

While Platinum may be primarily known in pen addict circles as a manufacturer of fine fountain pens, did you know they also make high-quality drafting pencils as well?

The Platinum Pro-Use 171 is the latest to hit the market, and the best I have tried from a very good Platinum bunch. It is important to get the feel right in a drafting pencil: Weight forward towards the tip, light up top, both working together for ultimate pencil control. Platinum nails the feel with the 171.

The lightly-knurled metal grip section looks, feels, and functions great. It has some weight to it, which it should for proper balance. The knurling provides enough grip without being too aggressive, which would tire out your fingers. It also functions to engage and disengage the pressure-absorbing spring mechanism in the pencil, which helps prevent lead breakage. With a lead as wide as 0.9 mm breakage issues aren’t all that common. I can see this coming into play more with 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm lead widths.

Another feature the 171 has is an adjustable lead pipe sleeve length. This pencil does it differently than other mechanical and drafting pencils I have used with this feature. Instead of twisting to retract or extend the sleeve itself, the nose cone on the Platinum twists up and down to cover the sleeve. Functionally it’s fine, but aesthetically it’s not my favorite look when the sleeve is completely covered. It breaks up the clean lines of the pencil design.

The stock lead the 171 ships with is not noted specifically, but it feels and performs like an stock HB lead. It’s dark and smooth and doesn’t break down too easily. The eraser is shockingly good. I never expect much from small mechanical pencil erasers, but this one takes away the marks completely and cleanly.

I chose the 0.9 mm size to review since I have been enjoying wider lines to sketch with. The Pro-Use 171 also comes in 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm width, each with a different barrel color to denote the tip size. At $19 I can see avid users of drafting pencils buying the full set. The build quality of the pencil is top-notch and should last for years through heavy use. I may have to pick up the 0.3 mm to add to the collection myself. They are that good.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Rotring Rapid Pro .7mm Drafting Pencil

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on his blog, Smallberry Drive, Twitter, and Instagram.)

Rotring is a name with a lot of cache in the world of pens and pencils. Building a brand on quality products that last a lifetime will do that. The Rotring 600 is the gold standard for premium drafting pencils and most of their products have been lauded industry wide. The Rapid Pro keeps up the tradition of innovative excellence and makes some concessions for a friendlier price point.

The Rapid Pro drafting pencil comes in three iterations: .5mm, .7mm and 2mm. Both the .5mm and .7mm feature a sliding sleeve that can be retracted to make it pocket safe.    The primary selling point is the cushion point lead mechanism, which not only extends the sliding sleeve but also protects the lead when writing. How it works is simple- one click deploys the sleeve and lead, all other clicks advance the lead. Pushing the lead back in also pushes the sleeve, making it pocket-safe.

The pocket-safe feature alone would be worth the price of admission, but it does double duty: If you press down too hard on the lead when writing, instead of snapping the lead, the cushion mechanism slides the lead back into the pencil. When you lift from the page, the lead springs back. This blew my mind the first time it happened. It takes a good amount of force, so it isn’t just sliding around when in normal use. If you press REALLY hard, the whole sleeve will slide back into the pencil. 

It's not always going to stop the lead from breaking, if you are holding it at a less than 30 degree angle with an inch of lead out, there ain't a pencil in the world that can help you. I use soft lead, 2B, and it has about an 80% success rate of sliding before breaking. It has saved me a ton of frustration.

If you use up all of the lead down to the tip of the sleeve, the sleeve will budge back down into the pencil body little by little so that you aren't just scratching the paper with the metal sleeve, also you will still be writing with the lead. While continuing to write like that is not ideal, it is better that running out of lead mid thought.

The metal body is a rounded edged version of the a hex style, a signature red ring separates a knurled grip. The tip narrows in two plateaus. The clip is very sturdy, and even after months of being abused by my pockets, its grip has not diminished. The weight is wonderful and the balance is great. Total length of the pencil is 5.75" and the balance point is roughly 2.75" from the writing end, making it ever so slightly front heavy. The black finish is a beautiful matte. After 3 months of use, mine does have some wear on it but I think it adds character. If that is something that bothers you then check out the silver model. It can hold about five spare pieces of lead, plus the one in use (I imagine the .5mm can hold more, just because of size).

There are a few sticking points, this pencil ain’t perfect.

• The end cap that protects the eraser falls off. I nearly lost it a week into having it, and finding a tiny black cylinder is no easy task. My solution was to squish it a bit, bending the perfect cylinder into more of an oval shape, which grips the eraser part much better. I haven’t had trouble since.
• The eraser sucks. I know, everyone waves this away as most drafting pencils don’t have great erasers, but come on. TWSBI’s Precision mechanical pencil had a decent eraser, and it would be nice to see that widely adopted. I know that tiny erasers have their defenders, especially in the drafting community, but this pencil feels very much like a writing/drawing tool and less like a drafting tool.

There are things about this pencil that some people have complained about that I think are non-issues. Some of the inner-workings are plastic, including the red ring (which is part of the cushion mechanism). This does not bother me one bit. I have seen drafting purists take issue with it being called a “drafting pencil” since it lacks a lead grade indicator. So, what’s in a name? As I said above, this does feel more like a well built mechanical pencil built with the best drafting pencil trappings, I never used those indicators anyways.

“Loose pencils, tight inking” is an adage I have. It was something we talked about in my comic art class. I like this idea, keep the planning loose, keep the execution tight. It is something I refer to in my head for all sorts of life stuff. Which is why I carry a pencil. The Rotring Rapid Pro makes "keeping it loose" a breeze thanks to their tight execution of a near perfect product. The total impression is that of a seriously fine tool. As an experiment, I have handed it over to several non-pen addict people when asking for a pencil and they always remark on it. It is impressive.

Just make sure you squish that end cap.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)