Zebra M-301 Stainless Steel Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm Fine Point - 2 Pack (Model 54012) for School, Office & Drafting - Smooth Writing for Notes, Sketches & Technical Drawings

Like most people who have used mechanical pencils for a long time, I settled into my favorite couple pencils, bought a number of them and used them for years. For me it was the Y&C Double Knock and the Alvin Draftmatic dating back to the mid-90's. But then I started using "luxury" pen and pencil sets from Cross, Parker, Pelican and Waterman and lost touch with the "functional" mechanical pencil market. But both between a realization that these "luxury" brands aren't actually interested in making a good pencil as much as something good looking (don't get me wrong, they're good, but writing quality of their pencils is not what drives them) and my kids getting to the age where they could use a good mechanical pencil, I decided to dig back in and re-learn the current offerings. I decided to give my older kids (as stocking stuffers for Christmas) one of each of the viable contenders and then borrow them on occasion to see what I thought. It's now been a couple months and I'm reviewing them all:Best overall: Pentel GraphGear 500 (full review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2V3OHBEJN60WZ)Best value: Zebra M301 (this review)Best retractable tip: Pentel GraphGear 1000 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WGL8ZCB03SQK)Best rubber grip: Staedtler 925-05 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1ZX77U5OV8OS6)Also rans (in order of preference):Alvin Draftmatic (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VQY95VWPF0YI)Uni Kuru Tora (http://www.amazon.com/review/R2JV48N3D6KXH3)Pentel P205 (http://www.amazon.com/review/R3C11TD28G7BUT)Click on the links above for my detailed review of each. And now for the actual review for THIS pencil, the Zebra M301:This is the only low priced ($1-$5) pencil that I bought. The others I looked into were obviously junk. In fact, it was my wife buying a few different very cheap mechanical pencils from Bic and others that put me up to this endeavor. They were all junk and my kids deserve better, even if they lose them too often for comfort (which is why she was reasonably buying such inexpensive ones). Nevertheless, the stainless steel barrel of the M301 intrigued me thinking that these guys may actually care about quality and at that price it was worth taking a flyer on it.Boy was I impressed!If you're looking for a pencil for your lower elementary school kids, THIS is the pencil. Between the price and the quality, it's the unquestioned victor for your throw away pencil. I've decided that these are the pencils I keep in the woodshop and if the kids ever lose all their stocking stuffers, this is what they'll be getting to replace them.The stainless steel barrel isn't overwhelmingly good, but it is surprisingly good quality for such an inexpensive pencil. It's very dirt and grime resistant, something nice for when the kids come back from the school cafeteria with sticky fingers. It cleans easily too.The other surprising part is the grip. For those who read all of my pencil reviews, you'll see that I'm generally not a fan of the plastic grip. They tend to absorb finger grease over time and get a slick feel to them. And then oddly, perhaps because the maker is trying to over-compensate, the ribs in the plastic tend to dig in too much. The result is a slippery grip that is still hard on your fingers. The worst of both worlds! However, the plastic on this pencil is not ribbed in one direction ("horizontally" around the barrel) like most plastic grip pencils including the classic Pentel P205. Instead it has both horizontal and vertical ribs that make a nice pattern that gives a good grip. I still prefer a metal grip, but I must admit, for a plastic one, this is pretty good.Finally in the positive category is the clip. It is tight enough to clip on thin materials, but since it is wide and made of a thicker gauge material than most of it's competitors, it slides over the material easily. While I haven't stressed it frequently, it just has the feel of a clip that will last a long time.All of those positives aside, don't get me wrong, this is not a high end pencil. It has more give in the tip than the best of the crop. If it was a medium cost pencil it would have just been one amongst many. The eraser is pitifully small (although just as big as all the others I guess and of a good quality polymer material). The clicking mechanism is OK, but not high end either.Nevertheless, this pencil is a great value and is one of only two I give a 5-star rating to. Buy a bunch of them and spread them around so that there's one where ever you need one. You won't regret it.