Alvin Draftmatic Technical Pencil- 0.3mm

by Alvin

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 0.2 x 5.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001DKGYLK
• Item model number: DM03
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,108 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
  • #54 in Office Products > Educational Supplies > Writing & Correction Supplies > Pencils > Mechanical Pencils
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 5, 2006

Product Description

Designed for professionals these auto feed pencils feature knurled stainless steel finger grips rotating lead degree windows and cushion points for comfortable writing control and minimal lead breakage. The 4mm long stainless steel lead sleeve supports the lead and provides drawing accuracy even with thick straightedges. Built-in eraser under cap.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful pencil in spite of minor shortcomings, June 16, 2009

By 

Thomas Stroman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alvin Draftmatic Technical Pencil- 0.3mm (Electronics)

I've been using this pencil for seven years now and have no intention of stopping. In college and grad school for physics, I have found it invaluable when I want to fit a long equation on one line and still read it clearly, and innumerable other situations where compact writing is useful. It has a good heft to it, unlike other 0.3mm pencils I have tried, and it is overall a very pleasant writing utensil. I could go on, but if you're looking for a recommendation, here it is: buy this pencil. If buying a few gets you free shipping, then buy a few.

Weaknesses, ranked from greatest to least (none of which keep me from buying this pencil again):
Non-retractable tip bends easily if pencil is dropped, and may deform and render pencil unusable.
Eraser is very narrow; I always accompany this pencil with a separate (bigger) eraser.
Slender lead breaks easily if more than 2-3 clicks' worth protrudes from the tip, so relatively frequent advancing is necessary.
Exhausted lead may not drop free easily and might not be pushed out by its successor: often necessary to pull it out.
Printing on yellow pencil shaft may smear or fade.
As another reviewer mentioned, the lead-hardness indicator spins too freely (and is a great target for fidgeting) to be reliable.

Problems shared by all 0.3mm pencils:
Filling in bubbles completely on computer-scanned sheets takes quite a while; if you're taking a timed multiple-choice exam, you could shave a few seconds off the total by bringing a fat-tipped pencil as well.
Replacement lead is difficult to find: I've had to get it at art-supply stores rather than office-supply stores.
In my whole seven years, I've only run into one other person who uses 0.3mm without being one of my own converts. Consequently, I need to make sure the pencil is well loaded, because if I run out of lead in class, no one has spare lead that will fit and I need to borrow a whole pencil.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alvin Draft/Matic DM03 0.3mm Automatic Pencil, October 24, 2008

By 

One Lone Man (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alvin Draftmatic Technical Pencil- 0.3mm (Electronics)

The Alvin is a heavyweight of a pencil weighing 17 grams, with its balancing point being 82.5mm from the top of the pencil. This makes the Alvin bottom heavy, which helps it rest comfortably in my hand. The finely knurled diamond pattern on the chromed grip affords my fingers a good hold. Both features help make writing with the Alvin a delight, it almost writes for me. Three clicks of the push button produces enough lead to write or draw with, about 1mm. The lead reservoir is not large, being small in diameter, but it will hold a couple of dozen pieces of lead. The lead grade indicator at the top of the body spins to freely and can move during normal handling. The bright silver characters of the lead grades are set against a gloss black background making them hard to read due to glare. However the push button can be replaced and the eraser used without causing lead projection.

The Alvin Draft/Matic DM03 was designed as a drafting tool but serves well as a freehand drawing tool or as a fine writing instrument. Its balance and feel make it suitable for anyone who wishes to use it in any respect.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars technical issues, November 3, 2009

By 

A. Earles - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alvin Draftmatic Technical Pencil- 0.3mm (Electronics)

I've been using the Alvin Draftmatic pencils for the last 4 years. The weight, shape & all around feel is perfect. I am a gentle & careful user of my pencils but these keep breaking (the mechanism), jamming, etc. I've replaced my .3mm 3 times and I'm done. The last one has finally stopped feeding the leads correctly. It's so unfortunate. I love everything else about these pencils but I can't afford to replace them constantly. The break downs are so random.