Pica-Dry Longlife Automatic Pencil 3030 Mechanical Pencils

I really like this pencil. It is great to clip the barrel to my pocket and know that I can quickly grab the pencil and just as easily slide it back in the barrel that holds it without worrying that I am going to stab myself with a sharpened lead or losing the pencil. It makes bold, dark marks that are easy to see when cutting lumber. The built-in sharpener is a great convenience. I intend to buy another as a gift.

So glad I got this pencil. It works much better than the old rectangle carpenter’s pencil. As a DIY’er with no construction skill it works well for me. I like the built in sharpener and clip. Makes it much easier to store the pencil and sharpener as one unit.

Yes, there are times when you might want to scribe a line or use a finer lead, but this thing is great. I was tempted to go with a 2-pack of similar style writing instruments, but I'm glad I got this instead. The tip sharpens down nicely and that point is enough for most, if not all of my woodworking needs, as a home hobbyist and DIY'er with a small shop. I never realized how handy having a pencil holder would be, as this just slides in and out. The clip is pretty tight and I'm worried it could break, but only time will tell. Not a huge deal, but a sturdier one would be nice. It only comes with 1 lead (already in the barrel), so I'd suggest getting a few more if you intend to use this a lot. EDIT: Added a photo of lead comparison to some pens and a pencil I had laying around. Nothing scientific, just a guy making lines on a piece of paper. The 2 rightmost lines are the Pica. A nice, practical upgrade to keep in the new shop apron I just purchased lol.

I can’t say enough good things about this. Tried a few knock offs before and they didn’t hold up. I’ve used the Pica for over a year now with no issues. The clip even functions as new. As long as you can keep up with it, it is worth the money.

This is the best mechanical carpenter's pencil that I have found. It has several nice features. 1. Sheath - it has a holster which works great. The holster stays securely connected to my pocket, belt, apron. The pencil stays securely in the sheath even if you just drop it in. The sheath is round so that you can drop the pencil in without lining anything up. I like my Thorvald, but with no sheath it is much more work to take it in and out of pockets and toolbelts. One of the teeth that holds the Thorvald broke quickly. 2. Cap - The cap stays on solidly. Most of the time I grabbed my Thorvald, the cap came out but the pencil stayed. 3. Sharpener - The sharpener gives a very nice, sharp tip that still does not break too much. The downside to the sharpener is that you have to pull the sheath out to sharpen the pencil. Not too big of a deal because I do not need to sharpen often. 4. Lead holding, loading, advancement - the leads go in easily, advance nicely and does not slip. 5. Ability to mark in deep pockets. The end tube is pretty thin (similar to almost all of its competetors) making it easier to mark inside small diameter wholes. You can also advance the lead quite a ways, so you can mark in any hole as wide as the lead diameter. The only downside to the pica is that it is round, so more likely to roll off of a table. There is a roll stop in the collar, but it is still more prone to roll than something like the ox. Still, I prefer the round Pica because it makes it easier to drop into the sheath. The Pica leads seem to be great, but I went with the Hultafors refill pack. They are slightly different diameter to the Pica leads, but work just fine. I went with the Hultafors refill pack because of the cool dispenser that clips on my tool pouch. That way I always have refills with me. Tracer makes a similar, even smaller refill. If you are looking for a mechanical carpenter's pencil, buy the Pica Dry. It works great.

I'm a handyman and I have gone through several different brands of these mechanical pencils. The lead either gets stuck or just falls out. This one works great after 3 months without a single problem. Definitely recommend this product.

The best pencil for carpentry or construction

Stays in my side leg pocket all day. Case keeps the pencil protected but is easy enough to use with one hand.