The Web is a Strange Place...

First of all, it's important for you to know that, despite being relatively technically savvy, I still prefer to keep a paper calendar/to do list. And I do all my scheduling and tasking w/a mechanical pencil.

The make/model of pencil I have been using for years is the Pentel Twist-Erase 0.5.

Who the hell cares, you ask? Why are you telling me this??

Stay with me. This is important prologue info.

As I said, I've been using the Pentel for years, but recently have had trouble with the lead breaking and so had decided that, since this is my primary writing instrument, perhaps it was time to upgrade.

So I decided to do a little internet shopping.

And came across a whole blogworld of pencil enthusiasts.

Yes, you read that previous sentence correctly. Pencil enthusiasts.

There's this guy, who writes about 4-color mechanical pencils, which are apparently called Norma pencils.

There's this site, which, according to it's self-description, has been "serving pencil collectors and enthusiasts since 1996!"

And there's this site, the "online pencil museum."

And these are just the tip of the iceberg.

For example, there are these:
Pencil Talk
Dave's Mechanical Pencils
Pencil Box

I am clearly out of my depth here...all I want is a nice looking mechanical pencil with smooth, easy lead advancement and an eraser larger than a kernel of unpopped corn.