Thread: Good quality pencil kits

Hi all,

I know there are similar threads but they're old and most links are dead or changed.

I made some pencils for myself and now I need to make more because friends and family liked them and want one.
A couple I turned, but my favourite ones are octagonal that I shape on the sander and then with files, but either way it's a lot of work for me (I've started making leather cases for them as well) and I'd like them to last as much as possible with no mechanical problems. So far I've used the Carbatec pack of 5, and they served the purpose as a cheap starter kit but I'm not sure how well they will hold over time, they are fairly cheap after all. I've also made a couple with the mechanism from a Pentel p205 which is pretty much indestructible, but the way I did it involved a bit of brazing which i'm not very good at and I'd rather avoid in the future.

So my question is what is a good pencil mechanism that can be turned and you've been happy with over time with heavy use? Either pencil kit or ready made pencils I could take the mechanism out of.

I'm also very interested in 2.0mm ones if I can find them.
Also, have you seen any kits with solid metal hardware instead of cheap nickel/chrome?

Cheers
Spyro