I used to have a Koh-I-Noor brass barrel Rapidomatic 0.5 mm mechanical pencil that was the best thing I'd ever written with. Foolishly, I took it to a training class one time and lost it. I've never been able to google or eBay a replacement. (There is still a Rapidomatic line, but it is plastic barreled, without the stability and heft that made the brass barreled model so exceptional.
The closest I've found is the Rotring 600 line, which was still carried by Levenger. Also metal, and with a decently decisive action, but neither as precise nor as well weighted as the Koh-I-Noor. Checking now, it appears Levenger no longer offers it.
The Koh-I-Noor loss has been a bitter blow. The weight of the brass provided just enough pressure to allow the pencil lead to glide very smoothly over paper with minimal downward pressure. And the weight was just enough to dampen slight tremors without making writing an effort -- in fact, it was less effort as I didn't have to work as hard to suppress the tremors and minor motions or stutters against an uneven paper surface.
As for the "hacking" aspect: Pencil/pen and paper is still one to the best interfaces I've found for prototyping and for freestyle association. In addition to its freeform nature, I find writing is enough slower than typing that it causes me, in slowing down, to really think things through. I may generate less raw output, but it tends to be of higher quality. That extra bit of delay often allows my mind to go further on a point and to gain insight I otherwise might not achieve.
There is also something kinesthetic about pencil/pen and paper that resonates with my personality. Working in the medium itself begins to generate a positive feedback loop.
I like the Pilot G2 XF very much. The normal Pilot G2 is a little thick. For Fountain Pens I really like the aluminum Rotring pens (German). They're a bit heavy, but they feel like a real tool. Ah damn, Rotring doesn't make em anymore... Well, Lamy fountain pens are really good and cheap (also German): http://www.lamyusa.com/safari.html
My Koh-I-Noor was a 0.5mm Rapidomatic 5635, white plastic barrel. Great pencil, until the barrel broke. I replaced it was a Rotring (probably the 600, although I'm not exactly sure), sold by Levenger under their name. (The clip is stamped Rotring, though). It's very nice, solid brass, and easily as good as my (plastic) Koh-I-Noor.
The Pentel Graphgear 1000 (http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/340_118) is good drafting pencil, but not quite as 'dense' as the Rotring. It has a decent retractable sleeve, which might give it just a bit more wiggle. I also have a Ohto Promecha 1000 (http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/340_154_659) and Super Promecha 1500 (http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/340_154_663), but to me they seem to be more about trickery than solid quality. The SP1500 has about four adjustments, so it's got quite the geek factor going for it. Pick one up if you're into mechanical pencils.
I enjoy the Pentel Graph Gear 1000 - pretty heavy for the $20 price and the extended drafting-style tip retracts when the clip is opened. https://www.pentelstore.com/index.php?grp=760.
The closest I've found is the Rotring 600 line, which was still carried by Levenger. Also metal, and with a decently decisive action, but neither as precise nor as well weighted as the Koh-I-Noor. Checking now, it appears Levenger no longer offers it.
The Koh-I-Noor loss has been a bitter blow. The weight of the brass provided just enough pressure to allow the pencil lead to glide very smoothly over paper with minimal downward pressure. And the weight was just enough to dampen slight tremors without making writing an effort -- in fact, it was less effort as I didn't have to work as hard to suppress the tremors and minor motions or stutters against an uneven paper surface.
As for the "hacking" aspect: Pencil/pen and paper is still one to the best interfaces I've found for prototyping and for freestyle association. In addition to its freeform nature, I find writing is enough slower than typing that it causes me, in slowing down, to really think things through. I may generate less raw output, but it tends to be of higher quality. That extra bit of delay often allows my mind to go further on a point and to gain insight I otherwise might not achieve.
There is also something kinesthetic about pencil/pen and paper that resonates with my personality. Working in the medium itself begins to generate a positive feedback loop.