Caran d'Ache has been making some of our favorite writing utensils in Switzerland for nearly a century. They're good. This is a way-upgraded mechanical pencil — decidedly not the kind you lend lightly. The name is a tribute to Sir Walter Scott's classic historical novel; so of course the casing has a "coat of mail" finish just like those of the knights in the story. (If you've never seen a medieval knight in real life, it's like a fine mesh texture, and it feels great.)
