Lindsay gave me an idea for a pretty cool birthday present for my Grandma. He was discussing Prym white lead for something he was working on. My Grandma sews and quilts about 8 hours a day and she was complaining about not being able to see marks. She uses pencil to mark on fabric and she has been using a Kuru Toga Advanced that I gave here a while back; she liked the size and shape and I disliked the pencil. I want to get her something vintage or vintage style that runs .9 and I am struggling. I’ve looked at P209s because ascetically I think she would enjoy it, but I think it would be too narrow at the grip. She likes lavender and purple in general, so I’d really like to try and incorporate that if possible. It would be used very frequently, so durability is a factor. She isn’t a fan of knurling, but she needs texture or grip of some kind because of her arthritis. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I have a few months to decide.
Spoke 4.
And if they don’t have 0.9mm in stock that’s an easy part to get from a P209.
I’d also keep some spare P209 parts on hand since it wouldn’t have a clip and could roll off the table pretty easily.
That’s a good idea! I didn’t think about Spoke!
The Super Groove would be the perfect size and grip!
I wouldn’t go for a drafting pencil, just because any drop would ruin the tip, and if she has arthritis that will probably happen at some point.
When I read vintage 0.9, the first thing I thought were the early Pentel 9 models. Pilot also made some 0.9 models many years ago but they’re harder to find I think. Anyway there may be no need to go for a super rare or old pencil.
You could consider the Caran d’ache 849. Plenty of colors to choose from, and it’s not a 0.9 but it’s a 0.7 which may be thick enough. If you want to make the marks more easily readable, you can use softer lead.
Another option you could consider is the platinum pro use 171 0.9. It has knurling, but it’s very soft. With the tip almost completely unretracted, the pencil should be pretty fall safe.
Prym only comes in .9mm from what I have seen. You have a point on weight and weight distribution though. That is something I need to consider.
Maybe a Platinum PRESS MAN? It’s 0.9 and spring loaded. The current reissue comes in many colors, but the clutch is resin.
I think after some thought the spoke 4 might be too heavy. I like the idea of the Press Man. It looks light and the taper doesn’t look as dramatic as a P209. It reminds me of a Skilcraft pencil I had about 10 years ago.
They even have one in white, to match the leads.
A grandma with Kuru Toga. Cool!
I don’t sew and quilt so I don’t realize which lead size and grade are suitable for them.
To meet the need of visible marks, apart from using darker lead, do you think larger lead size making the mark more legible?
2mm lead holder or wooden pencil may fit for her purpose.
You can get her Pentel Multi 8 purple 2mm lead too.
To meet the need of arthritis, Pilot Dr.Grip 0.9mm pencil may be a good fit.
@drifand Platinum Press Man 0.9mm white with white lead is an excellent choice! It is very light and I like it. 
I am not too sure either. She complained recently while making a grey robe, saying that pencil did not show up well for obvious reasons. I asked why she doesn’t use chalk and she said she had always preferred mechanical pencils. She has expressed dislike for the Dr. grip in the past; I guess she had one back in the day. Prym makes 4 total colors that I can find, so I am thinking of getting the Press Man set and matching colors w/ pencils and wrapping it up all nice.
Does she like knurling? There is the Platinum Pro-Use 171 0.9mm which also has a nice look.
Personally, I would get a Sakura SumoGrip for gma. It comes in 0.9 (which is white, even), really comfy large grip and a very usable large twist eraser. It’s really cheap too and won’t break when dropped.
I am visiting her for the next few days and I brought over 100 pencils with me in order for her “to give her honest feedback for our mechanical pencil blog.” 
I will let you all know what she picks as her favorites lol
“You brought how many?”
“100”
“I need to talk to your momma, shah”
Plot twist - kids took all the pencils. Poor gma!
They got away with one each
@TheLaw1989 If I may ask, what stand are you using there for the pencils?
I hope you had a great family day, enjoying so many pencils and stationery, cheers to Grandma and everyone else. Which pencil did she choose?