Back in January 2015, mechanical designer Andrew Sanderson was able to get his first Kickstarter project funded: the uber-sleek Modern Fuel Mechanical Pencil, which was machined from one solid piece of metal (aluminum or brass) and thus made to last a lifetime.

Now he's back with another Kickstarter for a 2.0 update to that mechanical pencil, which offers several enhancements over the original:

• New material options — The pencil now comes in your choice of titanium, copper, bronze, or stainless steel.
• More lead sizes — They've designed mechanisms for 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm lead sizes, which are interchangeable within the same pencil body depending on your needs.
• Retractable tip — This will help keep the tip from being damaged if the pencil is dropped.
• O-ring seal — Placed between the cone and the body to keep the cone from becoming loose.
• Stylus functionality — The eraser can now be replaced with one of the three included stylus tips.
• Eraser plug (optional) — For anyone who wants to take off the eraser entirely for an even more seamless look.
• ...and more.

As I write this, the project launched only about an hour ago and it's already doubled its funding goal, with 60 days to go. Wow.

If you want a Modern Fuel pencil of your own, go back the project at the $60 level or higher. A lot to pay for a pencil, sure, but you'll never again have to buy another pack of cheap-o plastic ones that only get disposed of like it's nothing.

May 21, 2019 Update: You can find the latest version of the mechanical pencil along with some pretty sweet pens at modernfuel.com.