Poll: Mechanical pencil users - what's your favorite lead size?

[Chaotic42]

Being back in school, I've gone through all of my old pencils and I have to say that I'm a fan of 0.9mm for note taking. It scans well and is highly readable. I do love my 0.5mm Kuru Toga though. One of my old math professors chastised me in class for not using 0.5mm and said I was a heathen, second only to pen users.

So what's your favorite lead size and which mechanical pencils do you recommend?

 

[Crono]

I mostly use cheap Paper Mate 0.7mm, though I like 0.5 as well. I need some better pencils, though.

 

[shortylickens]

0.5

H

 

[who?]

0.9mm doesn't poke holes in the newspaper.

 

[Darwin333]

.7mm Pental P207 religiously for the past decade or so. Just what was provided at first and then I got used to it, now you'd be hard pressed to find me without one.

 

[Ns1]

.5 quicker clicker is the only acceptable answer.

 

[lxskllr]

You should have listened to your math professor. .5mm and 2H lead is where it's at.

I've transitioned to using woodies for work. They're more robust for field use, and cheaper to lose. No moving parts, and I can tell if it'll write at a glance. If it won't, a few seconds with a knife will make it write. I use turquoise 2h woodies.

 

[ctbaars]

2.0mm
H mostly, also HB, 2H.

 

[Fenixgoon]

haven't used a 0.3. i don't think it's as ubiquitous. that being said, i love my fancy 0.5mm mechanical pencil (it was $15..worth it).

 

[Ns1]

What is this fancy $15 mech pencil?


Also, by chance does anyone know of colored lead that doesn't suck?

 

[Fenixgoon]

What is this fancy $15 mech pencil?


Also, by chance does anyone know of colored lead that doesn't suck?

oops, it's a mere $7. still, it's awesome.
https://www.zebrapen.com/product/delguard-mechanical-pencil/

and for pens, the pilot v5 is godly, even for lefties like me.
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-35334-Precise-Roller-Precision/dp/B00006IEBI

 

[lxskllr]

Also, by chance does anyone know of colored lead that doesn't suck?

What sucks about it? It does suck, but I'm wondering what your primary problem is. I'm unaware of any that aren't difficult to erase, hold a sharp point, and write nice with moderate pressure. For art purposes, pencils made in a decent country work ok, but I wouldn't want to write with them.

 

[Ns1]

l
and for pens, the pilot v5 is godly, even for lefties like me.

I'm all about the uniball 207

What sucks about it? It does suck, but I'm wondering what your primary problem is. I'm unaware of any that aren't difficult to erase, hold a sharp point, and write nice with moderate pressure. For art purposes, pencils made in a decent country work ok, but I wouldn't want to write with them.

I break the lead constantly with any sort of moderate pressure.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm all about the uniball 207



I break the lead constantly with any sort of moderate pressure.

Yup. That sounds about right. Your best bet is a woodie with a blunt lead if that'll work. Looks like a child wrote on your document, but it works. Either that, or a pen. I've used "professional" colored mech leads, and none were very useful.

 

[Ns1]

I use uniball 207's and prismacolor color pencils (with japanese manual pencil sharpeners). and the aforementioned .5 quicker clickers.

guess we're in the same boat re: colored lead

 

[lxskllr]

2.0mm
H mostly, also HB, 2H.

HB is really terrible. I wonder how it came to be the default? It's smearalicious, and breaks easily. H is a better compromise between soft and hard for every day writing.

 

[blankslate]

I use .5 and .7 almost equally both have their place for me.


____________

 

[BoomerD]

0.7 Not as broad as 0.5, stronger (less breakage) than 0.9 The biggest thing is the hardness of the lead. 2 is too...smeary. 3 is better, 5 is too hard.

 

[snoopy7548]

0.3mm here. Came in handy when writing equations on cheat sheets in college. You quickly get used to the "feel" so you don't break the lead when writing.

 

[mpo]

.7 mm Sakura Sumo Grip. Like that they have a useful built-in eraser.

The Kuru Toga is okay. I don't like the fact that the tip does not retract into the body of the pencil. Plus, the clutch mechanism sometimes starts to squeak.

HB leads work for me. The lead will write on pretty much any paper, newsprint to coated paper, without scratching.

 

[who?]

0.7 Not as broad as 0.5, stronger (less breakage) than 0.9 The biggest thing is the hardness of the lead. 2 is too...smeary. 3 is better, 5 is too hard.

Did you get the 0.5 and the 0.9 mixed up?

 

[stargazr]

.5 Staedtler. I have a few .7 pens that came with the .5's in a two-pack that I've been using lately at work.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I generally don't care too much, but the cheap 0.7 lead is usually terrible and smears all over the place. That's not too terrible for sketching and then going in with a finer point later to clean things up. I just use one of the common Zebra stainless steel ones with whatever 0.5 lead (whatever the common 0.5 replacement packs is). Its fine, sometimes get a lead stick that breaks easy or doesn't catch right towards the end (where there's still a sizeable amount left but it keeps slipping out or something). The eraser on it is terrible though. I found one of those clicky type erasers that is more narrow (like the Zebra eraser, only it works so much better, and it doesn't slough off in big bits like most erasers including the normal clicky erasers, but it gives more precise erasing). I haven't been able to easily find refills for it though (well I'm sure Amazon or somewhere probably has them, haven't looked too hard, used to get them from a stationary store a friend worked at, and also the student union at college had them).

Its like this, but it was full length (not as long as the big clicky erasers, but the whole thing was eraser without the plastic piece).
https://www.amazon.com/Tombow-Erase...rd_wg=N9dlu&psc=1&refRID=WC6ZMVJNYE25TP01PNZZ

 

[clamum]

I think the Pental I have is this one, or one very similar:

As for lead, 0.5mm master race. 0.7mm is for n00bs.

 

[ctbaars]

HB is really terrible. I wonder how it came to be the default? It's smearalicious, and breaks easily. H is a better compromise between soft and hard for every day writing.

Yes. But HB is great when, for example, I mark up aluminum plate or angles in the machine shop during a discussion with the machinist. Many of our product are one-of so I can keep them working while I update drawings. H is indeed for everyday writing in the front half of the building. HB is for everyday writing in the back half of the building.