Buying Guide: Mechanical Pencil Leads — Office Express – Furniture, Supplies, Printing (2024)

FAQs

How do I choose a lead for a mechanical pencil? ›

Writing. If you're going to be writing with your pencil, you'll want lead thick enough that it won't break too easily. With modern leads, 0.5mm is quite strong enough for most people, but more heavy-handed people do sometimes find they snap such thin leads, and 0.7mm or even 0.9mm leads are better for them.

0.7 MM: Ideal to write numbers since this lead is soft but tougher. Ain't need to apply as much pressure as using a 0.5 mm lead, which is better when it is necessary to make corrections and wipe off a written line without leaving any groove. Therefore, we recommend it for artists that want to draw with precision.

Thinner leads under 0.7mm are best suited for light, technical drawings, drafts, and fine details. The lines will appear lighter on the paper and are easier to erase. Thinner leads are ideal for those who have small, neat handwriting. Leads between 0.9mm and 1.4mm are suitable for general purpose writing and sketching.

'Mechanical Pencil' is the US English usage, while 'Propelling Pencil' is the English. However, over time, the former has more popular – even in England. Other names for mechanical pencils include: automatic pencils, drafting pencils, technical pencils and pacers (Australian English) and sharp pencil in Japan..

The best lead for mechanical pencils depends on personal preference and the intended use. HB (No. 2) is standard and versatile for general writing and sketching. Softer leads like B or 2B are suitable for darker lines and shading, while harder leads like H or 2H are better for technical drawing and finer lines.

The middle ground is referred to as HB. Softer lead gets a B grading, with a number to say how soft the lead is. B on its own is just a little softer than HB. 2B, 3B and 4B are increasingly soft.

For writing, a 0.5mm lead is versatile and widely used. Sketching often benefits from a slightly thicker lead like 0.7mm for a balance between precision and durability. Technical drawing, which requires clear and precise lines, may call for 0.3mm or 0.2mm lead sizes.

The degree of hardness of a pencil is printed on the pencil.

B stands for "black". These pencils are soft. H stands for "hard". HB stands for "hard black", which means "medium hard". F stands for "firm".

Any graphite pencil will be the darkest /softest that is 6–8B (B means softness rating). There is a very dark pencil called Nero Black. If you're interested in mechanical pencils only, look at the number (6 or 8 B). (H pencils are hard and light.)

HB are known as medium-dark pencils and are the best choice for writing as they produce medium hard lines, whilst also creating soft marks. 2B pencils are a dark lead as they contain less clay. These are a great choice for all types of drawing.

What are the cons of mechanical pencils? ›

Cons of Mechanical Pencils

Mechanical pencils can be more expensive than wooden pencils to purchase initially. In the long run, they are actually a little bit more cost effective because you only have to replace the lead. However, the lead refills can be hard to keep track of and eventually misplaced.

A clutch pencil's mechanism is different to the mechanical pencil. While the mechanical pencil pushes the lead forward with each click, the clutch pencil, also known as a leadholder, releases the clutch that holds the lead in place, letting you decide how much lead you want to work with.

Can you use a lead refill for a mechanical pencil of different brands (ex. Pentel lead in BIC pencil)? Yes. The critical factor is the size of the leads (normally 0.5, 0.7 or even 0.9 mm.

Anyway...the direct answer to your Q is the 0.5 and the 0.7 are both the same DARKNESS, one just has a smaller WIDTH to the line it draws. That's it! I've tried both the 0.5 and the 0.7 of these Pentels and other mechanical pencils. I like 0.7mm best, use it the most.

A: Yes, it's equivalent to a #2 pencil.