What size pencil lead do you use?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-09 09:43am

Brought on by the fact that my brain is currently FUBAR due to not enough sleep (blame DoZ for picking my brain), I have a poll. For those of you who use mechanical pencils, what size lead do you usually use?

Personally, I use 0.3 mm. I tend to write small so I like the thinner lead. I also carry a 0.5 mm around if I need to put a lot of pressure on the paper without breaking the lead or tearing the paper. I don't really like normal pencils (been using mechanical since grade school)

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2004-06-09 09:45am

0.5. 0.3 is too thin and breaks too easily, 0.7/0.9 is too thick for my needs, and 1.2 I have never seen sold outside of specialist art supply shops.

admiral_danielsben · Post by **admiral_danielsben** » 2004-06-09 09:55am

phongn wrote:Brought on by the fact that my brain is currently FUBAR due to not enough sleep (blame DoZ for picking my brain), I have a poll. For those of you who use mechanical pencils, what size lead do you usually use?

You forgot the 'i don't use mechanical pencils' option.

Every pencil i use is a #2 wood-and-graphite pencil. Plain, simple, and accepted by nearly all standardized tests in the US.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2004-06-09 09:56am

admiral_danielsben wrote:
phongn wrote:Brought on by the fact that my brain is currently FUBAR due to not enough sleep (blame DoZ for picking my brain), I have a poll. For those of you who use mechanical pencils, what size lead do you usually use?
You forgot the 'i don't use mechanical pencils' option.

Every pencil i use is a #2 wood-and-graphite pencil. Plain, simple, and accepted by nearly all standardized tests in the US.

Didn't he say "For those who use mechanical pencils" in his post?

Cyborg Stan · Post by **Cyborg Stan** » 2004-06-09 09:59am

.7 is the most common for me, but I sometimes use .5 as well.

IndustrialNoise · Post by **IndustrialNoise** » 2004-06-09 10:02am

I usually like to use a regular #2 pencil, but when I do use mechanical, it's either .5 or .7.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2004-06-09 10:13am

They have different sizes now????

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-06-09 12:34pm

Mostly .5, but occasionally .7. That is, when I'm not using a pen.

AnimeJet · Post by **AnimeJet** » 2004-06-09 12:39pm

0.5! 0.7 is too thick and childish (don't ask), and i can't find 0.3 lead or the pencils, so i'll just stick with 0.5.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2004-06-09 12:49pm

I use 0.5mm, .7 doesn't work with my small writing & diagrams and I haven't seen .3 anywhere around here. But the more important question is, what hardness of lead do you use? I use HB for everyday writing and note taking since it's nice & dark and I don't have to press too hard. For drawing more intricate diagrams or doing actual drafting I'll use H or 2H lead for better line sharpness.

admiral_danielsben · Post by **admiral_danielsben** » 2004-06-09 01:53pm

Wordsmyth wrote:
admiral_danielsben wrote:
phongn wrote:Brought on by the fact that my brain is currently FUBAR due to not enough sleep (blame DoZ for picking my brain), I have a poll. For those of you who use mechanical pencils, what size lead do you usually use?
You forgot the 'i don't use mechanical pencils' option.

Every pencil i use is a #2 wood-and-graphite pencil. Plain, simple, and accepted by nearly all standardized tests in the US.
Didn't he say "For those who use mechanical pencils" in his post?

Yeah, but considering how the polls here are, he'd have to add in 'I don't use mechanical pencils', 'i don't have an opinion but i like to vote', and/or 'Castrate Straha' options.

Bill Door · Post by **Bill Door** » 2004-06-09 02:45pm

I mainly use .5mm as I've got so much spare lead for that size.
I do have a .3mm one though.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-06-09 03:33pm

0.5mm, HB.

I use 0.3mm for drafting, at least when I remember to carry my 0.3mm.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-09 03:34pm

aerius wrote:I use 0.5mm, .7 doesn't work with my small writing & diagrams and I haven't seen .3 anywhere around here. But the more important question is, what hardness of lead do you use? I use HB for everyday writing and note taking since it's nice & dark and I don't have to press too hard. For drawing more intricate diagrams or doing actual drafting I'll use H or 2H lead for better line sharpness.

There's an art supply store near my university so I don't have any problems finding 0.3mm lead. I usually use Pentel's Super Hi-Polymar HB lead.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-06-09 03:54pm

0.7, I've found it doesn't break as easily as 0.5, and I can't have my lead breaking when I'm filling up pieces of paper with writing at about three every fifteen minutes.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2004-06-09 03:59pm

phongn wrote:There's an art supply store near my university so I don't have any problems finding 0.3mm lead. I usually use Pentel's Super Hi-Polymar HB lead.

Is it that A&E (or whatever) one right by 56th and Fletcher?

Anyway, as to me...

I use a "Papermate Sharpwriter #2" pencil. It's mechanical but not refillable (looks like an ordinalt yellow pencil, but with the little clip thingy, and you twist the bottom to get more lead).

No idea of the size, but I assume 0.5mm since that seems pretty standard (and mine doesn't break all that much).

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2004-06-09 04:03pm

I like .09s durability.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-09 04:39pm

RogueIce wrote:Is it that A&E (or whatever) one right by 56th and Fletcher?

AOE, yes. One of my sisters is an architecture major so she heads there fairly often.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-06-09 04:40pm

I generally use .07 mm for writing unless I'm using one of my good mechanical pencils, in which case it's .05 lead.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2004-06-09 05:21pm

I have pretty sloppy script, so I use the .5mm to make it look more condensed and neat. I break 0.3s, and 0.5 is easier to find at stores in most cases anyway.

Agent R · Post by **Agent R** » 2004-06-09 06:24pm

0.5 or 0.7 (usually 0.5), depending on which pencil I pull out of my backpack.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-06-09 08:39pm

0.5 I also carry around a 0.9

My lead is bigger than yours!

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2004-06-09 09:25pm

I must be the only person insane enough to draw with mechanical pencils. Much of the time, I use hard 0.5 mm lead, since it produces crisp lines (that, or use a conventional pencil, Ticonderoga, if you must know.) For work requiring a broader sort of stroke, I use 0.7 mm lead. I have a couple of 0.9 mm pencils, but, for the life of me, I've never really found a use for them.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-06-09 09:54pm

.5

.7 is way too thick, and even though .5 is a bit thin, I still accept it in exchange for the ease of purchasing and standardization of it.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2004-06-09 11:04pm

.7. I also use .5, but I was too lazy to refill my .5 pencils, so I've been stuck using .7 for the past year.

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