Pencil Leads

[elysee]

I love the Pentel Ain STEIN leads available from Jetpens. I run some 0.5mm 4B through one of my favorite pencils and it's so dark and smooth... Very pleased. Large series of options available in the 0.5mm size. Fewer options in other sizes.

http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Stein-Enhanced-Silica-Pencil-Lead-0.5-mm-HB/pd/5935

The Pentel Ain Stein leads are great! I use the 4B 0.5 mm, 2B 0.7 mm, and 2B 0.9 mm leads in my 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm pencils, respectively. I enjoy the smoothness of the leads as well as the darkness and strength of these leads. These are far better than the standard Pentel leads.

 

The Pilot Neox Graphite leads -- I use 2B in 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm -- are great too but they tend to smear a bit. They are extremely smooth and they make wonderfully dark lines.

[elysee]

As with fountain pens there is a general difference between Japan and EU made pencils. Japanese pencils are a grade or so darker/softer. Faber-Castell grades run especially hard. I much prefer Japanese pencils, Mitsubishi, Tombow and (my favorite) Palomino graded graphite. Generally, Japanese Pencils in B. EU pencils in 2B. Faber in something crazy like 4B (I have no idea why they make their pencils so hard).

H is hard with the hardness increasing with the accompanying number. B is dark with the darkness increasing with the accompanying number. So, 4B is darker than 2B, and 4H is harder than 2H. In addition, B is darker than any of the H's, and H is harder than any of the B's.

 

You will find it helpful to check out http://www.jetpens.com/blog/picking-the-perfect-pencil-hardness-grade/pt/475.

Edited August 20, 2016 by elysee

[Algester]

Oddly enough dave's oencil blog said if your going to buy lead go Japan, as lead in EU have 'stagnated' in development as opposed to the Japanese brands, general consensus though JP brands tend to be more of a darker shade softness in feel varies, but each for their own uses Pentel ain-stein for general use (balanced of the 2), Uni's nano dia for writing (resistsnce to smear and draggy feel), Pilot's neix graphite G for sketching or drawing (smearability and darkness along with smoothness), another wiritng use lead is Tombow's mono lead line

Edited August 22, 2016 by Algester

[lovemy51]

.7mm B (2B might work for you) lead, easily found... some times i go for .9mm B or 2B, also very well behaved.