The other day we talked a bit about Staedtler’s aluminum-bodied mechanical pencils, and I briefly mentioned 2.0 mm lead sizes.
What’s so good about 2.0 mm pencils?
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To be honest, I haven’t ever thought about it. Back in high school, we had to take drafting and CAD in our junior year. For the technical drawing class, we used 2.0 mm pencils. That’s what we had to use.
I bought most of my supplies from Pearl Paint on Canal Street in Manhattan, and yes I know they closed their doors in 2014 (bummer). Since then, I bought some other styles of pens and some accessories from online dealers.
I started using 2.0 mm pencils because I had to, and then I continued using them because I found I preferred them better than ordinary mechanical pencils and wooden pencils, for things like sketching out project plans, diagrams, and things like that.
2.0 mm pencils won’t give you magical life-changing drawing or sketching experiences. But if you’re the type of person that puts time and care into your sketches, project plans, or other drawings, then you might benefit from giving it a try.
2.0 mm pencils are a sort of combination between wooden pencils (with different hardness grades) and mechanical pencils.
Back in high school, our starter kit included Staedtler gear, and I have mainly stuck with the same brand since. Alvin also makes basic lead holders (2 designs that I know off offhand), but they’re harder to find.
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Staedtler’s 2.0 mm products are fairly inexpensive and easy to find, and I have yet to have any quality complaints about their products.
Most lead holders – they’re not pencils, they’re lead holders – have a clutch-style mechanism that don’t auto-advance the lead. The Staedtler pencil I mentioned yesterday is an exception to this, and works similar to other mechanical pencils.
I like 2.0 mm technical pencils (I guess that’s an appropriate alternative to “lead holder,”), because they give me more choices when it comes to pencil lead, and more control when it comes to the point.
Pencil lead varies from very soft to very hard. I have never had good experiences using harder or softer lead in smaller diameter mechanical pencils, but they work like a charm in 2.0 mm size.
Bare Basics: A Simple Lead Holder
Price: $6
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At the very least, you can start off with just a lead holder, shown above, for $6. It comes with a single piece of pencil lead (#2 hardness), and the end cap doubles as a lead pointer (sharpener).
2H is a good general purpose lead, but I prefer HB, which is a little softer and leaves a slightly darker line.
I should mention that lead holders typically don’t come with erasers. You’ll need a separate one. The included lead pointer is typically usable.
Once you’re sure that 2.0 mm pencils are right for you, you’ll want some more pencil lead.
There are a couple of brands that offer wide varieties of pencil lead, but I tend to stick with Staedtler out of habit and satisfaction.
Next Step: More Pencil Lead
Price: ~$10 for 12
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I think that HB is a good general purpose lead, but that probably also comes from habit. Back in Freshman year of high school, we needed an HB pencil and Pink Pearl eraser for the mandatory art appreciation class.
You can buy pencil leads in smaller quantities, but generally they’re more readily available in 12 packs. Staedtler’s 12 packs come with lead pointers.
Some technical pencils give you the option of selecting the pencil grade on the pencil body itself. This makes it easier to identify the pencil (sorry, lead holder) that you need, from among several on your desk.
I mention this now, because some replacement lead packs, such as Staedtler’s 12 packs, come with end caps for your lead holder that are either color coded to help differentiate the pencil grade.
Find Your Preference: Different Hardness Wood Pencils
Price: $12-14
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How do you know whether you prefer HB pencils, or 2H? You try them first. At $10-12 for packs of 12 replacement leads, this can get very expensive, very fast.
You could buy an assortment of wooden-handled pencils, such as the one shown and linked to above, or find an art supply store and buy a few individual styles one by one. Or find an art supply store and buy packs of 2 replacement leads instead of 12.
I prefer HB for general purpose stuff, and 2H for sharper and lighter lines. I also use 4H on occasion, as well as harder and lighter grades. I don’t really use anything softer than HB, which leads darker lines. Softer lead styles are typically used more for artistic drawings than technical drawings (in my experience).
You can find comparisons online, such as this one from Staedtler, that show what you can expect to see from different pencil and lead hardness grades. But, they’re no substitute for seeing the differences firsthand. I can tell you that my 6H lines NEVER look that dark.
Even Better: A Lead Pointer (Sharpener)
Price: $7
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The lead pointer that comes with the basic Staedtler holder is usable, but pretty lousy. If you’re ready to go beyond the single starter lead that comes with the holder/pencil, you’re probably ready for a lead pointer too.
Ideally, you could buy all these things at once, but maybe you’d prefer to systematically buy more as you decide that a 2.0 mm pencil is right for you. A lead holder requires little commitment at $6. Extra leads, maybe in more than one hardness grade, plus a pointer, and you’re looking at a greater investment – around $23 or so.
$23 isn’t a lot of money in the long run, but it’s more than I would spend these days on a pencil and supporting accessories, unless or until I was convinced it would work for me. $6 is less risky.
As an aside, the same goes for fountain pens. I started off with inexpensive disposable fountain pens, and then inexpensive refillable pens, before springing up to a Pilot Vanishing Point (~$140 via Amazon).
Okay, so about this lead pointer…
It’s a rotary style, with 2 different tip profile length guides. One results in a shorter point, the other longer, depending on your preference. Once you set the extended length of your lead to the point profile you prefer, you insert the lead holder in the top, and rotate the entire top piece, with the blue barrel held stationary in your other hand.
You’ll feel it when the sharpening is done. Stick the point into the white point cleaner, and you’re ready to go.
There’s another, smaller, lead pointer option, by Uni Mitsubishi, for $8. It’s a lot smaller than the Staedtler rotary barrel-style pointer. I own both, and prefer the Staedtler, but the Uni is still great, and is far more portable.
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The Starter Set
Price: $9
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You could alternatively buy a starter set for $9, which comes with a lead holder, 2 refill leads, and an eraser. It comes with spare 2H leads, the same as the basic lead holder, which should I suppose gives you extra time to figure out if you want to invest further into 2.0 mm pencil leads.
If you ask me, building your way into the system is a better option. But at $9, this “starter set” or “value pack” isn’t too much more expensive than just the basic lead holder. You’ll need an eraser anyway.
Nathan
Irony – today at my office. Only the guys over 50 use the “lead holders” and sharpen, shape the 2mm leads and the like.
We do little on paper anyway, so there is that.
when I sketch – as do the other engineers in my area – I keep 3 different pencils. one is 0.5 hb. one is 0.7 hb and the other is 1.0 H. anything with significant detail gets moved over to CAD right quick.
Even when I moved through college in the 90’s we didn’t do all of that. but then we spent quite a lot learning autoCAD.
I forgot I keep one other pencil – but haven’t used it in a long time. 0.7 Red. Used to use that to mark up prints that drafing would bring be back. Now I do my markups in autoCad and send it back to them.
Also keep sets of pens. again 0.5 fine blue, black and red. similar reasons. Completed signoffs have to be in blue or green.
Brent
I admittedly belong to that “guys over 50 use the lead holders” classification. Back in the day… what was autoCAD? I took a different career path away from my orginal architectural degrees, but still get my drafting briefcase & pull out a “lead holder” from time to time when a plan or sketch is needed. Unfortunately my big, drafting table is partially dismantled and in storage due to space concerns, my smaller , portable drafting table and tools are nearby for those quick sketches from a guy over 50!
fred
I too am in the “way over 50” crowd – and not only remember mechanical drawing with pencils – but also that my K&E drafting set included an inking pen:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171347219493?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true
The eBay description says “antique” – so I guess that applies to me as well
Bradley Hanstad
Yay for lead holders! I am glad you covered these too after I mentioned them.
-Brad
Nathan
Sorry – that wasn’t quite how I meant that line. One of the guys uses a 0.3mm pencil too. I couldn’t use that if I wanted to.
Tom
Ugh, I feel like I am staring down another rabbit hole with this post. I see a future of learning about pencils to a level of detail that I never even knew existed….
What would you recommend for general carpentry work? I am tired of regular pencils always breaking on me and line marking thicknesses changing throughout a layout.
Nathan
At home for my jobs around I use a cheapo Pentel Mechanical pencil with 0.7mm hb leads. .7 vs .5 because of the extra break resistance.
not 1.0 because of easy availability. sure I break the lead off occasionally during mark ups – but meh easy peasy.
I also use a chalk line for panels
and I sometimes use a Sharpie. which I also keep 2 of in the garage.
fred
For marking a saw cut-line, or chisel starting line in woodworking, I much prefer a knife to a pencil. A single bevel spear point marking knife is ideal but a cheap Xacto knife will do.
If you’re feeling rich take a look at Blue Spruce:
https://www.bluesprucetools.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=MARK
KokoTheTalkingApe
For marking cut lines, I like those disposable snap-off knives, the small ones about the size of a flattened Sharpie. They are so light that if you drop them, you needn’t fear for your feet. Also, the thin blade makes a nice, crisp line. One will last for many, many marks. One warning: the blades do rust.
If you like, you can get a stainless steel model from Olfa that mouth-wateringly nice. Not as light as the plastic ones, but just really nice.
Nathan
At home for my jobs around I use a cheapo Pentel Mechanical pencil with 0.7mm hb leads. .7 vs .5 because of the extra break resistance.
not 1.0 because of easy availability. sure I break the lead off occasionally during mark ups – but meh easy peasy.
I also use a chalk line for panels
and I sometimes use a Sharpie. which I also keep 2 of in the garage.
Wayne Ruffner
My father, the architect, used all that stuff from the lead holders to the heavy metal-based sharpeners to the eraser shields & electric erasers, the pretty delicate brush, huge rolls of Mylar media, the ammonia stink from the blueprint machine.
About 20 years ago now, MCI bought Western Union’s outside plant, mainly for the urban duct systems. I was there in Chicago when we picked up all WU’s old stuff.
Most of the books of plant prints were done in the 20’s & 30’s with pen & ink. Remarkable, I can still see the amazing precision of their drawings. I was using MicroStation CAD at the time and, while I knew I was far faster (and alone), those drawings left me with my jaw hanging open.
JCayce
Something drawn by hand that looks better than something printed always wins in my book. I’ve been using one of the following for decades:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013NG07U/
Harley
This post made me think of the technical drawing classes I took at Brooklyn Technical HS. Things I learned back then I use to this day. Same goes for tools, from scales, to lead holders.
KokoTheTalkingApe
One tip for using 2.0 mm leadholders: when you first sharpen them, the very tip will break off easily, and if you don’t deal with it, the tiny bit of lead will mark up your work. So it is better to break it off proactively by gently pressing the tip sideways on the table (and collect the broken off tip, smaller than a pinhead, and throw it away.) The lead will still be plenty sharp.
But even in hand drafting days, we switched pretty quickly to 0.5 mechanical pencils. They make a constant width line and do not need sharpening.
Dennis
Growing up the son of engineers I had many a mechanical pencil and lead holder in my house. I used them ever since elementary school, in a time before most kids and teachers knew they existed. I love them till this day.
I use 2mm lead holders now when I do woodworking or construction. I like them far better than carpenter’s pencils and they feel more precise to me. As an added bonus most of the lead holders on the market are either come from Japan or Germany and are quality made writing utensils.
BTW: Years of scan-tron test taking has taught me that HB is equivalent to the good ol’ #2 pencil.
Taras
I’ve been looking at these for a few weeks now, as I’m sick of breaking pencils while they are in my pocket (commercial/industrial plumbing). In the end I settled on the SharpDraw lead inserts from Lee Valley Tools. They fit into standard 9mm snap blade knives.
– http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=73531&cat=1,42936,43509&ap=1
fred
While we’re at it there is the Insta-Mark pencil from Johnson Level – sort of a Mechanical Carpenter’s pencil:
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-3400-Insta-mark-Mechanical-Carpenter/dp/B00002N7UM
and Trend Routings also sells scribers and leads (Trend U*E/SB/10 ) to fit them.
fred
Here’s more info on that Sharpdraw pencil from Lee Valley that Taras posted about:
http://www.speedtac.com/
Wayne Ruffner
These guys look like we need to keep track of them. I might have to upgrade my old Stanley knives.
Taras
I was originally a big fan of the Insta-Mark, but they have a design flaw in the lead. There is a hook on the back of each lead that catches the slider, allowing you to retract the lead back. The pencil body is plastic and when it flexes, the lead breaks at this hook and the lead falls out. The Sharpdraw lead has broken on me once, and because of the fit, it still stays in the knife handle. I just have to push it back in, slide it back out.
Grady
I’m also in the over 50 crowd. When I first became a draftsman we used wooden pencils. The pencil sharpener on the wall only removed the wood and did not sharpen. We shaped the point with a board with sandpaper stapled to it. To maintain a sharp point we spun the pencil in our fingers as we drew. From wood pencils to lead holders (I think I have seven or eight different hardnesses), to mechanical pencils .3mm, .5mm, .7mm, and .9mm. I also have one that has flat lead, .7 x 1.4mm. AutoCad, Pro E, Catia. My favorite is the Staedtler 2.0mm lead holder.
I’ve seen a remarkable industry grow and proud to have been apart.
fred
I guess you also know that lead holders also come in 3.2 mm sizes and 5.6 mm sizes – like the Kohinoor 5358 and Kohinoor 5310 respectively
fred
BTW – I just looked-up laed holders online, and find that Koh-I-Noor also makes a 3.8mm one – and Pilot makes a 4mm one.
Dacan
I’ve had a lead holder Staedtler on my workbench since college when my GF was an architecture major. Now a days probably easy to find on Amazon, but if you want to see it in person, craft and art stores usually have a good selection of them. Never really used carpenter pencils much once you get hooked on lead holders.
Larry
I highly recommend the KURU TOGA line of mechanical pencils. They rotate the lead as it is extended. Only available in .5 and .7 that I’ve been able to find. BTW add me to the list of old timers that still has lead holders. 4H,2H, & HB .
Jon
Somehow in the 90s my brother or father (I forget now which) got a big case of #4H leads in 2.0 mm size. As in a case of boxes, with 12 tubes of 12 leads (1 gross) per box. I have roughly a dozen such boxes to this day (figure 1500-2000 leads total). I don’t think I’ll need to buy any more for the rest of my life, at least in this hardness.
The 4H is so hard that when I use them for woodworking on all but the hardest woods it does as much to score the wood as it does to mark it, if the lead has been properly pointed. I really like that.
I have two lead holders: one plastic body, one metal. Unfortunately neither stays on my ear as I would like as they both slip off easily if I have even the slightest sweat on my ear. I’m finally getting a lathe in the next couple weeks, so I’m hoping that by knurling the metal body just slightly I will be able to give it enough texture to use it the way I want to. As it is when it falls it is pretty much guaranteed that the tip will break and I have to re-point it all over again.
I also have a couple tubes of HB for general use, as they came with the two holders. But unless I’m writing on paper and want a particularly dark line I rarely use those.
JoshG
Another leadholdeer/2 mm lead fan here. You can get the Alvin version leadholders from McMaster. Easy item to add to an order to try them out. I’ve only tried the plastic version. I found a giant supply of old lead getting tossed at work and an old desktop Pierce brand pointer model from the 70s. Scored for life!
Zaki
We don’t have lead pointers here in Malaysia, and you have to either order online, which is pricey, or go down to Singapore where they’re available. We only have basic cheap $0.25 small sharpeners and cheap snap-off blades. Any way sharpen them without lead holders?
Stuart
Not really, but some lead holders (pencils) come with a pointer (sharpener) built into the end cap.
Lead Holder
I’m in the over 50, but do almost everything on the computer for the most part…. BUT, when I’m working around the house I use carpenter pencils… However, they are a disaster when it comes to sharpening and broken lead. It always seems the lead is breaking or broken… Sharpen it to a nice point, only to have the lead drop out because it is broken further up… No more.
I first started by using my Faber Castell 2mm lead holder (from my college days) in the shop. What a miracle. The lead survived drops, etc. I just retract when I’m done. Even if I drop it, the lead seems fine. If not, no sharpening, just push the button and out comes some more lead.
But, I was running out of 2mm lead, so I looked on Amazon and it was $8 for 36 pieces of lead… Not bad. But just below the listing was a Chinese 2mm lead holder for $3 plus it came with 12 pieces of
lead (and it has a builtin lead sharpener). Hmmm… that is just too good to resist Plus the reviews were very good. But it was shipping from Timbuktu with delivery in 4-6 weeks. I figured if it was going to take that long, I would look on ebay.
What do you know. The same lead holder and lead is on ebay for less $2 plus free shipping from China. So, I bit. I bought 4 of them for $8. The same price as the lead on Amazon. So, for $8 I get 4 2mm lead holders plus 48 pieces of lead. Can’t be beat I thought, so I spent the money. 4 weeks later they arrived. Wow, the quality was much better than expected, almost as good as my Faber Castell. At less than $2 a piece, I don’t mind them getting lost in the shop, dropped or beat up.
Now, I’m addicted. Have purchased several more and even my wife and kids want them…
The Faber Castell are too expensive to purchase for use in my shop. The carpenter pencils I buy at HD are made in china, so no real change in where my pencil come from if I buy the 2mm lead holder from china.
It’s an upgrade for me and definitely lowers my frustration level.
Laral
You forget to mention this brass beauty of a lead sharpener:
https://s9.postimg.cc/42wuk07i7/134795.jpg
M+R Minofix Brass Lead Pointer – Double Hole Block – JetPens.com : https://www.jetpens.com/M-R-Minofix-Brass-Lead-Pointer-Double-Hole-Block/pd/21264
Amazon.com : Mobius and Ruppert (M+R) For Brass Lead Pointer 2mm and 3.2mm block design (0614) : Office Products : https://www.amazon.com/Mobius-Ruppert-Brass-Pointer-design/dp/B071FYWHSP/
Around $7 on eBay.