Mechanical pencils are terrible. amirite?

Get the 0.7mm instead of the 0.5mm Problem solved.

by cory25 4 months ago

I feel like you're using it wrong. I used them for years in school and never had an issue. Didn't tear the paper once. The lead (graphite) always stays sharp, because of the consistent diameter. It doesn't break if you only put a little out there. Never had an eraser spin, but often I used a larger eraser when one was needed.

by Jolly-Blackberry 4 months ago

It's not like ripping *through* the paper. Just cutting into the layers of the paper in a way that feels like nails on a chalkboard.

by Gardnerbogisich 4 months ago

I don't know. I never experienced that. Maybe you have weak paper, or you're bearing down too hard. Like I said, I used them in school for years and never had issues like that. I preferred the smaller diameter, too.

by Jolly-Blackberry 4 months ago

Has to be pushing too hard. Absolutely never had these problems. Reminds me of a kid in elementary school that would hold his pencil so hard his finger would turn white. He was reshaping his pencil multiple times per day from breaks and tearing through the cheap recycled paper.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

Try B (Black) lead. It's softer and darker so you don't need to press as hard to write legibly.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

Your fault for using too much pressure and sticking the lead out more than you're supposed to. You can even buy thicker ones. You really don't know anything about mechanical pencils. The lead does not break easily if you know what you're doing.

by Responsible-Wall 4 months ago

If I deploy the leas any less than the 3mm or so that a single click gets me, then the lead completely wears away in minutes, forcing me to once again deploy more lead, and adjust the lead back down to a sturdy length. Meanwhile, a well sharpened wood pencil will last me hours or days, depending on the amount of work I need to do.

by Gardnerbogisich 4 months ago

There's no reason for lead to wear away so fast with normal writing. How hard are you pressing the pencil.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

try a drafting style mechanical, thick leads you can sharpen or not as you like. also the leads come in different hardness (H-B scale)

by cummeratapierre 4 months ago

can't relate, mine never snaps, is never jagged and wastes less lead. cuz I'm using 0.7 mm HB, instead of the evidently very thin lead you're using.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

Get a .7mm and use HB - B2 lead.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

You can buy different sizes of lead for mechanical pencils. They are not all thin.

by Anonymous 4 months ago

Unless you really pay for the best ones, they're all ass. A regular pencil beats a regular mechanical pencil 10/10 times. But the best mechanical pencils, technical pencils for artists, are elite and couldn't be matched by wooden pencils.

by Lefflerwilfred 4 months ago

Regular pencils suck and they're uncomfortable to hold, mechanical pencils also just write better. Mechanical>>>>Wooden

by Anonymous 4 months ago

I'm generally a pen enthusiast too, but now that I'm in school again and a pencil is more valuable for math and drafting, I get absolutely livid when I can't use my Ticonderogas for whatever reason.

by Gardnerbogisich 4 months ago

You don't like Dollar Tree pencils?

by braunfrederik 4 months ago

Ticonderoga all the way

by VariousHelicopter 4 months ago

Complete agreement, they first came out when I was in elementary school and I could never understand the appeal when the graphite broke so quickly and was a pain to reload I eventually discovered the G2 pen and never left it after

by corahalvorson 4 months ago

I agree, the lead always snaps for me because I write with a lot of pressure, the only one I have liked was my friends 2mm lead taking one

by VariousHelicopter 4 months ago

You are likely using cheap mechanical pencils. Good ones go for $18 or more, but will last a lifetime if you take care of them. My favorite is my 0.5mm ALVIN DM09 that I bought over 25 years ago and still use on a daily basis for sketches and calculations. I use a separate eraser as all attached erasers are junk compared to a decent drafting eraser.

by Juana66 4 months ago