Pentel Stein Enhanced Silica Pencil Lead - 0.5 mm - HB

This is the HB lead I've been looking for all my life. Smooth, very little smear if any, and strong! I just ordered the HB Soft and B as well. I annotate in the margins as I read, and prefer to use pencil on the books that have thin paper (my scriptures). This lead is the best for that purpose that I have found.

I purchased Pilot Neox High-Purity Graphite Pencil Lead - 0.5 mm - HB, Uni-ball NanoDia Low-Wear Pencil Lead - 0.5 mm - HB, and Pentel Stein Enhanced Silica Pencil Lead - 0.5 mm - HB in one order, after looking at reviews for all the 0.5mm lead available on JetPens, trying to find the one that erased the best and was longest lasting. I compared all three in a Rotring 800, on Rhodia 80g paper(A very smooth paper), without twisting the pencil(So they were all worn to the same point when I wrote with them). This was my least favorite of the bunch, being significantly harder to erase(Harder compared to the perfect Pilot and near perfect Uni-ball. It still erases well!). It leaves a slightly lighter line than the Pilot, on par with the Uni-ball. This was the longest lasting of the bunch, with the Pilot lasting half as long, and the Uni-ball lasting about 3/4 as long. It's very hard to break, I was able to write easily with about 7mm outside of the pencil at once(Uni-ball was about 7mm, Pilot got a full 10mm). All in all, all three were good leads that I would recommend to anyone. If you prefer long lasting, get this. If you prefer easy to erase, get the Pilot. If you want the best of both worlds, get the Uni-ball.

the lead is very strong but writes really smoothly, i prefer the nano dia because it feels crisper while writing, it all depends on if u like the lead crisper or smoother

I ordered this lead and Pentel Stein 2B lead. I'm used to writing with Hi-Polymer HB lead and I think this lead scratches the paper slightly more than the Hi-Polymer. I'd suggest ordering the HB soft or B (since this lead is relatively strong) if you like Hi-Polymer HB.

I have been using the Pentel Stein Enhanced Silica Pencil Lead in my Zebra M-301 0.5 mm mechanical pencils for about six months, and the difference is obvious. I have two notebooks filled with Chemistry notes, and the fluidity on even the most basic of paper is markedly different than the standard M-301 lead. It's great for making notes on my small calendar; no smearing or grittiness. When I purchase a replacement M-301, I dump the lead and put this in immediately.

My husband has even noticed the difference and has asked me for "my pencil" to make notes on his calendar, in the checkbooks registers, etc. It especially shines when writing 'small.'