Customer Reviews

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.'

Slightly harder and lighter than others of the same grade. Case makes difficult to pull out the leads, it twists on itself and opens a small hole on the top.

I love this lead. I use it as a replacement lead in my trusty Zebra M-301 and it's by far my favorite lead. Even my husband looks for my Zebra now when he wants to draft something.

Best lead ever!

This lead is absolutely amazing. Its lays down an even line without any skipping or dragging. This will be going in all my pencils from now on.

Personally, this lead suits me perfectly. It has never broken on me except for when I've accidentally dropped the pencil and it landed at an awkward angle. I'm a little heavy handed when it comes to drawing but it's still held up strong for me as long as the lead isn't way too far out.

While it claims that it doesn't smudge, it does, but far, far less than any other lead I've ever used does. Normally I'm covered in graphite, but this lead reduces it by at least 90%, making my paper much cleaner when I draw.

You get 15 leads per tube which is 3 more than you'll get with other leads from Pentel.

Also, the case these come in is perfect. You twist the cap, not pop it open, making accidentally spilling and losing all of your lead much harder to do. As I wrote this, I popped open a case of the o.7mm leads to compare them to this lead, and they spilled everywhere.

Well I don't agree with the whole "smear resistant" deal, I'm an artist primarily and this lead seams to smear just as much as any though it does smear "lighter" in terms of color. Regardless I still swear by this lead its become the only lead brand I use now, highly recommended.

Ok, it's a 4H. So if you bought this lead expecting to get a discount at the next county fair, you will be disappointed:)

Seriously, though this is a hard lead that is remarkably strong. One common complaint against hard leads is that once they wear to a chisel point, the sharp point can grab the paper and cause lead breakage.

Well, this stuff is strong enough that it's more likely to tear the paper than to break. Newsprint or similarly cheap paper is a bad idea, as this lead isn't the right tool for that.

It's not very dark (which is why you buy this lead), but it is remarkably less scratchy than I expected. Heretofore, the hardest lead I had regularly used was a Mars 2H in 2mm.

I would say this lead is about as smooth as the Mars 2H--not nearly as scratchy as a 4H has a right to be.

Also, it is a 4H, so it wears like iron. This one tube will probably be willed to my kids.

All in all, pretty impressive for an uber-hard 0.5mm lead.

If it were purely a question of quality, I would give this product a 5/5 star rating. However, the cost of this lead ($3.30 for 15 sticks) makes it nearly a quarter for every stick of lead you use. I think the prices are too high.

The quality of the lead is outstanding. This lead rarely breaks, chips, or smears. The lead is quite noticeably darker than HB, something more in between what I would call B and 2B. Maybe we need to call it 1.5B (hahaha). But in all seriousness, if you're looking for a darker lead for every day writing, this lead isn't too soft at all for practical use.

I use this lead almost every day in Kokuyo notebooks, I find it improves my small handwriting and provides a darker line without being more difficult to erase whatsoever or more easily smudged.

with such thin lead, i use a canister of ain stein lead because it is EXTREMELY strong. i am a big fan of uni low wear nano dia lead, but if i use any thing thinner than 0.5, this is the stuff you want to use.

I couldn't be happier with this 0.5mm F lead. I use it in a Uniball Kuru Toga auto-rotating body as my primary pencil for sketching. The result is a pencil that is extremely versatile. With a soft touch, it can imitate a "dull 2H" (light but thin). A heavy hand will produce results similar to a "sharpened 2B" (dark and slightly thicker). Writing is smooth, and I've never had a problem with breakage.

This is strong lead to have. The lead is dark and doesn't smear easily. Though, the lead runs out quickly, which is expectant from a B type lead. I would recommend this lead to anyone who loves to write in 0.3mm. It's better used for drafting pencils in my opinion.

Get it but the lead does not come out easily

Just got this lead a few weeks ago and am using it in my GraphGear 1000. It is by far the best lead I've ever used. I'm not sure how much more "black" it is than HB, but it certainly works for me. Never has it broken, never has it torn my paper, and it always writes very smoothly.
I've been using other lead, lower grade Pentel, Hi-Uni, High grade Pilot stuff, and none of them can compare to, let alone beat this Stein lead in writing quality. Best lead I've ever used. Get it.

Ridiculously smooth. I was really skeptical there would be much of a difference between lead brands, and I was very wrong. These just glide over the paper. They do wear down a bit quickly, but this is to be expected of 0.3mm 2B lead. It's very worth the wonderful writing experience. My other 0.3mm leads in B tend to snag the tiniest bit on regular printer or notebook paper. There's absolutely none of that in these. Very nice.

This lead is garbage. It breaks too easily. It's rough and drags on the paper.

Smooth but not very dark. Go for 2B is much better

Great! love this lead. very smooth and dark.

The red 0.5 lead Mars Micro Color by Staedtler remains unsurpassable. Pentel is still far away. I have tried any and all red leads.

I cant seem to notice the difference between this 2b and the original Ain b. But I must say, this is just as smooth if not a hint smoother as the regular Ain.

I dont like the new container as much as the old one, although it looks better. I feel like I will snap the refills accidentally.

Good lead, buttery smooth, and definitely as break resistant if not a little more break resistant than the regular Ain.

In my career I have been spoiled by a set of 4H pencils that were probably made in 50s or 60s. They are supper smooth and lay down a line that is probably a lot fainter then what a 4H lead should. I loved them but I only have a few left so I have been on a quest to find replacements. Because I favor the mechanical pencil I tried this as one of my alternatives and I’m quite pleased. It is defiantly darker then what I was hoping for and it doesn’t glide across the paper like my old set of 4H pencils but unlike almost all other alternatives I have used it doesn’t tare the paper at all. It’s one of the best alternatives I have used so far and probably the one I’m going to end up using.