i want to maximize lead usage but also prevent against lead breakage. i’ve been trying the e-Sharp by Pentel and it has AWESOME lead usage–nice smooth depression to click to push the lead out i’d say 75% the distance of typical pencils so there is never any need to manually push lead back in (unless i get carried away) and it has an automatic feed that will have the next piece of lead loaded before the one in front runs out. it also holds on to the lead tightly so that when you’re at the last 1/2cm of lead it doesn’t start falling out of the tube and messing up the flow of writing. the downside is it is too round, a little too slender, too light, the grip is too smooth (basically like the plastic it’s covering) and too hard. so it feels like crap. so much so i don’t use it. it also looks kinda cheap and plain.

i also tried the PaperMate clearpoint. good writing, satisfactory lead usage, hard rubber texture grip that takes some getting used to, and side-click with a great feel to it which makes clicking out more lead easier and more satisfying. the button sticks out a little more than usual, which makes it even more awkward orienting it in the same direction when writing (“laces out” hah). all of which are fine, and awarded it some usage time. the big con with it though is the bit you twist to extend more eraser is way too loose (same with multiple pencils, not just an isolated defect) so when you erase it will actually push the eraser back in. you have to get used to holding your middle finger on the twist part to keep it from sliding back in. decent cheap emergency pencil or briefcase lender, although i’d rather stick with my old Pentel Twist-Erase’s for backup. they held position at #1 for a couple of years in my pencil of choice.

then comes the champ. i’ve been using the Papermate Ph.D 0.5mm. i was hesitant at first because it is a little wider than i’m used to, but when i first started writing with it and did the spin to find the ‘sweet spot’ of holding it i found that on the grip it curves in to the natural feeling width. if i held my pencil normal when writing it would be absolutely awesome, but even without holding it as intended it feels good. the click is a mildly shallow depression on the eraser, with a good resistance in the spring, and the mechanism for lead maximization is very similar (if not identical) to the e-Sharp. in fact, i honestly do not remember running out of lead and playing the click and wait game except for one time — i put a piece of red lead in there to test the added durability to the lead and pulled out the current lead, clicked and clicked to find another piece of black lead, clicked and clicked and another piece of black lead (i ‘emptied’ the tube when i put in the red stick of lead) -i guess it had those stored ready to go? well i said F- it and here in the next couple of days i’ll be able to see for sure when the lead switches over it. also for us heavy-handers, the tip is springed — when you push down on the pencil with the lead on the paper the front actually depresses in against the spring, preventing the lead from reaching the breakage pressure (until it’s placed at a low angle). the eraser functioning is superb, as well, sturdy twist-extention of the eraser and solid integration into the lead tube so there is no rattling of parts between eraser enclosure and pencil. i insist you try the PhD. from one man who knows the value of a good pencil to another. and for what it’s worth, pentel C505 0.5mm lead, tested against many other brands (both foreign and domestic) outperformed all others in the trials in darkness, erasability, and durability. learned by google-research, but personal experience is confirming for me. pentel has C525 lead also that is stronger… i just wish they’d have it come out in 0.3mm along with a 0.3mm PhD why do 0.3mm pencils have to all be thin gripped, uncomfortable, and with a tiny z eraser! b.s.