Today's Daily Pencil

[Wizzz]

Is that a Super Hi-Polymer HB lead stick in there?   Mmmmmm..............

No!  Certainly NOT!  Perish the thought!!!

Ahem...the lead in the pictured pencil is Pilot NEOX in a '2B' grade graphite core.

I was only kidding about the Pentel super-hi P leads.  As pencil leads go Pentel has really hit one out of the park with that line for versatility.  HB is a bit hard for some tastes, but it is a good grade.  The only issue with HB is it's kinda like Forrest Gump said...'HB is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.'  Because HB is such a universal lead, the one people can identify with the most because it resembles the immortal yellow No. 2 pencil we were all issued in gradeschool, it is the obvious choice for many mechanical pencil manufacturers.  Unfortunately, not all HB is created equal, and consistency varies widely.  It's also the most popular lead grade because many are just so used to it.  HB grade and "No.2" hardness grades are basically synonymous.  Where Pentel made a dramatic improvement was by adding polymer to it so it wouldn't break as easily.  But, not all manufacturers did this.

And now you know...the REST of the story.

I'm actually finding this oddly interesting. The pencils look cool and it take me back to my Intro to Engineering class in college.

So, this is fun!  Much appreciated!