For graphite drawings on-the-go, I often choose
2 mm leadholders for a couple of reasons: they keep a constant length and comfortable grip and the 2 mm lead thickness resist breakage far better than thinner 0.5 mm leads under field conditions. A pack of 6 leadholder refills is also far more space-efficient than carrying the equivalent 6 wooden pencils. Unfortunately nowadays few brick-and-mortar outlets seem to carry leadholders, and fewer still carry the spare 2 mm lead refills. When they do, their usual narrow selection is limited to HB leads from either
Staedtler or
Sanford Turquoise. For everything there is to know about
leadholders check out this
comprehensive site.
My current absolute favorite
2 mm leads are made by
Mitsubishi Uni-ball and they are conveniently available
online through
JetPens. All four grades tested (H, F, HB, & B) draw smoothly on the
Xerox ivory paper without skipping, resist smudging, and easily produce uniform and far darker swatches than comparable leads from other major manufacturers. These superior
Uni graphite leads probably have some wax polymer blend in their formulation since they glide so effortlessly on the paper support, and more importantly they do not suffer from the occasional rough impurities or poorly ground graphite particles within their cores that make some other leads so scratchy and unpleasant to use.
Comparing a selection on 2 mm Uni leads against the same graphite degrees of
Staedtler,
Koh-I-Noor, and
Faber Castell leads on
Xerox Ivory 67# vellum cover. Notice how the
Staedtler B sample swatch smudged on the lower right corner, for this lead tends to leave loose graphite particles on the paper surface. The
Uni leads are darker, smoother, cleaner, and far more pleasant to use than the other leads shown. When comparing prices, they are also the best deal around with a pack of 6 long-lasting quality leads retailing for about half the price of the lesser brands. For a portable graphite sketching kit, I can think of no better choice than a
favorite leadholder and a selection of
Uni 2 mm leads.
For graphite drawings on-the-go, I often choose 2 mm leadholders for a couple of reasons: they keep a constant length and comfortable grip and the 2 mm lead thickness resist breakage far better than thinner 0.5 mm leads under field conditions. A pack of 6 leadholder refills is also far more space-efficient than carrying the equivalent 6 wooden pencils. Unfortunately nowadays few brick-and-mortar outlets seem to carry leadholders, and fewer still carry the spare 2 mm lead refills. When they do, their usual narrow selection is limited to HB leads from either Staedtler or Sanford Turquoise. For everything there is to know about leadholders check out this comprehensive site.
My current absolute favorite 2 mm leads are made by Mitsubishi Uni-ball and they are conveniently available online through JetPens. All four grades tested (H, F, HB, & B) draw smoothly on the Xerox ivory paper without skipping, resist smudging, and easily produce uniform and far darker swatches than comparable leads from other major manufacturers. These superior Uni graphite leads probably have some wax polymer blend in their formulation since they glide so effortlessly on the paper support, and more importantly they do not suffer from the occasional rough impurities or poorly ground graphite particles within their cores that make some other leads so scratchy and unpleasant to use.
Comparing a selection on 2 mm Uni leads against the same graphite degrees of Staedtler, Koh-I-Noor, and Faber Castell leads on Xerox Ivory 67# vellum cover. Notice how the Staedtler B sample swatch smudged on the lower right corner, for this lead tends to leave loose graphite particles on the paper surface. The Uni leads are darker, smoother, cleaner, and far more pleasant to use than the other leads shown. When comparing prices, they are also the best deal around with a pack of 6 long-lasting quality leads retailing for about half the price of the lesser brands. For a portable graphite sketching kit, I can think of no better choice than a favorite leadholder and a selection of Uni 2 mm leads.
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7 comments:
Nice to read your review. I'm actually looking into 2mm leads right now and have found mostly just Staedtler locally (in Taiwan). I have been eying Uni leads for a while, and actually I sourced some of the Uni Artis 2mm leads, though they haven't arrived yet for me to try. To be honest, I only sketch on rare occasion and mostly just write, but still appreciate good lead, and find the Staedtler leads a bit scratchy and faint compared to my woodcased pencils (Hi-Uni, Palomino, CDT).
I've heard one or two good comments about Caran d'Ache's offerings...have you tried them? They're a bit expensive but I wonder how they compare to the Unis...
Hello Robert:
Glad you enjoyed the Uni leads review. I have tried pretty much every brand in the US Market, and have come to the same conclusions regarding the Staedtler and Faber-
Castell 2 mm offerings: they are either scratchy or tend to smudge. I am certain that you will find the Uni 2 mm leads from H to B a lot smoother,more smudge-resistant, and darker than comparable graphite grades in other brands. They are a pleasure to use for either drawing and writing.
I also have a few Caran D'Ache Technograph 2 mm and 3 mm leads for my Fixpencils, and their graphite quality is quite good: fairly smear and break resistant, so they are quite neat to use. They tend to be lighter than the same grade leads from other brands and feel quite smooth on the paper. Not sure they are worth the higher price though.
I was ready to buy the Staedtler 925 when I found how much this thing weights and I got scared. I draw comics and stuff alike and I get easily tired with such mammoth pencils. Instead, I bought the Staedtler Mars Technico 780, which has a nice weight, almost perfect grip (although I don't like metal grips) and a great lead pointer in the push button. Now, one thing I am trying to figure is: since it says ''Germany'' on the metal pocket clip, I guess its made in Germany and not in China, right?
I have to try also those Mars Carbon 2 mm leads. Mine are Cretacolor and they have a scratchy feeling. The 2H ones are practically unusable. Peace.
That would be my guess as well regarding the "Germany" on the pocket clip though mine have it printed on the barrel. I like the Uni leads best myself, but sadly Jet Pens only carries 4 grades in the middle of the range. I believe the Mars Carbon 2 mm leads are the same Staedtler leads available in tubes of 12 at many Drafting and Art Supplies stores (just make sure you do not pick the Chinese set http://www.leadholder.com/lh-draft-stdtlr-980.html which features rather scratchy and shorter leads). While you could always cover the knurled metal grip with a soft pencil grip, you might want to take a look at the Faber Castell TK 9400 2 mm clutch mechanical pencil which is also lightweight and with a smoother plastic grip.
Hi i love your review, i have bought the Uniball B Leads and are amazing..
how do you compare this lead refills to the Hi Uni woodcase pencils??
Hello Carlos thanks for the comment. Regarding your question the difference between the uni B lead and Hi-Uni H wooden pencil, I am afraid I do not have any of the latter on hand to make a side-by-side comparison. Yet since the H and 3H 2 mm Uni leads are also quite smooth without hint of scratchiness, I would expect the premium Hi-Uni H wooden pencil to also provide a flawless drawing or writing experience just with a lighter tone of graphite while retaining it sharp point longer.
Hello Carlos thanks for the comment. Regarding your question the difference between the uni B lead and Hi-Uni H wooden pencil, I am afraid I do not have any of the latter on hand to make a side-by-side comparison. Yet since the H and 3H 2 mm Uni leads are also quite smooth without hint of scratchiness, I would expect the premium Hi-Uni H wooden pencil to also provide a flawless drawing or writing experience just with a lighter tone of graphite while retaining it sharp point longer.
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