By: Hayley Strahs

News Editor

Prior to my sophomore year of high school, wooden pencils were my ride-or-dies. However, upon discovering the versatility and flair of their mechanical counterparts, I vowed never to go back. Over the course of a year, I’ve tested out plenty of casings, leads, and erasers and now consider myself an expert on the writing utensil. However, not all mechanical pencils are created equal, and some lead sizes are light-years better than others. In order to both educate and entertain El Gato’s loyal readers, I have compiled a comprehensive ranking of the various lead sizes.

Let’s get one thing straight: if you use 1.0 mm lead, you objectively suck. Sorry, it’s the truth! 1.0 is too thick to take notes with, too thin to sharpen and draw with, and too easy to break. For any reason that you might use 1.0 lead, I guarantee you that there is a more common alternate size that gets the job done in a much more efficient manner. Barely any office supply stores even sell this abomination anymore, and you’d be lucky to receive your lead intact if you ordered it online. You’d be much better off with 0.9 mm; at least you can find it at Staples.

Next, we have the classic 0.5 mm lead. If you’re a sheep, a poser, or someone who doesn’t know about the joys of 0.7 yet, you probably use 0.5 lead. Shame on you! While many swear by it, I detest 0.5 lead almost as much as I do 1.0. As someone with a heavy hand, I can barely get a bullet point out before the lead snaps and launches into my eye. Unless you possess excellent control (or minimal arm strength), 0.5 is more of a safety hazard than it is a writing utensil. 

However, if you truly must use skinny lead, opt for a 0.3 mm pencil. If you’re able to write with 0.5, you can easily write with 0.3. Smaller writing means that you can fit more on a page of notes; with AP testing a few months away, you’ll need all of the studying you can get! I don’t personally know anyone who likes 0.3 lead, so I can’t speak on what its users are like, but I’m positive they’re less annoying than 0.5 supremacists.

Before I introduce my favorite of the bunch, I can’t skim over the wine aunt of graphite: 2.0 mm. Instead of simply clicking a plastic button, you have to physically sharpen 2.0 lead in order to write with it, which makes it awful for any form of note-taking or problem-solving. On the other hand, it’s perfect for artists looking to craft realistic sketches. If you use 2.0, I have no doubt that you’re an artist of some sort.

Finally, of all the various sizes, 0.7 mm is by far my preferred one. On paper, it’s the perfect thickness: barely larger than 0.5. The lead rarely snaps, it’s easy to find in stores, and it doesn’t smear–what’s not to love? Of course, I might be biased, but I resolve that everyone who uses 0.7 lead on a daily basis has an IQ ten points higher than the average 0.5 bloke.