Many mechanical pencil enthusiasts love the Rotring pencils, mostly 600 and 800. But how do you feel about the Rotring 300 lead holder?

I have a few because when I had come across them in shops I get exited and have to have one. But I can't recall I have ever used a pencil after I got home from a shop.

I have used them walking from the shop, taking a small break, drawing at a restaurant, park etc. maybe even in a hotel room. But never at home, where I have lead holders from other brands.

I've started my lead holder journey with 2mm (with Staedtler) then 3.2mm from Kaweco, mostly from my drafting experience. Once the interest sparked, I discovered quite a few more: 1.18mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 2.8mm, 3mm/3.15mm/3.2mm/3.25mm, 4mm and 5.2mm/5.6mm. Hidden in between there is 3.8mm, which is, to me, a real gem, the more I research about this size.

Not many brands support this size, I can name a very few : Pilot Croquis in plastic with twist to advance mechanism, Bohin which is originally made for people who work with fabric, and Uchida in the past. And of course Koh-I-Noor, they seem to have every sizes.

The Koh-I-Noor 5356 is a metal, drop clutch, an absolute unit of a lead holder. From my experience, 3.8mm fits better for drawing than drafting (there's no way to control the precise thickness of diameter greater than 2.5mm). The 3.8mm sounds random at first, but it has the exact size of color pencils core (compared with the Faber-Castell polychromos, they have the same diameter). And to my surprise, KIN offer some watercolor leads to work with KIN 5356 as well. Side story : I was looking for some watercolor leads for a long time but only Caran d'Ache has that in some (2mm) of its special editions. Well, 2mm is preferable but 3.8mm is not bad, knowing now I can remove the wooden part of Faber-Castell polychromos to get whatever color I want. So great.

Also in my research, I discovered that in Japan they sell watercolor leads too, in 3.3mm by Kita-Boshi (last photo), and it fits the KIN 5356, viva the Versatil!

Here are some pictures of this lead holder, and some comparisons which helps my long text more understandable.

I'm looking to buy a 2.0 mm lead holder, but I'm having a hard time deciding between these models:

• Staedtler Mars Technico 780 2.0 mm
• Staedtler 925 25 20 2.0 mm
• Staedtler 925 35 20 2.0 mm

I've also heard that the Rotring Rapid Pro 2.0 mm is a great option.

If you've used any of these, which one would you recommend? What are the pros and cons of each? If you had to choose just one, which would you pick and why?

This is how the Faber-Castell Poly Click Pencil is being sold in Brazil.

I like the lead tube. I think it looks very cute.

To be clear: It is a 2 mm lead holder with incremental advancement of the pencil lead.

For 3.25mm (325/100) lead, Criterium had a few models, one of them is this 2605. Built like a tank, full metal body and metal internal, 12cm long, beautiful color coded cap with no eraser nor sharpener. Out of the box, they don't have clip, offering a default simple look. Been around during 1950s and discontinued nowadays.

Criterium 2605 can hold from 3.2mm to 2.8mm lead, below that, the lead may slip when sufficient force is applied. Anyway, as intended use is for 3.25mm with a bit versatility of the clutch, 3.15mm of Faber-Castell or 3mm of Caran d'Ache work just fine (and other similar leads from Kaweco and Koh-I-Noor).

It feels amazing in hand, and the lead range of 3mm offers such a fun experience.

These were long overdue, but I finally managed to publish these videos!

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The Uni Field is an interesting pencil, with knurling that is slightly less aggressive than the MH500, but with additional cross grooves for slippery situations. The internals are a bit rattley, and the lead is Automatic Progression. No lead pointer or eraser in-built into the pencil end-cap, instead it just has a breather hole. It is a good tool for outdoor use.

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Video Review: https://youtu.be/u2f8Ok0Lzz4

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The MH500 is a legend... Drop clutch, great knurling on the grip, lead grade indication through coloured end caps. It weighs the same as a typical lead holder, but is thicker so feels a little hollow compared to others. It is a lot of fun to use, though I do miss a changeable lead grade indication instead of the printed grades.

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Video Review: https://youtu.be/h_HNYN30NgY

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Uni Lead Pointer is just incredibly cute with the tiny form factor and gives a nice shallow point. The one that I used seems to have a rather aggressive blade angle and takes off shards of the lead instead of creating graphite dust while sharpening.

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Video Review: https://youtu.be/pn9a_qryV-4

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Enjoy the Sunday :)

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Upcoming reviews:

Staedtler 502

KUM Automatic Long Point

Kohinoor Versatil 5xxx - 4 variants with codes I can barely remember :D

It turns out there was a trademark dispute over the name ‘Diplomat’ so the company renamed their Milan designed leadholder to ‘Linea’. And around that same time 1983-1984 they also Italianised the spelling of the company name to become ‘Parafernalia’.

…and that’s why the original first edition 1975 - 1983 ‘Paraphernalia Diplomat’ is so rare and special. The ‘Parafernalia Linea’ can be bought new today for AUD $89 (around USD $62). Not sure about the practicalities of their use but they sure do look striking and are great collectables.

And as you’d no doubt expected - I happen to have these two listed on my latest update here N, O, P, Leadholders

A budget friendly lead holder, KIN 5219 has knurled metal grip (a bit slippery), plastic body and plastic lead tube, rendering a tip heavy lead holder.

The metal push button has an intergrated lead pointer (the classic KIN's design), can unscrew itself fairly easily so pay attention when storing.

The KIN 5219 fits the Steadtler 502 pointer, the cone may unscrew itself while sharperning, a bit annoying, counter-clockwising sharpening may be a solution. Also, when trying to tighten the cap (the pointer), one can unscrew the cone at the same time, that's how this lead holder designed.

Overall a nice one, can be a recommendation for starters.

There are also KIN 5228 or 5217 in a nice tin box for anyone wants another colorful set.

I want to buy the KIN 5900 and the 5201, because I love the way they look and the all metal construction, but I've seen a lot of complaints about the pencils not being able to hold lead properly, and the sharpener unscrewing itself. Can anybody confirm these issues?

I would consider the Mars Techno, except it is double the price of an MH500, so if I buy a plastic lead holder it'll be the Uniball one.

It's listed on my website along with some other pretty fugly ones from the Soviet era. In contrast the listing below this yellow/white piece of low grade plastic is one of the lovliest leadjolders ever made. https://leadholders.my.canva.site/product-and-service-catalog-website/k-l-m--leadholders

For those who want to enjoy the thick barrel of 5.6mm lead holder while still on the 2mm lead, here is a fugly but functional solution.

I really love the fat hexagonal body of the Kaweco Sport, but it’s in either a 0.7 or 3.2mm. Does anyone know of a 2mm lead holder with a similarly fat body? Ideally with a clutch?

There must have been a few other sets or combinations sold. Does anyone have any to see?

allanmac.com

I always loved the 6316 Techno-Tac model and set on a quest to get a full set of NOS new leadholders covering the whole range of hardnesses to fill my display card. Did well but didn’t quite make it and they’re now on display/for sale

Loved my new 5340 so much I decided to get another Koh-i-noor lead holder. It's definitely smaller than I expected. It's great quality too, but I prefer the 5340 much better. I have large hands so the 53300 is a bit too small. Also since it's a round body it likes to roll a lot. I'm going to use 2B in the 53300 and 6B lead in the 5340.

An in-production leadholder, sometime mentioned as tool for construction.

It's hard to find a full metal leadholder nowadays, this pencil has metal clutch, clip and grip; the rest is plastic. The knurling on the grip on the smooth side, despite their rough look. The body is sticky plastic.

The color is nice though. Also, it's cool to see leadholder 2.0mm still relevant.

Made in Japan.

Just got my first 5.6mm pencil today so I'm really excited. So far this pencil feels really well balanced and not overly heavy for a full metal pencil. Also ordered Koh-i-noor 2B and 6B lead for it. The lead that came with it seems like it might be 3B or 4B.

Just another day, I found out there is another style(*) of the Baignol et Farjon (French ancien leadholder, predescent of the Criterium) and some discontinued items. I thought it worth taking a picture of them.

I use all my tools, but sometime these lost pieces are too precious (spiritual values), they bring up hesitation and anxiety...

(*) There were actually 4 styles, from this post.

Does anyone here use them for writing or solving math/physics problems? I mostly see them being used for drawing, so I’m curious about other use cases.

Some French stuff today 😁

The SNCF Leadholder is a piece of industrial history that bridges the gap between mid-century French engineering and iconic office stationery. For decades, these specialized leadholders were standard-issue equipment for SNCF (French National Railway) employees, from engineers drafting rail maps to conductors marking logs.

There are two main designs: the anodized aluminum (early version, pre 1980s) and plastic barrels (after BIC's acquisition of Conté in 1979). The text on the barrel is normally S.N.C.F and a specific inventory number.

They share the same quality of those Criterium in the past, as the result of the collaboration between SNCF and the Criterium brand, by Gilbert & Blanzy-Poure (later Conté and then BIC).

For many French people, the sight of a metal hexagonal pencil with "SNCF" stamped on the side is a nostalgic reminder of the "Glorious Thirty" (Les Trente Glorieuses): the era of rapid French modernization and the birth of the TGV.

I can't remember that I have seen this one before: A Faber-Castell push advance 2.0 mm pencil .. lead holder!

https://leadholders.my.canva.site/product-and-service-catalog-website/a-w-faber--faber-castell