"Keep in mind that most mechanical pencils come with HB pre-inserted, which gives you only the middle range to work with." See our pick of the best mechanical pencils for recommendations.

The whole point of a mechanical pencil is to have perfect sharpness forever. Yet without precise engineering and build quality, the standard slender leads are doomed to constant breakages. This ...

Thicker lead: clutch pencils typically hold 2mm lead, which is far thicker than other mechanical pencils. This makes them better suited to technical draughtsmen who prefer to draw and sketch with ...