Pentel Mechanical Pencil Lead, Ain Stein, 0.3mm, 2B (C273-2B)

Nice leads, sturdy.

Most people who use mechanical pencils are not knowledgeable about the softness of the lead. This is what I need, but not for every day writing. Lead slightly soft

It's Pentel lead, it's already good. I don't know what makes this lead chemically different but it is unquestionably the best of the best pencil lead.Even the .3 is strong enough for most writers.

I got this to refill a couple .3mm pencils I bought for my math classes. I suppose I'm a little compulsive about neatness in my math homework. This lead has really great (dark) color which makes writing small notation like exponents on college ruled paper a real pleasure. The only drawback is that this lead is VERY soft/delicate for such a small diameter and is probably be best suited to a mechanical pencil with very small lead advancement increments and auto-rotates the lead as you lift the pencil up from the paper. You'll probably go through these at twice the rate of a .5mm 2b, but that's because of how delicate the point is. If you're using this for actual drafting where the pencil is held perpendicular to the paper and used with a straight edge or shape, it'll last longer than hand writing where the pencil is at an angle to the paper and more prone to snapping if it's been advanced one click too far.

Have several other of these Pentel leads in various sizes and hardnesses - and I think these a very good and reliable product. Just try to find them in stock on Amazon rather than directly from Pentel.. Because, if not in many cases they will be coming directly from Japan - like one of mine did and it took about 6-7 weeks to arrive

The led works great, it looks darker and makes bold lines. It does break a little easier but it’s expected from a .3 mechanical pencil led. Met expectations.

Makes a wonderfully dark line, and while is more delicate and runs through faster than if you're used to .5mm lead, it can produce a similarly dark, if not darker line, only thinner, allowing detailed notes and tiny writing. Trust me, when you have to write a ton of units after numbers, Writing a big set of units that collapses into a readable small space, and dark enough to read with not so good vision unassisted, it's worth every penny.

Smooth, strong lead; much better than regular Super Hi-Polymer lead from Pentel. Slightly less dark compared to that product line. Ain Stein 2B is less dark than Super Hi-Polymer B. Great for writing; however, I am still undecided on whether these are good for drawing. Graphite doesn't lay very evenly when layering and doesn't blend with regular graphite that well. It could be the additives or it could be my imagination.