Do you ever find yourself looking for something extra that your mechanical and woodcase pencils can’t provide? If you love the ability to write small that a .5mm (or even a .3mm) mechanical pencil offers, but you want an even finer point, or you also enjoy the customizability and line variation of a hand-sharpened woodcase pencil in a more convenient format, you should consider leadholders. I’ve previously written about several different leadholder or “clutch” pencils and how I used them, including the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil series (my personal favorite), the Penco Prime Timber 2.0 (a similar feel to a woodcase pencil), and the Kaweco Sketch-Up and E+M 5-6mm clutch pencils (great for drawing or highlighting). Where many people get hung up with lead holders, however, is sharpening.
Most leadholders feature a sharpener (or, technically, a “lead pointer”) that’s integrated into the cap. I find these lacking. Over time, the blade loses it’s sharpness - to the extent it was ever sharp to begin with - and shavings tend to cause clogs with no real easy way to clean them out. For me, the solution has been to carry a stand-alone lead pointer, which is basically a small handheld pencil sharpener sized for 2.0mm, 3.2mm, and/or 5-6mm leads. You can see for yourself the difference in points these can produce from the pictures shown here. Because the sharpener doesn’t have to cut through wood, the blades on lead pointers tend to last a long time, and the brass M+R lead pointer shown here uses standard blades that very inexpensive to replace.
Shown here, a 2.0mm lead that’s dulled with use.
Now, sharpened with the M+R stand-alone lead pointer. You can indeed write with a point this fine without it breaking, provided you use leads graded HB or harder, and watch your pressure.
Here you can see the difference between a lead sharpened with a stand-alone lead pointer (left), compared against the “stock” point on most leads either as they ship or as they sharpen using an integrated pointer. I’ve found that it’s almost impossible to get a true “needle” or “dagger” point with anything other than a lead-pointer.
I count myself a huge fan of lead holders and wish they received more attention. They combine some of the convenience of a mechanical pencil with the more tactile feel of a woodcase pencil - an in-between option, so to speak - and harder leads can sharpen to a very, very fine point that’s perfect for those of us who like to write small. We carry a fairly large selection of Caran d’Ache Fixpencils and other leadholders in our shop, and the lead pointer I mostly recommend is the excellent M+R brass version, which costs less than $10. E+M also makes stand-alone lead pointers for the larger-gauge leads used in the E+M and Kaweco pencils.
Check out T.G.S. YouTube Later Today for an Extended Look at Four Different Desktop Pencil Sharpeners
I previously had planned to have a longer YouTube video ready to go alongside today’s post, but due to extremely slow upload speeds (thanks Comcast!), it’s taking some time to get it ready. This video will supplement my recent post on desktop pencil sharpeners with a hands-on demonstration of the three sharpeners discussed in that post. This will likely be the last significant YouTube video that I do from my current space, as our new location will have a studio area that will allow for better sound (no echo!) and more space for upgraded equipment. For those of you interested in trying out some of the products featured in the video, eventually we will have an in-person retail/demo area where I will have sharpeners, tester pens, tester pencils, paper, etc. all available! You can visit our YouTube Channel here.
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