The good thing is that unless you go for the top-end all-metal ones, they’re pretty cheap. The Advance Upgrade is my favorite of the lineup and only ten bucks on Amazon.
I’m the odd one in this thread. So yesterday I asked my gf if we had a pencil in the house. She couldn’t find one. Hundreds of pens and sharpies, not a single pencil. She eventually found one…in her golf bag! When she proudly handed it to me I told her I didn’t really “need” one, I was just curious. She wasn’t happy.
Good one! Send her for the paper stretcher next!
They are very good. I have several around the house as I write this. But I think maybe a smidge better is the Prismacolor Magic Rub.
As do I. Love them. I usually sharpen them with an Exacto knife although I do have a sharpener they make for them.
I don’t know. When using a mechanical pencil for writing, I like for the lead to wear down into a groove. a smooth flat spot that provides a consistent width line. A rotating lead wouldn’t give you that.
I have some fancy mechanical pencils (it’s hard not to fetishize over them) but, really, it’s hard to beat the Bic. I always come back to it.
All I know is, John Steinbeck always wrote with a pencil. You gonna tell Steinbeck how to write? get outa here
I don’t have any pencils personally, except for eyeliner.
Anybody who likes pencils should see Eraserhead.
I always have the problem that when a mechanical pencil wears down to that flat spot, I end up holding the pencil enough differently that I sometimes get the edge and sometimes get the flat spot. The rotating lead means I always get a consistent width, but I do think that I tend to pick a wider lead for the rotating pencil than I would for a regular one.
I typically use my mechanical pencil for list-making. And I tend to make,my lists in the tiniest writing I possibly can. A consistent sharp point really works for me.
Disadvantage, at least at first glance, and not drilling in too hard, they all seem to be available in only 0.5mm
I’m a musician that does some do some minor composing where I have to use a pencil to write down notes on a piece ot paper. Plus I teach which means in many cases I have to use erasable pencil to write down notes
Granted a lot of this can now be done now using app software on a tablet; in some instances nothing still beats the flexibility of literally tearing out a sheet of physical paper and handing it to someone else
They have .3mm and .7mm sizes as well, just not in every model. The chart in the link I posted shows which.
I know about Steinbeck and the pencils.
I assure you I have nothing to teach Steinbeck about writing.
I’m sending one… but in pencil.
Might take a while to get there.
I too mark up my music with pencil. Not pen.
Back when I drafted, Tombow was my favorite. I had 4 or so hardnesses tucked over my ear in my hat. Soft to hard from bottom to top. I haven’t thought about an eraser shield in years.
Decades ago, I got to hear a talk from an illustrator who did a lot of pencil work. In the Q&A, someone asked him which pencils he used and he said “I have no idea. Whatever’s lying around. I try not to romanticize my tools.”
Blew my younger mind (with its “gotta catch 'em all and find The Best!” attitude).
.
A lot of my decisions re: art tools are “What’ll fit in my pocket so I’ll ALWAYS have it with me?”. At this moment, I have two Moleskine cahiers (thin, paper covers) in my pocket, and two teeny tiny pencils… an Ohto and a Zebra (one with HB lead, one with 4H… they both take standard 0.5 mm lead, so easy to find).
Oh, I just looked up mini mechanical pencil recommendations on JetPens and they love (and have a whole section!) just on the Kura Toga.
It’s a fun site! Lots of blog posts and info. Even one for “The Best Japanese Mechanical Pencils”…
I remember the words of my composition teacher back in 7th grade (US education) after handing in an exercise in four-parts done in pen.
“M’boy, I use a pen for crossword puzzles, but use a pencil for music!” Granted, my handwriting at music was just terrible back then. It’s very legible now, mumble mumble years later, but even now I need erasure of misheard notes or changes of mind, and so forth.
I can see pencil for sudoku or some of the acrostics, maybe (I haven’t done any of those in years and years), but I’ll die on that hill that every regular crossword puzzle must be done in ink! Indelible ink! 
Should have said from HB on up…most lead holder/“clutch pencils” come preloaded with HB, which I think is the classic “#2 pencil” hardness…so, yeah, some of the extra short Koh-I-Noors, I just leave in HB, because why not.
Have to check those out…I’m guessing mechanical pencils rather than lead holders in 2mm.
And, for the record, I like the Staedtler Mars plastic stick erasers. Cheap, easy to replace the erasing medium, and never had a problem. Granted, I don’t do fine work needing templates or such.
I’ve participated in several crossword contests, and everyone used pencil. I challenge myself by doing the Monday - Wednesday Times puzzles in across order, sometimes looking at down clues but never filling in anything not in the stream of across clues.
MONO Drawing Pencil | Tombow Professional Drawing & Art Pencil
No, standard wood pencils. They just felt really nice moving over the paper.
Yeah, I can see that! Especially in timed competition!
Wasn’t meant to be a slur on your abilities…it’s been probably fifteen years since I’ve even looked at a Saturday NYT, nor any other crossword.
I bet they don’t print competition crosswords on newsprint, though! 
Anyway, so what was your pencil of choice when in competition? Or perhaps among your competitors, if you noticed. Interested.
Thanks, I’ll give that a try. I found them on Amazon and put one into my cart ➜ Amazon.com ■ .
Crossword puzzles are supposed to be fun, not a chore.