The Case For The 0.4mm Pencil

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a die hard 0.3mm drafting pencil fan, evident by my sizable collection of modern 0.3mm drafting pencils.  But for some time I have been wondering about the newest lead size in the drafting pencil line-up, the 0.4mm.  One can wonder if a single millimeter could make a difference.  Well, it can.  The chart below shows the line width of a 0.3mm, o.4mm and a 0.5mm pencil lead, all HB grade.  Each line was drawn with a squared off lead at 90%.  Each line measures 0.3mm, 0.4mm and 0.5mm from top to bottom (PEAK Scale Lupe, 10X power, metric scale was used to measure line width). 

As one can see, there is clearly a difference in the size of the lines.  While the top line, the 0.3mm is by far the thinnest of the three and the bottom, the 0.5mm it the thickest, the middle, the 0.4mm is exactly in between the other two.  It's thin enough to be considered an extra fine line, unlike the 0.5mm line which, when ovaled out can become quite wide.  The 0.4mm lead has the advantage of being a fine lead without being quite as fragile as the 0.3mm for the same lead grade.  Of course the 0.5mm lead is, of the 3, the strongest.

I have been using the 0.4mm pencil for some months and have rarely found the need to use the 0.3mm pencil!  Egad!  Does this mean that I've fallen out of lust for the 0.3mm pencil!?  Has the 0.4mm pencil take it's place in my heart!?  Not quite!  I'll always collect 0.3mm drafting pencils, for after all, they do produce the thinnest of lines (save for the 0.2mm pencil).  But for practical everyday use, the 0.4mm has probably replaced the 0.3mm pencil in my book.  If produces a suitable fine line while maintaining a modicum of strength.

A number of 0.4mm drafting pencils can be bought at our friends at Jetpens.com.