Pencil Grades - 2b Pencil

Pencil Grades - 2b Pencil

Pencil grades are based on the hardness and darkness of the graphite used.2b pencil The softer the lead, the lighter and softer the pencil; the harder the lead, the darker and bolder it writes. Pencils with a 2b grade are considered medium in both hardness and darkness; this makes them suitable for a wide variety of artistic applications, such as sketching and shading. Pencil grades also differ in how much lead is available before it is exhausted. The HB (Hybrid Broad) pencil is widely regarded as a good general-purpose choice, with its moderate hardness and relatively large amount of lead available before it is exhausted.

The HB pencil is not to be confused with an 8B, which is a softer, less dense pencil that produces a very light line that can be easily erased and is typically used for fine drawing or drafting.2b pencil The HB and 2B pencils are also not to be confused with watersoluble pencils, which create very light marks that are ideal for technical drawings or outlines, as they can be erased without leaving behind any trace of the mark.

For a long time, the best 2b pencil was the Mitsubishi MM-80.2b pencil It’s still a very good pencil, with a nice core that sharpens well in both the Classroom Friendly and Pollux pencil sharpeners, and it provides standard 2b darkness and point retention. However, it is not particularly long-lasting and will often need to be shaved down to a stub in only a few days of writing.

This is not something unique to the MM-80, and most other inexpensive pencils have similar issues with durability and longevity.2b pencil Nonetheless, if you are willing to accept these limitations, and if you are looking for a solid 2b pencil at a great price point, the MM-80 is an excellent option.

If you’re not familiar with the pencil grading system, it’s worth learning about it before you buy a new pencil. In the US, most pencils are rated using numbers, with lower numbers being softer and higher numbers being harder. For example, a common American #2 pencil is a standard HB pencil.

In the Japanese pencil grading system, the letters B and H refer to how soft or hard the graphite is. A higher clay content leads to a softer pencil, and a lower one to a harder pencil. This is why a 2b pencil will be softer than an HB, and a 6B will be softer yet again. You can learn more about the different grading systems by reading Quora discussions and art tutorials.

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