I used to LIVE by the 0.5 mm, and wish there was a finer tip. Nowadays, I really like either a toconderoga HB (if there is a good pencil sharpener around), ro my favorite: the Pentel p207 o.7 mm blue mechanical. 
There are 0.3mm pencils, maybe only on amazon dot com. I like finer pens, like 0.3mm Pilot V Razor point.
Ticonderogas! Also those mechanical pencils that look like weird plastic not-mechanical pencils and are actually kind of crappy but make me happy.
The twisty ones? I like those until the spring gets jammed.
I used to like the twisty pencils, until I bought a pack of 36, and soon had no pencils within a couple of weeks because the springs malfunctioned.
Hey Stargirl! So glad the pencil is your fave and that you have conducted a scientific experiment to PROVE that the lead can be broken… Just got back from spending amazing spring break with Disneyson and recovering from jet lag. Trying to catch up on even what school you are going to… Westover? Solebury? Or have you not decided until April 10th? Do you have your own thread about this??? I’ll PM you!!
As for my fave pencil… it’s anything I can come up with usually. Though I do like the 4-color plus mechanical pencil option, the Swiss Army knife of writing instruments, dunno whether they are popular stateside!!
@Disneymama wow 4-color pencil not pen? I love Japanese stationery. They are the best! - pencils, erasers, pens, everything.
I think Solebury gave FA to Stargirl.
Reading again, it seems that you meant 4 color pen plus pencil. In any case, it’s cool!
I’m headed down to PA right now!
@stargirl3 Have a great (re)visit!
It’s my first time visiting 
Hope you LOVE it!
I used to have a 3-color + 0.5mm mechanical pencil that I loved. Sadly, I think it’s been discontinued, as I can only find the 2-color + pencil.
Actually, not that great of a loss; I never really did use the blue ink much.
I don’t understand the obsession over 0.5mm mechanical pencils. Are they really that much better than 0.7 pencils? I always just stick with 0.7mm pencils, because I found 0.5 pencils to break easily.
Maybe I should start looking at 0.5mm pencils now. <:-P
No! .5 break too easily!
Not if you don’t put too much pressure on it, and you only need a couple of clicks of lead at a time.
High quality leads don’t break easily. They have more graphite so dark and resilient 
The cheap leads are light and breakable. 
My child likes .9 mm. He must be putting a lot of pressure. The packaging says great for tests (bubbling) I don’t know if they allow mechanical pencils in testing centers.
I always stick with the normal Ticonderoga No.2 pencils for standardized tests. On the night before the SSAT, I remember sharpening like 20 pencils. 
I sent my kid in with a hilarious LOG of sharpened Ticonderogas we foraged from around the house… and cozy slippers. She said one girl showed up in a ‘power suit’ kind of outfit…very dressy. But she went for soft loose clothes… and fuzzy slippers! Got to find your MOJO!
I have this blue Diesel shirt that is my lucky test shirt. For some odd reason, whenever I wear that shirt, I happen to do well. So now my usual test/competition outfit is the blue shirt with a comfortable pair of jeans. And my Adidas Springblades.
They let people wear fuzzy slippers at test centers? That’s interesting.
nothing like a little magical thinking and just the right pencil