Michael,

I've been using Pentel leads for a long time and bought new within the last two years. They still snap for me.

Also, one thing that I like about a lead holder is that they are like a wood pencil - the lead doesn't move. Mechanical pencil lead wiggles a bit. Not a killer, but it bugs me.

Regards,

Dan.

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"You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’" George Bernard Shaw