I am looking for a 5-in-1 mechanical pencil that contains black graphite leads of assorted hardnesses. Is there such an animal?

I have a pentil 8-in-1 mechanical pencil with colored leads and that is so convenient for outside / on-the-run doodling / light sketching…that I think it would be nice to have a similar one for shading.

I have found mechanical pencil refills with differing hardness…but no “variety pack”…..thanks

Yes, the Pentel Multi is the only tool I know of for that purpose.

I’ve taken the color leads out of mine and replaced them with seven grades of 2mm graphite, plus a 2mm stick of white vinyl eraser from a Tombow Mono Eraser (I think it’s really a 2.3mm eraser, but it fits just fine). You’ll need to snap the leads in half since a full length lead is too long for the Pentel.

Since there are no markings to tell the leads apart, I put a bit of acrylic paint on the ends of the leads for easy identification. 6H, 4H, and 2H are dark blue, med blue, and light blue. 2B, 4B, and 6B are light green, med green, and dark green. I leave the HB in the middle unmarked.

You’re right – there are no “variety packs” of 2mm graphite – at least I’ve never seen one. You buy them in 12-packs for each grade you need. Occasionally, you can find 2-packs, but they are not economical since they are nearly half the cost of a 12-pack.