some new supplies for the bench.
![Grin ;D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)
Two fine swords.
I predict the plain & simple one will become your favorite. Moveable parts down around the pointy end are annoying.
After you decide you like the Pentel, I recommend buying a carton full. Such a good thing; they are bound to stop making them.
Here is where I bought a pile of the 0.5mm 2B leads:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-pcs-lot-2B-2H-HB-0-5-0-7mm-long-size-Lead-automatically-lead-extra/32719945919.htmlUS$1.29 for 5 packs. 18 leads per pack.
Those are unusually long; too long to fit in standard pencils. But it's easy to bulk-snap them in half, which gives about the right length. Put several leads side by side on a sheet of flat paper on a hard flat surface. Press the center with a steel ruler edge. They all snap cleanly. Doing a whole pack at once gives you leads for a year.
Edit to add: My recent comical fail purchase - an LED worklight on a stand, from the local Bunnings hardware store.
The light looks great, the stand works well and has wide-spreading tripod legs for stability. Being LED it won't break any lamp filament if it falls over or is bumped while on. Unlike halogen worklights.
But... when I finally needed to use it, guess what?
You know those LED torches that have several modes, that you must cycle through all the modes with the single button? Where one of the modes is 'emergency blinker', which one never wants and is so annoying to have to cycle through?
Or the type where you cycle through modes by doing rapid power off-on switches, except sometimes the torch forgets the last mode and you get a random one? Also annoying.
Anyway, I turn this light on, and it has an emergency blink mode. It has ONE mode - blink. I can't find any way to get it into 'just work you f*cking thing' mode. There's only one control - power on-off. Rapid power cycling via that button or the mains plug make no difference, though ONCE it came up in normal-on mode. Cannot repeat that. There is no mention in the 'manual-ha-ha' of any modes, or blinking.
Trying to decide whether to disassemble it out of curiosity (maybe there is a PCB with some mode selection solder pads?), or just take it back for refund/replacement. It was $89, so not a trivial thing to void the waranty.
Sorry, photo is just a still. Would need to make a video to show the blinking.