Lead sweet spot

There is a sweet spot that I look for when it comes to choosing which lead I will load into my pencil.

It starts with a look outdoors.  Is the sun shining?  Is it raining even the slightest bit?  Does the air feel crisp or damp?

The humidity will affect the amount of moisture in the paper, which changes the paper's texture.  In my opinion, this is the most important factor when selecting a lead.

Most often I write with 2B lead.

In Delaware, where it is humid most of the time and rains often, even a cheap coarse paper (like a 30% recycled content computer paper from Staples) will absorb enough moisture as to affect my pencil's performance.

Humidity will change the feedback that the pencil gives as it  marks the paper.  This sensation is one appreciated by the sound of the pencil's scratch, the vibrations at my fingertips, and the sharp tap of the lead as I dot an "i" or use punctuation.

If the air is dry and the paper is similarly cheap I lean towards an HB lead, which performs quite like the 2B on damp days.  A dry, crisp, coarse sheet of paper is ideal for that coveted hand-feel and sound that I look forward to in my longhand pencil writing with HB lead.

Things get complicated when the paper is finer.  Smooth, high quality paper (even if 100% recycled content) feels slicker, prompting me to choose 2B lead if the paper is well made, even on dry days.

Choosing a lead is an individual preference, but my sweet spot ranges from 2B to HB depending on the paper's quality and the humidity.  Happy writing.