There has long been a debate in the pysankarstvo community about whether a hard or soft lead is best for marking up eggs.  Many prefer 4H or higher pencils because the lines are so light and less likely to smear. 

I prefer an ordinary #2 (aka HB) pencil because the pencil lines are easier to remove.  They can be washed off quite nicely with Goof Off wipes or some dish soap (on a white egg) or rubbed off with a nice white eraser.  And the lines are darker and can be better seen, a not unimportant consideration as presbyopia sets in.

I like mechanical pencils because they are always sharp, and thus write a clean, thin line. I don’t have to sharpen them every few minutes, and thus avoid the mess and bother of a pencil sharpener.

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