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Klein Tools Mechanical carpenter pencil, 2.8 mm (0.11 in), 10 leads

A triangular body does what a flat pencil does — it stays on the beam — and the ten leads come in a case.

Klein Tools Skribes mechanical carpenter pencil with triangular barrel

Klein Tools Mechanical carpenter pencil, 2.8 mm (0.11 in), 10 leads

A triangular body does what a flat pencil does — it stays on the beam — and the ten leads come in a case.

Body and fittings
A TRIANGULAR-shaped barrel, stated to prevent the tool rolling away. This shelf's introduction says a flat carpenter pencil does not roll off a beam and that this is one of its two virtues; a triangle keeps that property in a mechanical body, which a round barrel does not. It is one of two anti-roll designs on this shelf
Supplied
A TEN-PACK of assorted color replacement leads in a carrying case — Klein cat. no. 86503 — alongside the marking tool itself, cat. no. 86501. Ten is the largest lead count on this shelf, where the others ship four, six or seven, and a case rather than a loose sleeve is what stops 2.8 mm (0.11 in) leads snapping in a bag
Functions
A 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead, stated to create long-lasting marks, with a built-in sharpener to keep it sharp for precision marking. Two point eight millimeters is the common mechanical carpenter lead and one of two diameters published on this shelf
Also stated
Tough enough for OSB, wood, concrete and metal, stated. OSB is the useful one on that list: a chipped, resinous, uneven face is where a soft lead skates and a hard one gouges, and it is the surface a framing pencil actually meets
Material
Not published. No barrel material, no tip dimensions and no lead HARDNESS appears — and the leads are described only as assorted color, with not one color named. This shelf's introduction says graphite disappears on dark stone where white or red shows; this listing gives you ten leads and no way to know which is which before opening the case
Reference and mounting
Two Klein catalog numbers inside one product reference: the 80189 kit is the 86501 marking tool plus the 86503 lead pack. No belt clip is stated, where two markers on this shelf publish one
Amazon reference
B0F9HBC845
EAN
0092644801891
  • A triangular barrel: it stays where you put it
  • Ten replacement leads, the most on this shelf
  • "Assorted color" leads, with no color named

Best for: A pencil that will be put down on a joist forty times a day and still be there

≈ $15
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Body and fittings
A TRIANGULAR-shaped barrel, stated to prevent the tool rolling away. This shelf's introduction says a flat carpenter pencil does not roll off a beam and that this is one of its two virtues; a triangle keeps that property in a mechanical body, which a round barrel does not. It is one of two anti-roll designs on this shelf
Supplied
A TEN-PACK of assorted color replacement leads in a carrying case — Klein cat. no. 86503 — alongside the marking tool itself, cat. no. 86501. Ten is the largest lead count on this shelf, where the others ship four, six or seven, and a case rather than a loose sleeve is what stops 2.8 mm (0.11 in) leads snapping in a bag
Functions
A 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead, stated to create long-lasting marks, with a built-in sharpener to keep it sharp for precision marking. Two point eight millimeters is the common mechanical carpenter lead and one of two diameters published on this shelf
Also stated
Tough enough for OSB, wood, concrete and metal, stated. OSB is the useful one on that list: a chipped, resinous, uneven face is where a soft lead skates and a hard one gouges, and it is the surface a framing pencil actually meets
Material
Not published. No barrel material, no tip dimensions and no lead HARDNESS appears — and the leads are described only as assorted color, with not one color named. This shelf's introduction says graphite disappears on dark stone where white or red shows; this listing gives you ten leads and no way to know which is which before opening the case
Reference and mounting
Two Klein catalog numbers inside one product reference: the 80189 kit is the 86501 marking tool plus the 86503 lead pack. No belt clip is stated, where two markers on this shelf publish one
Amazon reference
B0F9HBC845
EAN
0092644801891

What the maker puts in writing

  • 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead, creates long-lasting marks · built-in sharpener
  • “ANTI-ROLL DESIGN: Triangular-shaped barrel prevents marking tool from rolling away”
  • 10-pack assorted color replacement leads, stored in a carrying case
  • Tough enough to write on jobsite surfaces including OSB, wood, concrete and metal
  • Kit: cat. no. 86501 marking tool plus cat. no. 86503 replacement multi-color leads

No lead hardness. No lead colors named. No tip dimensions. No barrel material.

A triangle stays on the beam

Which is the flat pencil’s one virtue, kept.

This shelf’s introduction: a flat carpenter pencil does not roll off a beam and lays a wide, visible line on rough timber.

All five markers on this shelf are mechanical rather than flat. Most of them are round, and round rolls.

A triangle sits on a face and stays there.

For a framer putting a pencil down on a joist forty times a day, that is the difference between one pencil and three.

One other marker here solves it differently: a roll stop on both the pencil and its holster.

Ten leads, and no colors named

Which is the gap.

The listing says a 10-pack of assorted color replacement leads. It names none of them.

The marker beside it on this shelf writes out graphite for wood, metal and drywall, yellow and red for stone, ceramic and concrete — because the introduction above says the color is what decides which surfaces take a mark.

Ten leads is generous. Finding out what they are when the case is opened is a poor way to discover that none of them is white.

OSB, which is the honest surface to name

Not wood. OSB.

A chipped, resinous, uneven face is where a soft lead skates and a hard one gouges.

It is also the surface a framing pencil actually meets, several hundred times a day — and the only listing on this shelf to name it.

And a case for the leads

Which sounds like packaging until a 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead snaps in a tool bag.

Ten loose leads in a sleeve become six leads and four halves.

Klein ships them in a carrying case.

Availability

On sale at around 15 € on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 8 October 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

What gets asked here

Does a triangular barrel really matter?

On a beam, yes, and it is the one virtue of the flat carpenter pencil this shelf has otherwise lost. This shelf's introduction says a flat pencil does not roll off a beam and lays a wide line on rough timber — and all five markers here are mechanical rather than flat, so most of them are round and will roll. A triangle sits on a face and stays. For a framer putting a pencil down on a joist forty times a day that is the difference between one pencil and three. One other marker on this shelf solves it differently, with a roll stop on both the pencil and its holster.

What colors are the ten leads?

Klein does not say, which is the gap on an otherwise practical kit. The listing states a 10-pack of assorted color replacement leads and names none of them, where the marker beside it on this shelf writes out graphite for wood, metal and drywall and yellow and red for stone, ceramic and concrete. This shelf's introduction says the color decides which surfaces take a mark. Ten leads is generous and you will find out what they are when the case is opened — which is a poor way to discover that none of them is white.

Is 2.8 mm (0.11 in) the right lead size?

It is the standard for this kind of tool and the reason refills are easy to find. Two point eight millimeters is thick enough to survive being pushed into a drilled hole and sharpened to a point, and thin enough to mark a line you can cut to — which this shelf's buying tip says is the real question: a wide carpenter line is a millimeter or more and far too coarse for a hole you mean to place precisely. Two of the five markers on this shelf publish 2.8 mm (0.11 in) and the others publish no diameter at all, so a refill for them is a guess.

More marking pencils

  • OX Tuff Shot deep hole chalk marker cartridge tool

    OX Deep-hole chalk marker, 2 in reach, 250 bursts

    The only marker here that is not a lead — it sprays chalk two inches down a hole, and it works on grease.

    Functions
    It SHOOTS chalk up to 2 INCHES DEEP, stated, for marking where to drill through a hole that standard marking pens and deep-hole markers cannot reach. This shelf's introduction describes two geometries — a flat carpenter pencil and a thin lead in a long sleeve — and this is a third: nothing touches the surface at all, so there is no tip length to run out and no lead to snap
    Supplied
    250 BURSTS per cartridge, stated. It is the only count of MARKS on this shelf: every other marker publishes a lead count, which tells you how many leads and not how many marks. Two hundred and fifty is a day of bracket positions or a week of occasional ones
    Also stated
    Works on CLEAN, DIRTY, RUSTY OR GREASY surfaces, stated, and will mark at any angle. No lead does that: graphite skates off grease and will not take on loose rust, which is exactly the surface a steel fixing position sits on
    Material
    Bright GREEN chalk, stated high-visibility on any surface and easily removable, leaving no permanent marks. Green is unusual — the chalk shelf on this site deals in blue, white, red and black — and removability is the claim that lets it be used on a finished face
    Stated dimension or range
    Two inches of reach. No cartridge dimensions, no nozzle diameter and no hole size minimum appears — so which hole it will enter is not published, where one marker on this shelf publishes a 6 mm (0.24 in) tip
    Reference and mounting
    Named for drywall, concrete, brick, metal and wood, and for carpenters, masons and electricians. Refills: the chalk shelf on this site carries one-ounce bottles sold specifically for this kind of cartridge marker
    Amazon reference
    B0D1H6NH4N
    EAN
    9341231060649
    • Two inches of reach with nothing touching the surface
    • 250 bursts published — a count of marks, not of leads
    • A burst is a blob, not a line: no scribing with this

    Best for: Transferring a fixing position from a bracket onto the wall behind it, through the hole

    ≈ $13
    Check price on Amazon
  • OX mechanical carpenter pencil with needle-nose tip and belt clip

    OX Mechanical carpenter pencil, 2.8 mm (0.11 in), steel feed tube

    The only marker here with a steel feed tube — which is the part a 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead actually breaks in.

    Material
    Built from PP, ABS and STAINLESS STEEL, stated, with a stainless steel FEED TUBE described as making lead changes fast and easy. It is the only metal named inside any marker on this shelf, and the feed tube is the part that matters: a plastic tube wears oval and then the lead wobbles, which on a needle-nose tip is the end of precision
    Functions
    A one-click system dispensing 2.8 mm (0.11 in) lead, stated for clean consistent lines and built for repeat use. One click per advance is a small thing that decides whether you can feed lead with one hand while the other holds a square
    Stated dimension or range
    An EXTRA-LONG NEEDLE-NOSE TIP for tight precise marking, stated — with no figure. The marker beside it on this shelf publishes 6 mm (0.24 in) by 45 mm (1.77 in), so the comparison cannot be made: extra-long against what, and down a hole of what diameter, is left to the photograph
    Supplied
    Four leads, stated, and refillable with OX Tuff Carbon 2.8 mm (0.11 in) leads. Four is the fewest on this shelf, where the others ship six, seven or ten — and naming the refill product by name is the useful half: a 2.8 mm (0.11 in) marker with no named refill is a marker you guess refills for
    Body and fittings
    A built-in sharpener AND a belt clip, stated to keep the pencil on a tool rig or a pocket. It is one of two markers here with a clip rather than a holster, and the sharpener is in the body rather than in a separate part to lose
    Also stated
    Marks on wood, steel, tile, concrete and stone. No lead HARDNESS and no lead Color is published — the Tuff Carbon name suggests graphite, and this shelf's introduction says graphite disappears on dark stone, which is on OX's own list of surfaces
    Amazon reference
    B08XQVV4GR
    EAN
    9341231018336
    • A stainless steel feed tube, the only metal inside any marker here
    • One-click lead advance, usable one-handed
    • No tip dimensions behind "extra-long needle-nose"

    Best for: Repeat marking on steel, tile and stone, where a plastic tip would wear oval

    ≈ $15
    Check price on Amazon
  • Pica Dry 3030 deep-hole marker with its clip and stainless steel tube

    Pica Dry Longlife automatic deep-hole marker

    The trade standard: automatic lead advance in a stainless tube, stated to mark on smooth, rough, damp, dusty and oily surfaces alike.

    Amazon reference
    DE B002X7Y90U · US B002X7Y90U · GB B002X7Y90U · FR B0FMX9WBYQ · IT B002X7Y90U · ES B0FMX9WBYQ
    EAN
    4016671026740
    Marking medium
    Automatic lead advance
    Material
    stainless tube
    Construction and safety
    dust and damp protection
    Body and fittings
    integrated sharpener
    • Automatic lead advance — no sharpening interruption, and no lost cap
    • A stainless steel tube with stated dust and moisture protection
    • The most expensive marker here

    Best for: Daily marking in conditions where every other pencil has already given up.

    ≈ $14
    Check price on Amazon

Elsewhere in the spares drawer

  • General Tools hexagonal nickel-plated steel plumb bob

    General Tools Hexagonal steel plumb bob, 8 oz, GGG-P-501e

    The only plumb bob on this shelf measured against a published specification — and the cheapest bob on it.

    Also stated
    Conforms to government specification GGG-P-501e, stated — the US federal specification for plumb bobs, which fixes the form, the weight tolerance and the finish. It is the ONLY standard cited anywhere on this shelf and the only one in the American chantier for this site: every other bob here is sold on its material and its weight, with nothing against which either is checked
    Stated dimension or range
    8 oz, 4 inches long and 7/8 inches wide — the only bob DIMENSIONS published on this shelf. Length and width matter on a bob: a long thin bob hangs closer to a wall before it fouls, and a short wide one has more surface for a draft to push
    Material
    A hexagonal body of COLD-DRAWN steel, nickel plated to prevent rust. Cold-drawn rather than cast or turned from bar: the grain runs along the body, which is why a cold-drawn bob survives being dropped on its side. Hexagonal, stated, which also means it will not roll off a board
    Body and fittings
    A removable cord cap for easy cord replacement, sized for 3/32 inch cords. A named cord size is unusually practical: it means a replacement can be bought by specification rather than by trying it
    Supplied
    A 10-foot 3 mm (0.12 in) BRAIDED cord and the removable cap. Ten feet is the shortest line on this shelf — the retracting reels carry 14 and 14.5 feet and the mason's line reel carries 250 — but it is braided, which this shelf's introduction says resists the stretch that makes a twisted line sag differently at each setting
    Measuring mode
    No settling time is published, and this shelf's introduction says weight sets how quickly a bob settles. Eight ounces is the middle-light end of this shelf, which runs 5 to 21 oz; one maker here publishes six seconds for a ten-ounce bob
    Amazon reference
    B00004T7TI
    EAN
    0038728426154
    • The only published standard on this shelf: GGG-P-501e
    • The only published bob dimensions: 4 in by 7/8 in
    • Ten feet of cord, the shortest line here

    Best for: A bob that has to be the right shape and weight, bought once and kept in a toolbox

    ≈ $7
    Check price on Amazon
  • HCCMLOVE eight-ounce steel plumb bob with line board and pencils

    HCCMLOVE Plumb bob set, 8 oz, 16 ft braided line

    Sixteen feet of braided line, which is more than any other bob here carries — wound on a card rather than a reel.

    Stated dimension or range
    8 oz / 227 g, with 16 FT (5 m (16 ft)) of nylon braided line. Sixteen feet is the longest bob line on this shelf — the retracting reels carry 14 and 14.5 ft and a steel bob ships 10 ft — and on a stairwell or a two-story drop that difference is the whole job
    Material
    High-quality steel, stated corrosion-resistant, with a sharp point for calibration. NYLON BRAIDED line, stated — which this shelf's introduction says resists the stretch that makes a twisted line sag differently at each setting
    Functions
    A FAST Stabilizing DEVICE at the end of the bob, stated to speed up the stabilization of the line. No time is given — the Tajima bobs on this shelf publish six seconds — but the feature is the same idea: this shelf's introduction says weight sets how quickly a bob settles, and a damping device is the other way to get there without adding mass
    Body and fittings
    A safety cap over the point, stated to make it safer to use, and an anti-slip band at the waist of the bob to prevent it slipping off the line. The cap is the same answer to the same problem as the elastomer tip guard on another bob here: the point is what a plumb bob dies of
    Supplied
    The bob, a line board holding the 16 ft of braided line, TWO pencils and a sharpener. The line board is a card rather than a reel: the line is unwound by hand and rewound by hand, and the board can be held or weighted down to fix the top of the line, which is how HCCMLOVE describes using it
    Reference and mounting
    Nylon clips to adjust the line length for different heights, stated. No magnet, no pin and no hook: the top of the line is fixed by holding the board or weighting it, which is the simplest arrangement on this shelf and the least secure
    Amazon reference
    B0C86R3MNR
    EAN
    0765365646538
    • Sixteen feet of line, the longest bob cord on this shelf
    • Braided nylon, which resists stretch
    • A line board, not a reel: wound and unwound by hand

    Best for: A tall drop on a budget, where sixteen feet of line matters more than a reel to wind it on

    ≈ $15
    Check price on Amazon
  • Johnson five-ounce hexagonal machined steel plumb bob

    Johnson Hexagonal steel plumb bob, 5 oz

    The lightest bob here, and the only one sold for the job a surveyor actually keeps one for: centering a tripod.

    Stated dimension or range
    5 oz — the lightest bob on this shelf, where the heaviest is 21 oz. Light is the right choice for a tripod hook, where the bob hangs a few inches and settles in a moment; this shelf's introduction says a heavy bob steadies faster and swings less in a draft, and both of those matter on a long drop rather than a short one
    Functions
    Stated to be used with JOHNSON TRIPODS to center them while using optical and laser instruments. It is the only bob on this shelf sold for that job, and it is the job a surveyor keeps a bob for: an instrument reads angles from wherever its tripod actually stands, so a theodolite or a level over a station mark has to be positioned by dropping a point from its own center
    Material
    A hexagonal MACHINED steel body with a corrosion-resistant plated finish, stated. Machined rather than cold-drawn — which is the other bob on this shelf — means turned to shape, so the concentricity of the point to the body is a machining tolerance rather than a drawing one
    Body and fittings
    A hexagonal body stated to prevent it rolling off, and a removable cap stated to allow quick, easy and accurate Centered string installation. Centered is the operative word: a bob whose string is not on the axis hangs at a slight angle and its point lands beside the truth
    Supplied
    The bob. No line, no reel and no case — so the string is bought separately, and the cap is what makes that a specified job rather than a knot round a hook
    Also stated
    Named for foundation contractors, excavation contractors and surveyors, for lining up and transferring points. No settling time, no dimensions, no tip guard and no spare tip is published
    Amazon reference
    B00002N7U8
    EAN
    0049448050000
    • Five ounces, which is right for a tripod hook
    • The only bob here stated for centering a tripod
    • No line supplied at all

    Best for: Centering a tripod over a station mark, and transferring points indoors

    ≈ $9
    Check price on Amazon

All marking pencils