BIC Xtra-Smooth Pastel Mechanical Pencils, 0.7 mm, 40-Count Pack

The Verdict

The Verdict

It’s a mechanical pencil — how much can there really be to say? As it turns out, quite a bit. The BIC Xtra-Smooth Pastel pack has quietly become one of the highest-rated office supply products on Amazon at 4.9 stars from over 3,300 reviews, and after reading through the feedback, the near-perfect score makes sense.

The “Xtra-Smooth” claim holds up. Reviewers consistently praise the 0.7 mm lead for gliding across paper without catching or scratching. One homeschool parent calls them “hands down, my favorite lead pencils of all time” — citing long-lasting lead that’s “very difficult to break with its thickness.” Another reviewer notes they’ve been using them for daily note-taking, sketching, and grading with no jams or breakage.

The pastel color refresh is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade. Instead of the clinical clear-and-yellow barrels, these come in soft pink, purple, and blue that are easy to spot when they roll off a desk. They’re refillable, the erasers actually work (no dark smudge marks), and the advance mechanism feeds the right amount of lead per click.

At $53.02 for 40 pencils, you’re paying about $1.33 per pencil — which is more than a standard BIC pack, but the build quality justifies the bump. For teachers stocking a classroom or parents equipping multiple kids, this is a buy-once-and-forget-it solution.

Who should buy it: Students, teachers, home office workers who spend all day writing. Anyone tired of pencils that snap mid-sentence.

Who should skip it: People who prefer wooden pencils. Budget shoppers who just need the cheapest option. Those who need 0.5 mm or 0.9 mm lead.

What Real Buyers Are Saying

“These are, hands down, my favorite lead pencils of all time! The lead is long-lasting and very difficult to break. The erasers stay in the pencil well and work to erase writing when needed.”

“The 0.7 mm medium point lead glides across loose-leaf paper, graph paper, and notebooks effortlessly without scratching or catching.”

“They write so smooth and glide perfectly across the paper, making writing feel effortless. The lead doesn’t break as easily as others I’ve tried.”

The Bottom Line

The BIC Xtra-Smooth Pastel Mechanical Pencil is proof that even a simple everyday tool can be improved with attention to detail. Smooth writing, durable lead, clean erasing, and a design that actually looks good on a desk. At 4.9 stars from thousands of reviews, this might be the best mechanical pencil money can buy.