Does anybody keep a coffee mug full of these around simply because you "need" to have a pencil... Or does everyone just use mechanical pencils if they need something other than a pen?

I find a number of uses for wood case pencils on a daily basis. I suppose part of my using them is also habit. I have had very good luck with Papermate "American Naturals," HB #2. There are more exotic pencils that have different attributes than the Papermate Naturals, but I go with the Papermates.

I have a lot of wood pencils stored away somewhere but if somebody stole a fistful of them, I might not ever notice. I generally use two mechanical pencils everyday. One is a Parker .05 and the other, a Waterman .07 I like those white soft erasers much better than the ones on the end of pencils too.

The Mirado Black Warrior is my favorite followed by the Ticonderoga. I have quite a few very nice mechanical pencils, but a quality wood case pencil is classic.

I haven't had to use a pencil in a few years, but when I do, I prefer a wood-case pencil - I've never liked mechanical pencils.

And, of what I've used, I prefer the Ticonderoga.

I usually use a mechanical but when I'm at my desk, I use a lyra pencil without the eraser. I can't stand using the erasers on the back of pencils and pencils with a nice end-cap makes me feel sophisticated. It's a little silly but so is my passion for fp's. I also keep a few mistubishi and tombow pencils around. They're as good to use as fp's.

I only use wooden pencils when I need to write things that require erasing. I buy them by the half gross. I even have a large supply of Mongols. These pencils are no longer made but I loved the feel of this lead. Pencils are the bomb. They are cheep and work in space. While the U.S.A. spent a fortune on developing a pen that would write in space the Russians used pencils. Now with pencils one needs a good electric sharpener. Not all are created equal. You need a moose that will hog down to a point fast under heavy load and auto stop. Most bog down and some just plane stop under heavy load. I keep at least a dozen sharpened and use them to a stub. If the eraser wears before I use up the wood I just slap on an over eraser.

When I use a pencil, I use a Big Magic Grip 0.7 mm mechanical pencil. They're cheap, comfortable, and they get the job done.

When I use a pencil I use my Pilot S20 Drafting Pencil 0.5mm with Pentel Ain 0.5mm HB lead. Its a great pencil plus its stylish...for those who care. I like it cause its hefty but not so hefty I can't use it for extended periods of time.

Except the graphite dust can short out electronics, and is dangerous to breathe.

And, the Space Pen was developed by Fisher, not NASA, and NASA wasn't charged at all for the R&D, only the pens themselves.

And, Fisher sold Space Pens to the Russians, too.

Every day at work I have a rotation of 2 FPs and a vintage woodcased pencil,usually a Blackwing or some other Eberhard Faber (such as a Microtomic or No Blot ) or a Tombow Mono 100.

At home I would use pencils as much or more than I use FPs.

I never use mechanical pencils or electric sharpeners.I have a brass sharpener I bought years ago that I use often.I like to feel the sharpener working,smell the sharpenings and see how long I can make a sharpening 'peel' before it breaks off. If I need to I work on the point with a pocket knife and fine sandpaper.

Small things amuse small minds I guess.

Mechanical pencil for me - generally a light weight Rotring or Lamy Safari with 0.05 lead. They were my main item when I worked in music because writing on scores was a dailyr occurrence. I always swapped the standard HB leads for 2B.

The Mirado Black Warrior is my favorite too! Most of the time I don't have access to a pencil sharpener, but sometimes you just need that simple feel of a wood pencil.

I also like the simple Bic mechanical pencils 0.5mm for most pencil uses - they're simple, inexpensive, and they work.

I abandoned wood case pencils when I got my first Scripto mechanical pencil. Now days I usually use one of the various Pentels, or somethng very much like them.

No pencil, no career. I usually use a Lamy 2000 0.5 or Lamy Twin for writing in scores and librettos. I also use MP's for drawing and I will sometimes pick up a Dixon Ticonderoga to do some writing.

I love woodcase pencils, and use them daily. My rotation includes a variety of brands. With top quality pencils, such as those from Tombow and Mitsubishi, pencil use is always a delight.

I haven't loved mechanical pencils as much, but I think I've figured out part of the issue. The lead choice matters a great deal, and the leads supplied with many pencils (even $100+ pencils from well known manufacturers) are often below average. When I buy an MP, I now immediately replace the manufacturer supplied lead with Pentel Ain, and it makes a significant difference in terms of reduced breakage and smoother lines, which greatly improves the overall experience.

Finally, I have regularly used both 3.15mm (e.g. Lamy Scribble) and 5.6mm (e.g. Bexley Multi-Max) leadholders for both writing and drawing charts.

I have an A3 (roughly 11x17) sized No. 18 Rhodia pad on my desk at work, and the leadholder is great for quickly drawing a flowchart.

Mechanical pencils, usually Pentel Sharps
When I'm in the mood, out come the Faber Castells and the Lumographs

Ticonderogas are close to my heart. The only type of pencil I'll use since I found them while I was in high school--more than a few years ago. One of my greatest finds was a set of Ticonderoga Special Millenium Edition pencils: Just like the great yellow ones, but these are sleek black!

I'm such a geek....

First choice as with others is the Mirado Black Warrior. However, I find them to be soft for their rated hardness so they require frequent sharpening. Second choice is the Dixon Ticonderoga.

Most of the time, though, I use a Rotring Initial mechanical with 0.7 HB Staedtler lead.

just to sidetrack the thread a little for those with experience with the larger diameter leadholders: is there a lead pointer/sharpener that works for the large Lamy Scribble size leads? I have a Staedtler(spelling?) pointer for my drafting/art leadholders but nothing to use with the Scribble.

Yep, that rare beast exists. Lamy included one with their 3.15mm abc pencil, and KUM (see www.pencilsharpener.com) makes a variety of sharpeners for 3.15mm lead. These are regularly relabeled/ resold by other manufacturers.

My pencil of choice: great erasure; just bought a 48 pack for 5 bucks Saturday.

I have a cup full of Palomino pencils picture bellow and reviewed in this link. After many years of searching for a pencil that would write dark with light touch, I found this one.

Oh, damn, even my pencils are trying to kill me! We're all going to die!!!!!!!! Well, that realization may not mean much to you, but here I thought I was going to last forever.