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I too am a big fan of the Pentel Kerry. Been using them for well over 10 years..... but .... on a lark I just ordered an 8 pack of Rhodia pencils. They are triangular and are typically Rhodia in color. Just adding a little spice to the "pen cup".

 

Peter

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Huh. I guess I'm weird... I like having the matching ballpoint and pencil to a fountain pen. So far, I have a MB Slimline with matching ballpoint and pencil, a Parker 75 black laque with matching ballpoint and pencil, and I just ordered a Pelikan M400 brown-and-tortoise pencil to go with the FP and ballpoint that I already have.

 

FP for fun, ballpoint for business that requires it, and pencil for math and stuff like getting my thoughts onto paper when I expect to need to erase as I go. :)

-- Joel -- "I collect expensive and time-consuming hobbies."

 

INK (noun): A villainous compound of tannogallate of iron, gum-arabic and water,

chiefly used to facilitate the infection of idiocy and promote intellectual crime.

(from The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce)

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Long before I started using fountain pens, I used to like mechanical pencils. Back in grade school, I used to have a Niji Grip mechanical pencil. They were great at that age because the point was retractable and fun to play with. Since then, I've gone through a few phases. I was hooked on Dixon Ticonderoga pencils in high school, but quickly moved on to Pentel P207s with 0.7mm lead. I've been using the Pentel (pretty much daily) since then, but moved on to Pentel P209 (0.9 mm) when I started breaking the lead too often. They're a nice pencil, relatively cheap, and very reliable. I've carried them in vest pockets out on construction sites for years, and they stand up fairly well to abuse (yes, we're not all delicate with writing instruments).

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Most of us may blink at the price of a fountain pen now and then, then we pay anyway, becuase we want the best, or at least a really nice pen, we also often have cheap beaters as well, you know, it is nice, you like to use it, but if you lost it, well you could replace it, get something different, or not worry...

 

My question is how much you (we) would spend on a pencil, be it wooden, mechanical or a blend like the faber castell von graff models...

I have happily spent $30-40 NZd ($25 USD) on a pencil, am thinking about shelling out $85 on a Lamy 2000 .7 mm pencil soon, but am having a hard time justifying it, however if it was a Fopuntain pen I could spend the money no problem...

 

How do you guys and gals fare?

 

Err.. I must confess that my favourite pencil is quite expensive

http://www.penandpaper.co.uk/ProdImages/yol/YOL-941311_b.jpg

 

Yard o Led Perfecta Victorian, sterling silver. Takes non-standard size led too, that must be purchased specially. It was a gift along with a YOL Viceroy Victorian fountain pen!...

 

My second favourite is a Caran d'Ache Ecrodor Retro, which was not cheap either, and was also a gift, together with matching FP and my initials engraved in each.

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/photos/CRETRO-2T.jpg

 

I do not use pencils for writing, but I am an artist and use them quite often for drawing and sketching.

 

So the sinister price range is justified : )

 

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So where else do you use pencils as opposed to ink?

Also, how do you carry woodcase pencils around?

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My father never went anywhere without his red Faber-Castell draftsman's leadholder (see Leadholder.com for a representative model). In his retirement, he also never went anywhere without a crossword puzzle, and his pencil was usually in his hand, entering words in to the puzzle. So I want one for sentimental reasons.

And I've taken long, loving looks at the current Pelikan D600 and the vintage Pelikan pencils in celluloid on Propas' site...

I've done crossword puzzles w/ a fountain pen. You have to be quick & light, and nothing larger than a Fine nib will work on the cheap paper. This doesn't go well with my normal preference for Medium nibs, so a pencil could be just the thing. And alas, I'll probably get a draftsman's leadholder past She Who Must Be Obeyed more easily, so I may simply continue those long, loving looks at a Drehbleistift. Ach...

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I have one nice mechanical pencil, a Wyvern made for the Daily Herald in 1935.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2244240841_6d67c165b7.jpg

 

I've considered getting a Visconti MP, though I also would like a small vintage ringtop pencil.

deirdre.net

"Heck we fed a thousand dollar pen to a chicken because we could." -- FarmBoy, about Pen Posse

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I'm personally not big on them, as I don't like the texture and feel of the graphite. Plus, with the way I write, it somehow contrives to make my already less than ideal handwriting "dirty". I couldn't wait to change to a pen way back then in primary school.

 

Meanwhile, I use only mechanical pencils and my favoured model is still the Pilot Shaker. I think it goes for USD7 or thereabouts.

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I have one nice mechanical pencil, a Wyvern made for the Daily Herald in 1935.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2244240841_6d67c165b7.jpg

 

I've considered getting a Visconti MP, though I also would like a small vintage ringtop pencil.

 

 

That is one beautiful set.

 

the Danitrio Fellowship

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I have a tiny Muji mechanical pencil. It's adorable to look at and feels lovely (brushed aluminium). It wasn't very expensive at all. I also have a small Gilbert mechanical pencil, for which I don't seem to be able to get replacement leads (I'll have to stop using it when I run out completely), and a Boxy mechanical pencil (normal size) from Japan.

 

They are definitely my next favourites after FPs in the realm of writing instruments.

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I have one nice mechanical pencil, a Wyvern made for the Daily Herald in 1935.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2244240841_6d67c165b7.jpg

 

I've considered getting a Visconti MP, though I also would like a small vintage ringtop pencil.

 

 

That is one beautiful set.

I'm still stunned I was able to get it for the price I did (about $50 from martiniauctions.com).

 

Here's the other pictures of the set. I'm most charmed by the letter sent with the set.

deirdre.net

"Heck we fed a thousand dollar pen to a chicken because we could." -- FarmBoy, about Pen Posse

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I have one nice mechanical pencil, a Wyvern made for the Daily Herald in 1935.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2244240841_6d67c165b7.jpg

 

I've considered getting a Visconti MP, though I also would like a small vintage ringtop pencil.

 

 

That is one beautiful set.

I'm still stunned I was able to get it for the price I did (about $50 from martiniauctions.com).

 

Here's the other pictures of the set. I'm most charmed by the letter sent with the set.

 

I shouldn't have looked. I saw your incredible Stipulas. I missed the chance to get a Saturno for a great price and passed it up a few years ago. Sometimes it is good to let time go by to see how a pen will age-the Saturno and Chromo looked just as wonderful now.

 

the Danitrio Fellowship

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I get a big kick out of mech. pencils, vintage and modern. Luckily I don't need to collect that many (like I do fountain pens).

How can you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

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After trying a number of cheap mechanical pencils, looking for something to scribble (hobbyist-level) cartoon roughs with, I spent some pocket change on a Mars/Staedtler 2mm clutch pencil with 2B leads and was almost happy.

 

Then, in a pen shop, I finally paid too much for my "happy pencil", a Lamy Scribble 3.15mm with 4B leads, and have never regretted it.

The adult's crayon.

 

Regards, Myles.

Edited by myles

The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory - Chinese proverb

The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice - Mark Twain

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My favorites...

 

1. Pentel Sharp Kerry, .5mm & .7mm

2. Pilot Vanishing Point .5mm

3. Koh-I-Noor Rapid-O-Matic .3mm, .5mm, .7mm, .9mm

4. Koh-I-Noor Select-O-Matic 2mm

 

but, I also keep a full set of Pentel Sharps around.

 

in woodcased pencils I have too many favorites to list.

Paige Paigen

Gemma Seymour, Founder & Designer, Paige Paigen

Daily use pens & ink: TWSBI ECO-T EF, TWSBI ECO 1.1 mm stub italic, Mrs. Stewart's Concentrated Liquid Bluing

 

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Ah, pencils.

 

I think they started my awareness of love and discernment when it comes to writing implements. I remember being a little boy in school and thinking "no, I don't like this pencil; it feels like plastic, and when I write I have to press hard and it feels all waxy. But this other one is nice: feels like real wood, and I like the easy, dark line it makes." I didn't have the vocabulary to express it, but that's what I was thinking.

 

So, my tastes today: within limits, I like extremes.

 

I always carry a pencil with me. Following the example of an old teacher of mine who always seemed to have with him a tiny stub of a pencil, I now make pencil stubs: I buy a Derwent Graphic 2B or 3B for a few dollars, and with a fine-toothed saw, I cut it into a few pieces (about an inch and a half each). I sharpen each one, and I've got my pencil stubs. They fit anywhere; I usually just slip one into my pocket. I sharpen them on-the-go with either a pocket-knife or just my thumbnail. It has a rough-hewn, homemade appeal. I sometimes lose them, but it's no big deal; I just make some more. And I've found that these are surprisingly good conversation starters. People seem delighted with a tiny pencil. (I also occasionally carry a Kerry, but it's not my favorite.)

 

At the other extreme is a Cretacolor 430 02 artist's lead holder. A little longer than a Rotring 600 FP, and almost as heavy. It takes massive 5.6 mm leads. It has a sharpener in the screw-on end cap, so it can make quite precise medium lines like an ordinary pencil, as well as laying on graphite like a paintbrush. This one seems to evoke fear in people - it's one serious pencil. About USD $30.

 

In between, I use either a .5 or .7 mm Rotring 600 lava finish pencil. These are new-style with the retractable lead and lead housing. Also they have a slightly cushioned lead, to reduce breakage. Very nice. I can't recall how much I paid for these, but whatever it was, it was well worth it.

 

I also bought a set of Ohto Superpromecha pencils (.3, .5, .7, .9 mm) that are curious, but good to have around. Everything on them can be adjusted: the length of the lead collar, the amount of lead advanced by each click, etc. The weight is all forward, balanced towards the point, so it feels quite lightweight in the hand. A bit gimmicky, but I like them as an alternative to the Rotrings. (After a long time with one pencil, my hand gets tired, and a change is welcome.) I think each one was around USD $25.

 

In general, I like soft, dark leads. B to 6B. About the hardest I'll use is an HB. (Weird, I know.)

Edited by orpheus

And those of us who think about the empty spaces tend to paint pictures, write books, or compose music. There are many talented people who never will become painters, writers, or composers; the talent is in them but not the empty spaces where art happens.

 

-Russell Hoban, "Amaryllis Night and Day"

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I thought some of you may be interested to know that I have the following listed at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...mp;#entry543053

 

1) Cross Classic Chrome .005

2) Pentel P205 .005

3) Pentel PENPS535 .005

4) Pentel P207 .007

5) Pentel PD347C .007

5) Black 3-combo pen (red bp, black bp, .005 mp) very nice girth and large eraser

 

All are in very good to excellent condition and working fine; total retail $70.00.

 

I'm asking $12 for the bunch plus $3 for shipping within CONUS.

 

Thx.

CFTPM

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I recently discovered, in the bottom of a box while cleaning out the garage, a pen with an end in both worlds....my grandfather's Ever-Ready fountain pen. The capped end has a 14k nib and the post end is a mechanical pencil. I didn't know anyone made such a thing.

Fred

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