Anyone Like Pencils?

[SamCapote]

I always had bad memories about those #2 yellow pencils, since they were always used to do the standardized fill in the dots tests throughout school.

 

Then after seeing people talk about them here, I ordered the Uni-ball Hi-Uni beautiful 22 pencil tin set from Jet Pens that goes from 10H to 10B. They are each like a work of art in a stick, and I have been using pencils for fun now.

 

I would like to try the Tombow, but I don't see them in assorted packs at Jetpens. I would imagine they are not that much different from the Uni-ball, but don't know.

[SamCapote]

Also, what's the difference between the Uni-ball Hi-Uni and Penmanship pencils?

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Uni-ball-Penmanship-Writing-Wooden-Pencil-Hexagonal-Body-4B-Pack-of-3/pd/4330

[gks]

I love pencils, mostly I use the Dixon Tri-Conderoga for is larger, triangular and rubberized body. Nice writers as well. I have yet to try the Blackwing, which is a hame snce I live only a mile and a quarter from the company that makes them. I have some vintge mechanical pencils an the 1.1mm is now earning its keep in my house.

 

 

-Xander

 

I've heard great things about these pencils.

 

I personally use the pencils included with my Field Notes Brand purchases. I have about a dozen of them now and they're really nice. They have a wonderful cedar smell when sharpened. I think it's cedar anyway. I use pencils so infrequently though that my collection continues to grow. I figure once this FNB Colors subscription is up I won't be renewing so i'll catch up.

[XiaoMG]

Also, what's the difference between the Uni-ball Hi-Uni and Penmanship pencils?

Hi-Uni is the premium artist range of pencils that also happen to be excellent writers. The Penmanship pencils, on the other hand, are designed as writers' pencils, though particularly for students learning to write in Japanese/Chinese characters. The leads are 4B and 6B, but they are formulated a bit differently than the Hi-Uni pencils, and feel a little slicker on most types of paper. The lead is also broader, allowing expressive tapered strokes in "hard brush" (pencil/pen) calligraphy. The cost seems to be lower primarily due to the relatively simple finish. There are no stampings, metal bands, or decorative plastic endcaps.

 

I have a few dozen of the 4B, as I think it's one of the best soft writing pencils out there. They are surprisingly strong for their grade, but are best used with a light touch. Might be on the verge of too soft for many people used to HBs, but people who don't mind softer leads and the problems related to them (smearing, graphite transfer, and sharpening frequency, the last being a great reason to get a high-quality rotary sharpener like those I mentioned in a previous post) really ought to give them a try.

 

 

As for the Tombows...a Tombow Mono 100 HB is slightly firmer than a Hi-Uni HB. My Tombow 2Bs are a little stronger than my Mitsubishi Bs, and resist breaking a little better when using a very fine point. The Hi-Uni, on the other hand, feels slightly more lubricious, though both move easily over the paper. The corners of the Mono 100 are a little sharper, while the Hi-Uni's barrel is very slightly more rounded. They're both great, and the differences are hard to discern unless comparing side-by-side frequently.

Edited December 7, 2011 by XiaoMG

[79spitfire]

Does anyone else agree with me that Rhodia pencils are ridiculously expensive?

Well, perhaps a bit...

 

Even though they look awesome.

Try writing with one!

[XiaoMG]

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Try writing with one!

I have to say I wasn't terribly impressed by the Rhodia pencils. They're nice, above-average pencils, but inferior to most of the midrange Japanese offerings (Mitsubishi 9800 and the like) and the higher-end German offerings like the Staedtler Mars Lumograph.

[SamCapote]

Also, what's the difference between the Uni-ball Hi-Uni and Penmanship pencils?

Hi-Uni is the premium artist range of pencils that also happen to be excellent writers. The Penmanship pencils, on the other hand, are designed as writers' pencils, though particularly for students learning to write in Japanese/Chinese characters. The leads are 4B and 6B, but they are formulated a bit differently than the Hi-Uni pencils, and feel a little slicker on most types of paper. The lead is also broader, allowing expressive tapered strokes in "hard brush" (pencil/pen) calligraphy. The cost seems to be lower primarily due to the relatively simple finish. There are no stampings, metal bands, or decorative plastic endcaps.

 

I have a few dozen of the 4B, as I think it's one of the best soft writing pencils out there. They are surprisingly strong for their grade, but are best used with a light touch. Might be on the verge of too soft for many people used to HBs, but people who don't mind softer leads and the problems related to them (smearing, graphite transfer, and sharpening frequency, the last being a great reason to get a high-quality rotary sharpener like those I mentioned in a previous post) really ought to give them a try.

 

 

As for the Tombows...a Tombow Mono 100 HB is slightly firmer than a Hi-Uni HB. My Tombow 2Bs are a little stronger than my Mitsubishi Bs, and resist breaking a little better when using a very fine point. The Hi-Uni, on the other hand, feels slightly more lubricious, though both move easily over the paper. The corners of the Mono 100 are a little sharper, while the Hi-Uni's barrel is very slightly more rounded. They're both great, and the differences are hard to discern unless comparing side-by-side frequently.

 

Thanks! Will try some of each.

[lovemy51]

Does anyone else agree with me that Rhodia pencils are ridiculously expensive?

hear, hear!

[raging.dragon]

Though mostly write with my fountain pens, I would much rather a matching mechanical pencil than a ballpoint or rollerball to accompany a fountain pen.

[ashbridg]

Most pen collectors don’t like pencils unless they’re part of a pen set. But I do know a respected pencil collector. He came to my pen club recently and brought hundreds of pencils, including the most valuable pencil ever made. It’s a sterling silver mechanical pencil, a skyscraper shape made by Tiffany in the 1930s. One of the pen magazines did a feature on it a while back.

 

The problem collectors have with pencils is, well, they’re not pens. Vintage mechanical pencils usually can’t be repaired. They have a helical flat spring that quits working and the lead won’t advance. There is one guy who fixes pencils. He’s in his 80s now but was still working last summer.

 

To answer the question, I do like pencils. Good lead is enjoyable to write with. It has a silky feel. The best graphite comes from special marsh bogs in Europe and is used in art pencils. My preference is Mars Lumograph HB or B. I keep some pencils handy to use in library archives and museum galleries where ink pens are not allowed.

Edited December 7, 2011 by ashbridg

[Rosetta59]

I am a sort of pencil (other than FP...) addict : I like wood pencil (I have many I regularly employ and others I collect such as Palomino Blackwings, Mars Lumographs, Staedtler Camels...); moreover I like even mechanical pencils: Pentels, Staedtlers... oh and my Montblanc 117p is like a sort of love affair ...

[bdws1975]

WOW! Looks like there are indeed some pencil lovers out there.

 

thanks for sharing.

 

 

[RGH]

Have always loved mechanical pencils. Indeed in some ways rekindled my love of FPs, and found FON through mechanical pencil blogs - I was looking for reviews on mechanical pencils. I love my Rotring Rapid-Pro. I use it every day to do my daily dose of Sudoku. 0.7mm, 2B lead. Softer, and darker, but not so soft as to wear away too quickly.

 

Of course it has led to my downfall since before I found FPN I could never imagine spending more than $50 on a fountain pen. (I had them and used them a lot, but ...)

 

I bought a Yard-O-Led Viceroy within 2 months of joining FPN. Now I want the matching pencil.

[Mr Tutt]

Here's a column I wrote about wooden pencils several years ago when I was in the newspaper business. After it ran, people sent me round pencils for a while. Most were advertisers and frankly they didn't take a point very well. Someone in the office said it was because they used the wrong sort of wood. A good pencil requires a good sharpener. I have a little, round, green model that came in the supplies packet I got when I was census taker in 2000. It probably cost the government a nickel--and yes, they probably paid somebody's third cousin of a congressman $5 for it. Five cents or five dollars it put a needle point on a pencil. Note: I wrote this before I got into fountain pens.

 

 

Getting to the point

May 23, 2007

 

The point is on a pencil. I like writing with a round wooden pencil. They used to be somewhat difficult to find, hexagonal pencils being much more common. Round pencils are more popular with advertisers because it is easier to print things on a cylinder. For that reason, I suppose, most of the pencils in my desk drawer are give-aways, but recently I found a box of Black Warrior brand, round pencils, and they fit the bill nicely.

Seventy-five percent of the pencils in America are yellow. The why goes something like this: In the 1890s the finest graphite—the “lead” in the pencil—came from China, and manufacturers wanted a way to let their customers know they were buying the best.

In China, yellow was a color generally associated with royalty and high-class goods, hence yellow pencils. Exactly how someone in Tenafly, N.J was to tune in to Chinese color preferences is not explained, but the yellow color caught on and so even today most pencils are yellow.

Over the years, I’ve tried mechanical pencils. I have one in my pocket every day, but I’ve never found a lead that writes with the dark, crisp line I prefer. These days I usually defer to a gel ballpoint.

Until the invention of the fountain pen, the only practical way to write in the field was with a pencil. Even then, fountain pens were prone to leak and smear. Remember Charlie Brown’s frustration in trying to write to his pen pal or the little red-haired girl with a fountain pen? The truly portable and simple writing instrument didn’t come along until after World War II when the ballpoint pen came on the scene.

Today there are a lot of choices—roller balls, gels, felt tips, plastic tips and more, but there is still something eminently satisfying about putting a needle sharp point on a pencil and seeing the dark lines slide across a piece of paper. Besides, you can erase your mistakes.

[bdws1975]

well, I have to say that I've been on a bit of a pencil binge lately. I have some blackwings coming, a coupe tombows, and some accessories like some clips, etc.

 

It's a nice compliment to my FP's and something fun and relatively cheap to tinker with.

 

Thanks for all the great comments.

 

brett

[John the Monkey]

If you appreciate the wooden pencil, you might like this site (apologies those of you who know about it already);

 

http://fredspencils.wordpress.com/

 

It's not been updated in a while, but there's an archive of wonderful stuff to peruse going back quite some way. Some of the imprints on these old pencils are really lovely.

[bdws1975]

that is so cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

Brett

 

If you appreciate the wooden pencil, you might like this site (apologies those of you who know about it already);

 

http://fredspencils.wordpress.com/

 

It's not been updated in a while, but there's an archive of wonderful stuff to peruse going back quite some way. Some of the imprints on these old pencils are really lovely.

[lovemy51]

If you appreciate the wooden pencil, you might like this site (apologies those of you who know about it already);

 

http://fredspencils.wordpress.com/

 

It's not been updated in a while, but there's an archive of wonderful stuff to peruse going back quite some way. Some of the imprints on these old pencils are really lovely.

thanx, John!

 

here are a couple more -some of my favs:

 

http://www.brandnamepencils.com/

 

http://www.penciltalk.org/

 

 

and let me add this one: http://www.pencils.com/ more than a vendor, it shares a lot of info. no affiliation.

 

here's more:

http://www.pencilpages.com/main.htm

http://woodclinched.com/category/reviews/pencils/

Edited December 10, 2011 by lovemy51

[SamCapote]

Got all my Tombow, Blackwing (gray & black), Mitsubishi Hi-Uni assortments. These are amazing, and different.

 

I love the Uni sharpener I got from JetPens, with the orange button for blunt or longer sharpening. Also, these little soft Tombow covers are great for easier gripping.

[XiaoMG]

Got all my Tombow, Blackwing (gray & black), Mitsubishi Hi-Uni assortments. These are amazing, and different.

 

I love the Uni sharpener I got from JetPens, with the orange button for blunt or longer sharpening. Also, these little soft Tombow covers are great for easier gripping.

Congrats on the pencil acquisitions. I'm waiting on a shipment of Hi-Unis from Japan, but I have plenty stowed away already (along with a big stockpile of Mono 100s). I occasionally give them away to students or friends, usually with a fresh sharpening and a metal pencil cap. For a pencil, they garner a surprising amount of awe and respect...from adults, at least.

 

If you get the chance, please post a pic of one of your sharpened new pencils. I haven't seen the exact point that the Uni makes, but I'm guessing it's similar to the ones I get with my sharpeners.