Favorite Pencils?

[doggle2]

What are some of your favorite pencils? Be they mechanical, wooden, or some strange contraption, I'd love to know. My favorites are a Staedtler 925 25-03, and an amazing vintage Fixpencil 77.

[Misfit]

I purchased a Retro 51 mechanical pencil yesterday (the Periodic Table of Elements version). It’s quite nice. I also have a Levenger Truewriter mechanical pencil.

 

During a Jet Pens giveaway (spend so much, get...)of mechanical pencils, I was late in ordering and only one of the four were available for the free pencil. It was the Uni Kuru Toga which rotates the lead as you write, keeping a sharp point.

 

I’m thinking about getting an Autopoint mechanical pencil because they are made in the USA.

 

I got a set of pencils in matching tin with sharpener because they were celestial themed, with half of them showing how solar and lunar eclipses happen. I have a set of Blackwing, plus some mint colored Craft Design Technology pencils. They don’t get as much use as fountain pens, but they are crossword puzzle ready.

[flatline]

Staedtler Mars Technico 2mm lead holder is my favorite lead holder. I don't know what it is, but it somehow improves the feel of the lead against the paper in a way that none of my other lead holders do. The Sanford Prismacolor Turquoise 2mm lead holder is also very nice.

 

My favorite drafting pencils are the Pilot s10 and Alvin Draftmatic. The knurling and bottom heaviness allow me to use these pencils all day without any fatigue.

 

My favorite pocket-safe pencil is the Pentel Sharp Kerry. It's also the most elegant looking pencil I can think of.

 

--flatline

[NinthSphere]

20's era Wahl-Eversharps. I prefer using the long pencils over the short & especially over the midget, but I love the design across the sizes. Good weight, simple twist mechanism, gorgeous pencils, especially the engraved examples.

 

30's-40's Autopoint. I like the fatter faceted pencils for edc. I'm a fan of the Twinpoints as well for versatility. While I like the look of the older bolt style clip, the Twinpoint I reach for more often is a more modern iteration 0.9/1.1 I legoed together & removed the friction fit clip from to prevent it being in the way while using either tip. Another simple twist mechanism, but more durable for edc than the Wahl-Eversharps. I've accidentally knocked the Autopoints from ~3ft onto tile floor with no noticeable harm. I might've cried if I'd done the same with a W-E.

 

Cross Century. Not the modern iteration, but the old US 0.9 version with the turned grip. Slick design, propelling and retracting mechanism (ooh, fancy ). While I don't as much like that they're sealed & front loading, as long as they work, I'm happy. The old 0.9 Parker Classic is a nice one as well, for much the same reasons, although brushed stainless rather than having a turned grip.

 

Pentel Excalibur. Slick design, brushed finish, all metal construction. Lovely pencil, although I don't use 0.7 as much as I used to.

 

Uni Kuru Toga Roulette. Nicely knurled grip & the rotation mechanism that spoiled me when I need to do a lot of printing/math stuff.

 

Rotring Rapid Pro. Hefty pencil, retractable tip, comfortable grip.

Edited August 31, 2018 by NinthSphere

[Sh.Andrews]

 

My most used pencils. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of Tombow with softer leads.

[Zookie]

I have WAY too many pencils, I can't resist them. The ones I like and use the most, however, are the Metrix sold at Staples a while back. I don't know why, I just like them.

[doggle2]

Sh.graph, what is the Tombow that you have a picture of? I've never seen it!

[Sh.Andrews]

Sh.graph, what is the Tombow that you have a picture of? I've never seen it!

The top one is a Rotring 600 and there is a Apsara. The other four are Tombows.

[Mr. Pink]

I use it very seldom, but my favorite is a Duofold Marble Maroon - a gift from my wife to match the fountain pen.

[View from the Loft]

Lamy Scribble with 0.7mm lead. Comfortable, and does well when I am using it to check duty schedules against working timetables.

[JulieParadise]

mechanical pencil: Faber-Castell TK-Fine Vario L 0.3/5/7 mm + Staedtler (2)B leads.

wooden pencil: Tombow Mono B

[Astronymus]

Wodden pencil: I'd say Faber-Castel Grip 2001 2½=HB.

Not to soft, not too hard. Had Staedler before and wasn't satisfied. The lines tend to smear if touched. The Faber-Castell is better.

[doggle2]

In my previous post, I meant to say the homo-graph. It didn't appear for some reason. What is the homo-graph?

[Astronymus]

Maybe the forum software considers this an insult.

[PurplePlum]

My favourite is a Blackwing, it writes smoother than your average HB writing pencil, probably because it's more of a B lead in grade. I draw a lot so am used to softer pencils, so when it comes to writing with a hard pencil I really detest that it isn't smooth to make marks with and usually end up grabbing pen instead. A 2B would be too soft and smudgy for writing, but the B is perfect for me, not too hard, not too soft and a shade darker than a HB which I find very attractive.

 

I just love the Blackwing, I suppose the same could be achieved with any B grade drawing pencil, but I love how sharp I can get the point, and the quality of the lead is such that it's never a case where I sharpen the thing down to the stub because the lead is broken inside or the wood is cheap. A couple turns on my favourite mechanical sharpener and the point is dart-like again.

 

I'm writing a story in the pictured notebook and only use Blackwings, I bought specially for the task, in it. It's like a little guilty pleasure as they are a bit pricey for a pencil. Any other writing I use a pen. I'm down two from the box of twelve already. Just 10 more pencils of book left to write.

[dan in montreal]

My favourite is a Blackwing, it writes smoother than your average HB writing pencil, probably because it's more of a B lead in grade. I draw a lot so am used to softer pencils, so when it comes to writing with a hard pencil I really detest that it isn't smooth to make marks with and usually end up grabbing pen instead. A 2B would be too soft and smudgy for writing, but the B is perfect for me, not too hard, not too soft and a shade darker than a HB which I find very attractive.

 

I just love the Blackwing, I suppose the same could be achieved with any B grade drawing pencil, but I love how sharp I can get the point, and the quality of the lead is such that it's never a case where I sharpen the thing down to the stub because the lead is broken inside or the wood is cheap. A couple turns on my favourite mechanical sharpener and the point is dart-like again.

 

I'm writing a story in the pictured notebook and only use Blackwings, I bought specially for the task, in it. It's like a little guilty pleasure as they are a bit pricey for a pencil. Any other writing I use a pen. I'm down two from the box of twelve already. Just 10 more pencils of book left to write.

Which one do you prefer, the (modern) 602 or the black version? The leads are different and for writing, I prefer the 602 - not as soft, they keep their point longer. I remember all the negativity surrounding the launch of the 602 a few years ago from traditionalists who were put off by the fact it was so different from the original. It seems to have faded, but is was intense at the time!

[PurplePlum]

I remember reading about it years ago too, but I was late to the game, not having experienced the pencils pre discontinuation. People were spending a lot of money to source those old pencils. I bought the relaunched 602s when they first came out and only later experienced the black version. I must admit I prefer the softer blackwing, it is smoother to write with and produces darker lines. The new 602 is, in my opinion, between a HB and B grade, but leans more toward the HB. In practicality the difference is subtle and may not be evident to someone grabbing a pencil and writing without comparison. The 602 definitely keeps the point longer as it is a harder lead, but they both sharpen to an amazing point with a decent sharpener. I just sharpen the black version a little more often. As an example of the difference, I started off writing my story one day with the black version and the next session with the 602, just so I could monitor productivity. The written evidence, is quite noticeable to myself anyway.

[MYU]

A few years ago I started contracting a bug that incited me to collect unusual, uncommon, and vintage mechanical pencils. I can't admit my collection size, because I"m embarrassed to say (although I am gradually selling off some). A very finely made mechanical pencil can have a wonderful feeling about it. The click mechanism reminds you it's a precision instrument--it has to be to manage lead so small in diameter. You can get them very cheaply (e.g. Pentel P205 is the quintessential bargain) or pay handsomely for super exclusive companion pieces to fountain pens. But you can also find bespoke examples for decent prices (e.g. Spoke Pencils).

 

Here's a couple of group shots showing some of my favorites:

[rdh]

Several that I like are mentioned in this thread. My favorite for writing is the Rotring 600, however most of my writing is done with a fountain pen these days. I also keep a Faber Castell e-motion (wood with plastic) for use with my tools. It has a nice thick lead that doesn't break and is good for marking wood.

 

Dave

[sansenri]

I like mechanical pencils, but do not own many, I am trying very hard to resist collecting them as I already have too many fountain pens...

 

this is my favourite

A Tibaldi trasparente in celluloid

(the photo is from Engeika, I still have not had the chance to take a good picture of it)