What Pencil Are You Using Today?

[Orpilorp]

An oldie but still very goodie...a Pentel Technomatic .5.

 

+1 for the Pentel. They just won't wear out. I'm still using the one I purchased in 1974.

[pyotrkot]

My wife seeing me using my mechanical pencils has just now gifted me her old unbranded sudoku pencil as she has progressed to only doing sudoku digitally on her tablet.

 

This pencil is of all-metal construction yet not heavy. Nice one for my budding collection ;-)

[heathydraws]

I have my Alpha Gel Kuru Toga that's part of my EDC and I like using it with Pilot 4B lead--oh so smooth I can't even. Unfortunately it does tend to smear a lot. Some other pencils I like to have on my desk are the Blackwing Palamino Pearl, Koyuko Fit Curve, Dr. Grip Shaker and I always find that the Pentel Twist Erase is wonderful to have on hand. It's very affordable and has a nice design with an eraser that can last forever and ever.

[aderoy]

Today was a Yard-o-Led Perfecta barley 1.18mm Firm

[pyotrkot]

Retro 51 Albert Einstein

Nice pencil! I really like the look of the Retro 51 Albert Einstein. The physics formulas in white on the black background to me look as beautiful as Chinese or Japanese calligraphy. Of course I cannot read, let alone understand any of them, but I appreciate the art

:-)

[F_Salmon]

0.5 Uni Kuru Toga (a present from my teacher), 0.3 Pentel Stein (for sketching), and 0.5 Pilot Rexgrip.

[a m a r g o]

Today was a Yard-o-Led Perfecta barley 1.18mm Firm

 

How would you describe the hardness-softness of Yard-O-Led leads?

 

Beatiful writing instrument!

[aderoy]

There only being three lead firmness B - HB - H limits the playing field.

 

The B and HB are not gritty, the B does smear rather easy. The B does wear down fairly fast as expected. Use the H (firm) for writing in Midori journal and find the lead to be similar to Caran d'Ache. Not smooth and silky as Uni 9000 H, bit if feedback does not smear without really trying.

 

The F is a bit smoother than the Staedtler 2.0 mm of the same hardness.

 

Find the H to be a good lead for most papers, notebooks etc where I 'worry' about smearing.

[calhoun tubbs]

Eberhard Faber Mongol 482 No2 from the 1920s

 

Happy National Pencil Day!

[DLRuth]

Dixon Ticonderoga number 2, but I use it with humility and a sense of ever increasing inferiority as I read through this thread.

 

 

(Fortunately the pencil keeps pretending everything is ok).

 

That is my normal go to as well for pencils, they are quite the best

[Jebus]

Faber-Castell Ambition Pear. Lovely writer...

[Cyrille81]

At work I'm using most of the time my JFK LE 1917 rollerball I like so much:

 

[Tasmith]

Uni Kuru Toga .5mm with Uni HB lead.

 

Nice little mechanical pencil I picked up at Staples for something like $8 US. Shares the pen loop in my Hobonichi A5 Cousing case with a Pilot Hi Tech C Coleto multi pen.

[aderoy]

Pilot S20 Deep Red with 2B Lead.

[haruka337]

Mitsu-Bishi 9852FEW HB: This pencil is amazing. The lead is hard, yet still dark and I can go a week without sharpening it with consistent use.

[Orpilorp]

Two from the "bait cup" on my desk at work. The better stuff is kept in the desk drawer.

[flatline]

Pilot S20 Deep Red with 2B Lead.

 

How is it?

 

I've got the pen that matches it, but can't bring myself to buy the pencil.

 

--flatline

[a m a r g o]

There only being three lead firmness B - HB - H limits the playing field.

 

The B and HB are not gritty, the B does smear rather easy. The B does wear down fairly fast as expected. Use the H (firm) for writing in Midori journal and find the lead to be similar to Caran d'Ache. Not smooth and silky as Uni 9000 H, bit if feedback does not smear without really trying.

 

The F is a bit smoother than the Staedtler 2.0 mm of the same hardness.

 

Find the H to be a good lead for most papers, notebooks etc where I 'worry' about smearing.

 

Thank you!

[flatline]

I'm slowly working my way through a Palomino Blackwing 602 at work. I've mostly stopped journaling with pencils at home, so the pencils I want to use up have been slowly migrating to my desk.

 

--flatline

[aderoy]

 

How is it?

 

I've got the pen that matches it, but can't bring myself to buy the pencil.

 

--flatline

The Pilot S20 has never given me a problem with soft leads, each click to advance lead is consistent. Wood is unfinished, pipe does not retract which can be a problem for some. The shape in hand feels nice no problem if writing for long sessions.