Who Else Thinks That A Mechanical Pencil Is The Next-Best Thing To A Fountain Pen?

[lurcho]

Back to the original title...

why not admit once for all that a good mech pencil is obviously better than any good fountain pen, no matter what?

If you do not think the same, probably you have not used enough mechs yet, or/and not enough FPs.

I have always thought that, in case my FP collection disappears for any reason (stolen, flooded, abducted by aliens...), I will never buy again any FP (free at last!) but I would enjoy from then on only mechs.

plumista

 

You're a brave man.

[AL01]

Back to the original title...

why not admit once for all that a good mech pencil is obviously better than any good fountain pen, no matter what?

If you do not think the same, probably you have not used enough mechs yet, or/and not enough FPs.

I have always thought that, in case my FP collection disappears for any reason (stolen, flooded, abducted by aliens...), I will never buy again any FP (free at last!) but I would enjoy from then on only mechs.

plumista

 

I think forum members may persecute you for this.

[Lloyd]

Back to the original title...

why not admit once for all that a good mech pencil is obviously better than any good fountain pen, no matter what?

If you do not think the same, probably you have not used enough mechs yet, or/and not enough FPs.

I have always thought that, in case my FP collection disappears for any reason (stolen, flooded, abducted by aliens...), I will never buy again any FP (free at last!) but I would enjoy from then on only mechs.

plumista

Repent, Blasphemer!

[JotterAddict62]

 

I once had the opportunity to buy a Grid P-75 ballpoint for 10$!!!!!

 

I am still kicking myself for not buying it.

 

My favorite BP is the Jotter.

 

Who knows....

 

I'll keep the Parkers on my radar.

 

 

I have a P75 ballpoint that was in my Grandmother purse that my Mother gave me after she passed on. [ Never will sell that one ]

I have had two P75's so far and sold them.

 

There were also two 70's Jotters that were in the purse that had my Grandparents name hot stamped on them. [ Keepers ]

 

 

One of the daily Jotters I am using at this time is a [ Lunchtime/ end of day ] white with some black mixed [ looks grey ] and has a

window in the barrel.. Right now that pen has replaced the P75 I sold at the CHP back in May. I will replace that with a Vac. later.

 

I carry four pens each day, 2 Fp's 1 ballpoint & a pencil.

[MYU]

Found an odd mechanical pencil. Remember the Pentel Quick Clicker, where you'd push a button on the barrel near the grip area to advance the lead? Apparently that's called a "side-click". Well, there's a similar method, but involves "bending" the pencil, to achieve the same thing. Only this one is done in brushed stainless steel with an expandable/retractable body. It was made by Artline.

 

 

Unscrewed, there's an elongated dome-cap that covers over the lead tube. It may be rounded as the barrel inside presses up against it during the click-action. The advance mechanism looks be triggered just forward of the screw mount on the front half. An eraser is seated in the tail, covered over by a machined solid steel screw cap.

Edited June 1, 2018 by MYU

[Corona688]

Back to the original title...

why not admit once for all that a good mech pencil is obviously better than any good fountain pen, no matter what?

If you do not think the same, probably you have not used enough mechs yet, or/and not enough FPs.

I have always thought that, in case my FP collection disappears for any reason (stolen, flooded, abducted by aliens...), I will never buy again any FP (free at last!) but I would enjoy from then on only mechs.

plumista

Neat! Giving any of it away?

 

Thought not.

[sansenri]

my little pretty (11.7 cm)

 

 

[sansenri]

this one is another vintage, it belonged to my grandfather who was born in the early years of 1900s

it is fully in aluminium, but has no marking whatsoever

the size and shape is identical to that of a real pencil

Edited June 7, 2018 by sansenri

[pajaro]

If the mechanical pencil will hold 1.1 mm IBM leads, it's great. The usual light writing lead, why bother? I couldn't read that stuff.

[Arstook]

Any mechanical pencils that you guys can think of that pair particularly well with fountain pens? I walk around with a Pilot Vanishing Point, a Lamy Aion, and a Lamy Pico on a daily basis. I would love to have a mechanical pencil for those moments when I'm doing research in the archives. Pens of any kind are forbidden in archival and rare book reading rooms. Any mechanical pencils that you guys recommend when you just can't have a fountain pen with you?

[milkb0at]

Pentel Kerry is always a good place to start.

[sansenri]

Pelikan has some really lovely mechanical pencils in matching finish to the M range

they are not cheap though...

[MYU]

Pentel Kerry is always a good place to start.

 

+1 on the Kerry. When capped, the chrome clip with chrome top and chromed tail end makes for a nice synchronicity with the Vanishing Point fountain pen. It's small when capped, easy to pocket, nice to write with when posted, and is priced right as well.

[Arstook]

I think the Pelikan pencils are a bit too rich for my blood. Hmm, two votes on the Pentel Kerry. I think I will pick one up. If I walk around with a Pentel Kerry and a Pilot Vanishing point, I can tell people I have two Japanese instruments from the 1960s and 1970s in my pocket. I read that the Kerry was invented in 1971, and looking at it, with its chrome furniture and slim tapered edges, I can understand how it fits into the design aesthetic popular in the 1970s.

[sansenri]

other mechanical pencils lying around the house

I also enjoy the ones that hold 1.1. leads

 

the second to last with inscription Maglieria Migliorini (Migliorini knitwear) comes from my wife's relatives, an aunt of hers was working in knitwear/tailoring, and dates probably in the 1950s.

 

 

the Osmia is probably earlier, in the transition period when Osmia was becoming Faber Castell

Infact it has both Osmia and Faber Castell wrtitten on it.

 

[sodiumnitrate]

One of my favorite writing tools is the pentel 0.3mm mechanical pencil my dad used to use in architecture school. It's completely metal, and it's so well built that it's almost impossible to break the lead. It also has an amazing balance. Doesn't even compare to my rotring 600 0.3mm (which has the problem of pushing through too much lead and makes it impossible not to break). I made the mistake of lending my friend the pencil for two seconds, and she started playing with the clip. It's a little bit loose now. I'm super annoyed, but I've learned my lesson.

[MYU]

@sansenri, nice lead holders! And interesting trivia about Osmia and Faber Castell.

 

@sodiumnitrate, do you know which Pentel 0.3mm mechanical pencil model you've got from your father? Maybe post a photo of it. I have a feeling I've seen it before. It might be the PG15.

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTQzNlgxNDQw/z/EuIAAOSwfRdZLdhj/$_57.PNG

 

The clip can be removed and then bent back into proper shape so that it fits more snugly on the barrel.

[sodiumnitrate]

@sansenri, nice lead holders! And interesting trivia about Osmia and Faber Castell.

 

@sodiumnitrate, do you know which Pentel 0.3mm mechanical pencil model you've got from your father? Maybe post a photo of it. I have a feeling I've seen it before. It might be the PG15.

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTQzNlgxNDQw/z/EuIAAOSwfRdZLdhj/$_57.PNG

 

The clip can be removed and then bent back into proper shape so that it fits more snugly on the barrel.

 

 

Well, it's a completely different one, but yours is great, too

[ac12]

Depending on the task, a mechanical pencil might be my 1st choice.

[Honeybadgers]

I will always reach for a pencil in place of a ballpoint when possible (if I have to use a ballpoint, a fischer AG-7 space pen will never be unwelcome in my hand) but I find all pencils to have some kind of massive flaw that just irritates me to no end.

 

Firstly, the twist eraser. This is hands down the best invention in the past 30 years of writing. Why this mechanism is exclusively tied to the cheapest pencil around is both maddening and saddening.

 

Second, weight and quality juxtaposed with good tech. I love the kuru toga advance rotation system with the pipe sleeve. it makes 4B 0.5 lead actually usable. But all of those pencils feel horribly cheap in the hand and have the wimpy little vestigial eraser. Same for the zebra delguard and its freaking magical unbreakable lead system. But again, cheap, plastic feel and worthless eraser.

 

On balance, the pencil that sits in my pouch every day is still the rotring 600 0.5. It's got no fancy mechanisms and I hate its worthless little eraser, but it feels so utterly spectacular in my hand with the forward weight reducing writing pressure required, that sandpaper like grip, and just feels like a quality instrument. The clip sucks though, it's worthlessly tight.

 

Here's a perfect pencil: rotring 800 (I have a 600 because it was cheeeeeeeeeap) with the uni kuru toga rotation assembly and retractable sleeve, and a thin but 20-25mm long twist-out eraser. Charge $85 and I'd buy it yesterday.

 

I prefer a pencil because you can actually write in cursive with it at a comfortable angle. Ballpoints and rollerballs REALLY hate writing at a 45 degree angle.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Honeybadgers