Nerding out on: Pencils?

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
05/21/2016 at 23:41 • Filed to: None

I was searching for a perfect archival quality pen that wrote extremely well. (Writing tool to paper interface is something important to me) when i learned that pencil is still used by many a journal writer because it stays around and is acid-free. No kidding, the second page of the Gettysburg Address is in pencil and that’s kinda been around for a while. So for the heck of it, I googled, “best writing pencil” and behold a story about a favored pencil by the successful.

The Blackwing 602 was a favorite by composers and writers and businessmen all around. When production ended, individual 602's would show up on ebay at $40 a piece. That’s how good they were. Apparently they wrote and felt like no other, especially that nasty yellow pencil schools use. Ugh! How common!

Well, the name changed hands and they’re-started production a few years ago of the 602 and its softer sibling, the Pearl. Many tout how it’s virtually the same as before. So I couldn’t hold back and had to see just what the heck a nice writing pencil is like.

Well, the 602 is pretty darn nice. Its not a rough ride at all. It has a good glide and a nice line. It is a magnitude better that that yellow pencil, yet something else trumped it severely. The Staedtler Norica HB2 - writes like it’s got a felt tip! There is minimal scratch and audibly, its supremely quieter, and the 602 was even quite a bit quieter than the shittty Dixon-Ticonderoga yellow pencil. I tried the Blackwing Pearl, a slightly softer led, and although it’s quieter than the 602, it’s not as quiet as the Norica. So who won?

The Norica is the best writing pencil of all, yet it will need to be sharpened much more often. That’s how it’s quieter, it’s obviously a softer led even though it’s labeled an HB hardness. The Pearl is the next best and it’s softness is rated about where the Norica claims to be. It’s just a bit louder without that felt tip feel but it’s no slouch. It lasts longer between sharpenings too so if you want a great pencil with a great line that’s decently durable, the Blackwing Pearl is it, but the Norica beats it totally on the feel front. Now, for the money, the Noricas go for $10 for a box of 24 and the Pearls go for $21+ for 12....its not hard to see the performance per dollar winner here. Just be cognizant of sharpening the things and where you can do that.

Yeah it’s a friggin pencil. Didn’t think anyone would really be that interested.

DISCUSSION (34)

dogisbadob > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:14

I like Try-Rex and Dixon Ticonderoga :p

ClassicDatsunDebate > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:21

Staedtler Mars Technico and a 502 sharpening tub FTW.

Berang > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:24

I’ve already moved on to pens

Kinja'd!!!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:25

If you like pencils, put a trip to the Faber-Castell castle/museum in Nuremburg, Germany. Pretty cool experience if you ever find yourself in that part of the world.

http://www.faber-castell.com/company/fc-exp…

Grindintosecond > Berang
05/22/2016 at 00:26

I’m looking at TWSBI vac series for that sort of thing right now, but that’s adding complexity to an already complex life. Using the Uniball 207 archival ink gel pen for other things...it writes quite nice so far.

Sneaky Pete > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:30

As an engineer, I use pencils often, though usually a mechanical pencil. I hate the way they write, so I’ll have to give these a try. Thanks for posting.

One of my favorite opening sequences from one of my favorite movies of all time-

Grindintosecond > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
05/22/2016 at 00:30

They were the origionator of the 602. It would be a very nice trip if im ever out there because they were into many other things too.

Grindintosecond > Sneaky Pete
05/22/2016 at 00:34

I am an enormous fan of the Alvin Draftmatic. I used a 0.3 through most of high-school, college, after and it’s still perfectly working 25+ years later. It was built the best and balanced the best. Felt like a single carved piece. still made today. The 5 and 7 are so sweet. I never got along with a 0.9 size, felt like i dragged a tree scross the page.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:37

I will geek out with you. I just bought a Pentel Orenz 0.2 mechanical pencil - the packaging was all in Japanese, if that tells you what the market is for a pencil like this. It has a retractable tip, but the real cool bit is that, since the lead is so thin and fragile, you actually don’t advance it past the end of the tip. There’s a mechanism that allows the lead to advance slightly when you put tip to paper, so you can write (draw in my case) without ever needing to manually advance the lead.

Grindintosecond > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/22/2016 at 00:42

the .3 i used was right on the edge of unusable. I never found myself needing a thinner line but then I didn’t really go that fine with the drawing.

Grindintosecond > Sneaky Pete
05/22/2016 at 00:45

oh, and the Staedtlers....make sure the box has a 2014 date on them, .the 2015 and newer was changed slightly, probably for cost, and are still a very god pencil but not crazy nice like the ones i found at Staples. the Blackwings you’ll have to order offAmazon or find a decent stationary store

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:53

This is a great thing to know. I’ve used mostly lead holders for the past couple years, but I love me a good pencil.

Grindintosecond > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
05/22/2016 at 00:57

All three use cedar bodies, so you’ll flashback to grade school when you get that tiny whiff after sharpening.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 00:59

I’ve been dealing with so much cedar recently I probably wouldn’t notice, or it’d give me PTSD.

Svend > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 02:07

Although the modern day pencil was invented in 1795 by Nicholas-Jacques Conte the invention of the pencil is also credited to of been invented in 1564 when a graphite seam was found in Borrowdale, Cumbria (45 miles away from me). The Keswick Pencil Museum is worth visiting if you ever come to the U.K.

There is a massive range or pencils available for every pencil related task you can think of.

http://www.pencils.co.uk/en/gb/home

Worth a look.

TheHondaBro > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 02:36

I’m part of that mechanical pencil master race. Pentel Side FX, yo.

Kinja'd!!!

Best mechanical pencil I’ve ever used, by far.

deekster_caddy > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 08:23

I recently switched back to pencil for note taking at work. It’s much better than pen. Got a couple of half decent mechanical pencils and I discovered that a lot of the scientists still prefer them for lab notes and people in finance still prefer pencil. Had no idea!

Grindintosecond > TheHondaBro
05/22/2016 at 08:35

Ohhh....look at a draftmatic.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheHondaBro
05/22/2016 at 09:59

P205

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 10:00

Your piece is compelling but only half complete: you haven't said how you would sharpen them. Equally important.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 10:11

Kinja'd!!!

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 10:50

I found some good ones in Japan. I also have an aluminum shaft that holds a stick of graphite clamped in the middle, I have three sizes for drawing but the smaller one can be used to write with.

jkm7680 > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 11:27

Staedtler Noris 4lyfe

Grindintosecond > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
05/22/2016 at 12:14

Sharpen to taste. Some prefer a long point sharpener and others prefer a pen knife to slice it. Im using a type of staedtler sharpener cause it locks closed and wont pop open. I travel lots, so thats important. I wont have shavings everywhere like i did in school. It also has a very good blade for a very good shave.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 14:05

I’m using it primarily for sketching/brainstorming for logo design work - I like the fine line and precise control.

bhtooefr > Berang
05/22/2016 at 14:47

I’ll stick with my cheap Platinum Preppys, as far as pens go. Pretty smooth writing despite the extra fine nib on one of them, and pretty trivial to convert to eyedropper fill (although I use cartridges on the one I use at work).

bhtooefr > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/22/2016 at 14:49

0.2, holy shit. I’d guess that the mechanism does a good job of protecting the lead?

I use a Kuru Toga Roulette in 0.5 mm, but the mechanism doesn’t work very well with my writing (I think my hand when writing is too light, so it doesn’t rotate the lead much of the time).

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Grindintosecond
05/22/2016 at 18:08

Still: I don't think you can talk about pencils without discussing sharpeners.

Grindintosecond > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
05/22/2016 at 20:06

make a companion post on them!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > bhtooefr
05/23/2016 at 09:52

Yeah, it works surprisingly well. Like I mentioned, you just leave the lead in the barrel and the pressure of tip to paper advances it just enough to write without the metal obstructing anything.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
05/23/2016 at 09:59

I just picked up a Japanese market Pentel Orenz 0.2...

This aluminum graphite holder sounds intriguing - does it adjust to hold all sizes, or are the 3 sizes you mention referring to this as well?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Grindintosecond
05/23/2016 at 10:02

The gel pens are nice, but my devotion to the Uniball Vision micro has proven impossible to break thus far.

Do you have any drawings you can share?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Grindintosecond
05/23/2016 at 15:04

I could do that.

Grindintosecond > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/23/2016 at 19:47

I do a lot of writing nowadays. I sketch ideas sometimes. Concepts once in a while but nothing to a completion really.