Definitely didn't waste half an hour making this

Why do I feel like I'm participating in market research

Gimme one of these bad boys and utility razor.

This.

#8 all the way.

If I had to do sketch design drafting in college with a pen or wooden pencil and not a 0.5 mechanical, I would have probably become a school shooter.

5. ole reliable

You missed an option.

5 may not be pretty, but it's had my back in some hard times.

Someone do this, but with vibrators.

Am I a psychopath for preferring to use a pen, even if it means I have to cross things out every now and then?

Screw #8. Everyone here including OP missed out on the actual best Zebra mechanical pencil. The Zebra DelGuard.

It has this crazy mechanism that resists lead breakage by dropping a shield down if you press too hard.

https://www.zebrapen.com/products/delguard-mechanical-pencil?variant=40738814951630

They even made limited edition Hello Kitty ones years ago I imported. Best 0.3mm mechanical pencil I've ever used.

3. By a country mile

3. A good engineering pencil can be used for anything.

#2

#2

We’ve taken way too many things that don’t need to be plastic and made them plastic

Number 2 is the only one that can write effectively on wood. I may not build a lot, but when I have tried to use a mechanical pencil for marking wood, it was a total fail.

2. Ticonderoga is the Cadillac of pencils.

2

2

Nope. You’re getting some decent conversation out of this so those 30 minutes were definitely put to good use. And that’s a nice photo.

My choice would've been 3 or 1 just by how they feel in my hand, but I got a new .3 Kuru Toga and god it's too smooth for me not to choose 4

I've never touched a mechanical pencil that didn't suck. 7 is awful, I don't understand what people like about it. The only choice on this is 2.

METAL KURU TOGA MY GOAT 👑 👑 👑 🐐 🐐 🐐 🔥🔥🔥

I already own that exact same Kuru Toga, so this one's a no-brainer.

Anyone who deliberately picks the Sharpwriter or the Bic needs keeping an eye on; we need to keep those kinds of people on a list.

The GOAT

3 Kuru Toga. Every time

3 Kuru Toga

Ticonderoga #2, an absolute classic.

2, always

#9 : Steadler 925 35-05b. It's my first nice mechanical pencil and it's just so nice to use.

The graphgear 1000 seems great too, I've never tried one tho.

Anyone who uses #7 by choice is a freak

Who writes with a pencil? Drawing.... Okay... But writing is what fountain pens are for.

#3 is the best mechanical I’ve ever owned, hands down. 3 all day long.

I prefer 2mm mechanical pencils instead of the 0.5mm ones.

This one

How about none of the above? But I kind of like those triangular pencils.

I'd rather fucking kill myself.

Probably #1, I love the weight of the metal at the bottom.

Five, but I want the 0.9mm and not the 0.7.

Come on, where is the Pentel P200 series?

Edit: I'll take the koh-i-noor 2mm of available

Rotring rapid pro 0.7mm

No carpenter's pencil?

5 all the way

Wtf is this shit? No Rotring. No Alvin. No Koh-i-Noor. I guess I have to take the GraphGear, but it's under duress.

I would suggest that the Dixon Ticonderoga is the most reliable, most cost-efficient, and easiest-to-use writing utinsil in the history of humanity.*

Each other option has more points of potential failure and additional complexities over the Ticonderoga. While more complicated tools may net you some improvement in writing style or sharpness, they are massive trade-offs in more basic areas.

This would be much the same question if it were "what car would you drive for the rest of your life" between fancy ones like Ferraris and Lambos to cheaper, more reliable ones like Corollas and Civics. Everyone likes the look of the Ferrari -- but the only car for the rest of your life? It's got to be reliable, or you're going nowhere. You want to be able to keep driving.

The Ticonderoga guarantees you can keep writing.

*intentionally overselling it for humor. But it is a nice, simple, good-quality pencil.

3

A pen.

Pentel.

Always.

I prefer the p20x series personally but just about every mech pencil I've ever used from them has been excellent

I do all my art with 5.

This is the real personality tests, fuck Myers-Briggs and astrology. I need to know your choices for stationary.

https://a.co/d/gLAwp98

Only answer

7th one

7 all the way. Though a nice metal mechanical pencil does sound nice.

5

0.5mm for #1 or #3.

Get that grubby ugly 0.7mm lead outta here.

No pencils. Let the record stand, cross off mistakes with a single strikethrough like a gentleman.

I got a Pentel with a tip like #3, so if #1 had the #3 tip I'd absolutely say #1.

My 0.7mm Pentel pencil has been the best pencil/mechanical pencil I have ever used, for the most part. It was definitely overpriced, like everything at a college bookstore, but it's been such an amazing pencil. Only problem is that I can't have it loose in the pockets of my spring jackets or it will try to poke through the cheap fabric.

Edit:

I have used 2, 5, and 7 (alongside ones of basically same design but different brand) as well, so I have no idea how good the others are.

I have a fondness for #7

Definitely 2. Sharpening is such a nice break from writing.

Erasable pen. Just because I'm contrary.

6 was what I ended up with after considering all options before I went fully digital.

Better grip and easy to refill

I used number 5 throughout high school and university and they always served me well. Sometimes I thought about trying the fancier ones with gel grips, but old reliable BIC was always there for me. I trusted the BIC. In a world of uncertainty, the BIC will never let you down (or run around and desert you)

2

If I am somehow without my 0.9mm Graphgear 500 then I would have to go with 1.

Honorable mention: at one of my D&D sessions they had non-mechanical D&D pencils where each side had a number, effectively turning it into a d6.

Dr. Grip. I love the "shake to advance" thing and the huge, squishy grip.

There are no drafting pencils.

Not sure I've ever seen #5 with the clip still intact.

I guess I'm the only one but 7 is underrated

Zebra M-402, which I've used exclusively for at least 20 years. (The same one.)

Followed closely by the Ticonderoga.

Option 0: Keyboard.

I cant write for shit, generally hurts my hand for anything beyond a short note.

If i don't have access to a keyboard something has gone catastrophically wrong in the world and I've likely got bigger problems.

5 all day every day.... .5mm would be more betta though

8. I like the Zebra.Got them at Dollar Tree or one of the Dollar stores.

Also, some of these options are not pencils. For a pen I'd go for 5/6.

Five. Tired but true.

I've got to try #1

I am a simple man. I see Ticonderoga, I choose Ticonderoga. I like ships and I cannot lie

2. Always and forever.

I have been using 3 for the last 6 or so years. I also like 1 and 4. Can't go wrong with 2.

Am I the only one who’se only ever used wooden pencils in my life? In my part of the word basically no one used those plastic ones.

5

6

#3 for me. Keeps my handwriting just a little bit more legible.

#4 doesn't work for my writing style it seems. I end up wearing large flats on the lead anyways.

(ingoring the diameter)

Apparently!

You can pry my Twist-Erase from my cold dead arthritic hands.

7. Lightweight and reliable.

No Pentel P209? WTF?

#1 got me through college

Just gimme the damn wood pencil, #2

I usually write in pen, only reason I'd use pencil is if I know I need to erase.

So... #5 I think. Simple, reliable, easily replaced.

But why no

5

Where's the BIC pencil?

#3 for the always-sharp tip, but #4 is a close contender for the protection against snapping lead. (I own both of these pencils.)

Hope I don't have much left to write if choosing #2(pun is a package deal). But it would be my pick.

Ticonderoga. Hey if the lead still breaks at all from any of the others, it's not worth it. Least with 2, you lose the point.

Out of the ones on this list, #1, but I think I'd prefer the GG500 actually.

Give me the black version of number 1 or a uniball precise v5

Pencils are terrible, pens are the superior writing implement.

6, which I guess is pretty similar to my pick for number 5 on the pen post. Looks like the weight and style would feel best in my hand. Sadly none of them have my favorite feature of having fairly long and good quality erasers on it like my current favorite (non imported) mechanical pencil. Can't remember the name off the top of my head

8

Number 7. A pleasure to write with, cheap enough so you don't get mad when you lose it. Eraser that doesn't suck.

Pocket clip does tend to shear off, though.

Mine isn’t here, but 8 if I have to choose.

1

I've also used 4 and 8 which are both decent.

#6 is the closest to what got me through dozens of blue books.

Pentel Twist-erase 0.7 is the proper answer.

I spent way too much time hunting down a Pilot Automac and finally got it. being stuck with anything here would be such a stark downgrade

I'll take the good ole #2 pencil. Just enough tech and no more.

Alvin DM07. No other, maybe #3 because I liked that the lead automatically rotated on each press. But Alvin all the way.

I really like 4.

Mainly for the reason that it auto rotates the pencil lead every time you lift it off the page; thus preventing flat spotting your handwriting

Number 1.

Where are my fellow Blackwing pencil enjoyers?

8 that style was lucky for me in my college years.

As long as it Just Writes(TM) I don't care. I want to pick it up, and I want to write. I don't want to try writing only to find it's dried up and I have to scribble on some other bit of paper before it comes back to life. Now OK if I've left the lid off then that's my bad, but if I haven't then it should just flipping work.

Oh no... I'm that weirdo that likes the Papermate mechanicals.
They are just so simple and reliable. You could crush one and still get it to write again if you needed too and it had the eraser (that sucked) built right in that you never used but felt good looking at it and squeezing against your thumbnail when you were bored. Just had to put better quality lead in it.

But man Zebra makes the pens and pencil I would actually intend to use if I was planning it.

1, I have one of them branded from my prior work, it's an excellent pencil.

none of the above of i may. i choose this:

#6 because I need all that extra eraser

The Pentel Graphgear 1000 is great. I love how it retracts.

6 every time.

Also fuck 7, those butcher broke so easily.

I had one similar to (not literally exactly) 6 back in high school, and some really dumb jock took it from me and I've wanted it back ever since.

The Bic one is okay, but pushing directly on the eraser to push the lead out isn't ideal. I always thought that was a design flaw. Having the button on the side of the pencil but away from the index finger is ideal honestly.

And even though we're not deciding based on lead size for this, I prefer the finer.5 to the more common .7.

Plus the top has a pretty large eraser that you can twist to expose more, so it had a mechanical refillable eraser too, which was pretty cool.

And I got mine in my favorite color, and that fucked just took it.

I was a super sheltered kid, coming fresh off being completely homeschooled (except for a Christian kindergarten), and that year of school was my first social contact with other people outside grocery stores and church. So I didn't do much about it, as I didn't have a clue about how anything in real life worked. I wouldn't figure a lot of it out for still another 16 years, but that's a different story.

Also at this point I haven't actually written anything at all with a pencil, pen, or marker for.... 15ish years now? Outside of signing my name anyway.

#7

6 is where the fuck it's at, shit looks comfy as fuck and I will fight everyone else here I don't even care if you agree with me

Kuru Toga Advance please.

3. it rotates the graphite as you write so your lines are always sharp. it's an absolute game changer and now i can never go back to a standard mechanical pencil

Props for #2 being a #2, but of these I usually go for 6. My personal favorite though is Pentel twist erase.

Though all the kuru toga enthusiasts here have convinced me to give them a try.

I also buy 5s in bulk, those shitty bic pencils are the "little brother" option when my D&D players forget their own writing instruments.

# 2 (lol), but only if I can provide my own type of pencil. Runner up gg1k.

Do I get to choose my lead size?

Despite not having tried any of them I guess I'll pick #1 since it's the most robust looking one.

Currently I use one from Bic which works well enough.

#2 is classic. #5 has never let me down. But ive never understood how people use #7: shitty wobbly tip

Tossup between 2 and 5. Forever locked in competition with their strengths and weaknesses perfectly inverted to each other. I used to use 5 for lineart and then shade with 2.

#7, it doesn't push up when you press on it.

either kuru toga, or a zebra one I had for a long time before an exchange student gave me the kuru togas

Why are we ignoring the diameter?

6, cause it’s a gel pen. For a pencil, not really bothered by these options…probably 2.

I have 2 .3 mm Graph Gear pencils that I swear by.

2 although 6 is also pretty good from my experience.

Does it count if I've already used #8 exclusively for the last 10 years.

My current pencils in use are a Pentel graph 1000 for pro in .3mm which is my top choice. Then I have a kokuyo enpitsu in .9mm which is very cheap and comfortable to use, and a Sheaffer twist mechanical pencil thing that is just really fun to use and has a nice heavy metal body.

I can't say I would choose any of the above pencils, I don't even see any lead holders (clutch pencils)!