Right now I use a Techniclick G 0.5mm by Pentel. It’s one of the better pencils I’ve ever used and it drives me nuts if I think I’ve lost it. Like termorviolet I like the side advance, but I also far prefer the 0.5mms to the 0.7mms, and sometimes when I’m looking for a new one I don’t have much choice when it comes to quality of pencil or what kind of advance I get if I want that size, so I’m glad I haven’t lost this one yet.
In the wooden category, you can get some pencils which are made using recycled denim. Aside from being a pretty colour and helping the environment, I found them nice to write with too.
Mechanical Zebra*. But any metal pencil is better than a wooden. Don’t get me wrong, a super-sharp wooden is best, but they hardly stay sharp for a second.
*I don’t believe I’ve ever done this, but: Band Name!
Pilot Dr. Grip 0.5 It’s a big fat mechanical pencil, and the part you grab is a translucent rubbery stuff. I do a lot of crossword puzzles, so I use pencils a lot. For erasing, I use a Pentel Clic Eraser. It never goes smeary like the ones on wooden pencils.
Any 0.5 mechanical, so long as the clicker thingy is down where my fingers go and not up where the eraser goes.
0.7 is too dull.
Wood is too high maintenance.
I also like those Pentel white eraser things that’s the same size as the pencil where you use the slider on the side to push the eraser out of the end.
Before I found my favorite mechanical pencils, like Askia, I used to use the Mirado Black Warrior pencils (not only because the erasers were excellent, but the name Black Warrior just sounds…cool).
Now, if I can help it, I use 0.5 Bic mechanicals. I tend to press hard when I draw, the 0.7s always snapped when I used them.
Pentel Techniclick II, 0.5 mm. Before the start of any school year I get a half-dozen-- not because they break, but because I want some at work, some at home, some in my various backpacks. Plus I lose at least 2-3 per year. They have a great side feed, rubber grip & a decent eraser for the small things (the big things get hit by a much larger eraser.
As for wooden pencils, I’ve spent the last 15 years working with Scantron forms. I know from #2 pencils. The best, and I mean the BEST not only for Scantrons but for writing, even casual drawing, was Berol’s Electronic Scorer. It left clear, dark marks, had an excellent eraser, and the barrel was glossy black. Alas, they are no more. I have a box squirreled away somewhere. I do not let anyone touch it.
I’m fond of the Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic mechanical pencil; I alternate between 0.5 and 0.7mm.
In years past, I tried a couple of Rotring mechanical pencils–looked great, felt great, broke if you looked at 'em sideways. (Yeah, the guts of the pencil itself broke. Real shame about the quality control on those things.)
I hate pencils. Especially the mechanical types. I have to use them occasionally in my job, and I am an ultra klutz with the darn things. I always snap them off.
Sooo…I’d have to say, when forced to use a pencil, I prefer the old fashioned #2 pencil, sharpened frequently.
Papermate Clear Point 0.7 mm. I was hooked on Papermate Titaniums (0.5mm) for a few years, but I like the thicker leads (Student, pencils must survive the backack) and replaceable eraser of the Clear Point. I have a purple one and a green one.
I was constantly snapping leads with 0.5 mm pencils, and it would always startle me. It sucked having no more lead during note taking and having to stop and refill.
Wood pencils give me the heebie-jeebies, and pens are forever, and that is way more of a comittment than I am willing to commit to.
I love erasing things. It is like starting fresh whenever I erase. I love mechanical pencils.
I use the SumoGrip mechanical ones. They come in a variety of colours–grey, black, white, maroon, and blue–and lead sizes, from 0.5 - 0.9 mm. They’re larger than normal pencils and very comfortable.
Here’s a link to a site that sells them, in case you wanted pictures.
I seem to recall that the Mirado was originally the Berol Mirado.
I for one regret the demise of the Berol company. They used to make my favourite felt tip pen, the Berol Flash. Of course, one felt tip pen generally writes as good as the next, but the Flash was very classy looking. These days, felt tip pens don’t look very classy.
My favourite pencil is a little 10cm/4" Zebra from Japan, a slim brushed stainless steel and gold-effect jobbie that fits snugly into my wallet. A bit too small to write with for extended periods, but handy and dead cute. For normal pencilly things I use a 0.5mm Pilot propelling for paper, a hand-sharpened 2B wood pencil for woodwork. Sometimes I’ll even use a proper flat carpenter’s pencil if I can find one lying around when I need it.
What’s your favourite grade of graphite, oh fellow unashamed stationery geeks? We were introduced as infants to HB as the default, with maybe anything as radically hard as a 4H being thrust upon us in Technical Drawing classes. Only graphic artists tended to stray beyond 1B territory, but I find in my old age I have a preference for a nice, soft 2B, with maybe the luxury of a 4B for horticultural plant labels. There’s a satisfying feel to that extra graphite.
Pentel Quik-Click 0.5 mm without the fat padding at the end. They, of course, do not make them without the padding anymore (AFAICT), so I’m being careful to try not to lose the 3 I have left.