# The lowly pencil, what kind is your favorite?



## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

Sure, a pencil is a pencil is a pencil. Right? Maybe not. I'll bet there are some of you that have a favorite style or brand, and feel put out if you have to use something different. So, whatcha got behind your ear other than that weird smelly wax stuff (that works really well for making a smudge mark, fyi, learned that from my Granddaddy). I've got a Pentech Pure No. 2 currently that I like, but it is quickly approaching nub status, and I need to go pencil shopping. Hence, this thread.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

I have always liked Dixon Ticonderoga #2s. However, the more recent editions seem to be using a harder wood and they do not sharpen as well as the old ones that seemed to be cedar.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Pentel P205 mechanical drafting pencil. Nice, crisp lines, can run the tip right along a straight edge and choice of how hard of lead to use.


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## verdesardog (Apr 2, 2011)

Any old #2 lead pencil will do…...


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

The not so subtle favorite is the one that still has a point on it…. I often need a pencil but find that they have broken down tips.

I have come to like a mechanical. Menards (and I am sure many others) make one with a fat lead. When I need a fine line I just rub the edge on a sanding disc stuck to my notebook. I can easily make a "knife edge" lead that I can darken a scribe line with.
the lead is 2mm so it only breaks when I drop it on the floor, compared to the usual 0.5 or 0.7mm pencils the kids take to school.
Sold on the same aisle with the squares/dividers/levels and chalk lines.









I also like the Derwent pencils - - Hobby Lobby. I just get the 'singles' rather than the set below, (but they are black with the orange stripe) in 2H (a hard #2) especially when I am using graphite transfer paper to do Marquetry, or transfer patterns. It stays sharp longer as you trace lines. - - no erasers though.


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## LepelstatCrafts (Jan 16, 2011)

For writing or technical drawing I try and use mechanical pencils. For just drawing or general shop use a standard #2 works well. For rough cut lumber and construction a contractor pencil is usually what I use.


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## Texcaster (Oct 26, 2013)

I like any good quality 2B for a fine mark, big fat carpenter's pencils for rough marks and a white pencil for use on dark timber.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

A German classic: the Rotring 600 0,5mm


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Sharp


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Mechanical engineer pencil. Consistent size lines.


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

> Sharp
> 
> - hotbyte


Unless the boss says mark it about 27 1/8"


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## Stewbot (Jun 7, 2015)

On construction jobs, I switched from a standard carpenter pencil to the thicker classic pencil and never looked back.


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

> On construction jobs, I switched from a standard carpenter pencil to the thicker classic pencil and never looked back.
> 
> - Stewbot


You mean like the ones they made us have when we were kids? Hadn't considered that option.


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## Stewbot (Jun 7, 2015)

> On construction jobs, I switched from a standard carpenter pencil to the thicker classic pencil and never looked back.
> 
> - Stewbot
> 
> ...


Yeah like the typical round school pencil, but slightly larger. .28" vs .35" to be exact. I get them at Lowes, love em.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

A clutch-type 2mm drafting pencil (technically it's a "lead holder" but I digress ). Mine's about 60 years old and I picked it up from a retiring architect at a church yard sale. He told me the story of how it was a gift from his parents when he left for college. I practically begged him to keep it but he said he'd rather someone use it than it set in a box in his basement until he died then get thrown in the trash. Funny how something as seemingly insignificant as a pencil obtained by chance from someone you don't know from Adam can become something integral to everyday life.

Enough sappy crap though! The reason I like it so much is that you can shape the lead most any form you need for whatever task is at hand. And, the 2mm lead is strong enough that you can extend it out to get into hard to reach places. It balances well on the ear too so I don't loose it… well I don't loose it a lot.


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

Pencils like yours are hard to come by, Kenny. Great story.


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## mramseyISU (Mar 3, 2014)

I just use one of those Bic plastic mechanical pencil. They're dirt cheap, never need sharpened and make a super sharp line.


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## Gerbah_from_Boston (Nov 30, 2015)

I want to know what the #1 pencil did to screw up so the #2 got all the credit.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

> I just use one of those Bic plastic mechanical pencil. They re dirt cheap, never need sharpened and make a super sharp line.
> 
> - mramseyISU


This and or one of the many #2 pencils the kiddos bring home from school as rewards etc..


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Depends on what I'm doing. .5 mechanical for Incra marking. .7 mechanical for normal fine marking stuff. .9 mechanical for less critical marking and labeling. Good ole # 2 wood for whatever and the venerable carpenters pencil for framing. I have hundreds of pencils spread out throughout my shop and STILL have to look for one sometimes. I still have 2 whole boxes of "gimme" # 2 Ticonderogas from my Dad's business from back in the 60's. I won't run out for a while.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

OK, now I have a couple "draftsman's" type lead holders (one is a Staedtler) that I have had since 1966. They still work great. I have innumerable Bic or Tul or Pentel or whatever brand push button mechanical pencils and they work great. I could probably rustle up an old screw type mechanical pencil, but they never worked very well (always jamming from powdered lead residue).

However! This seems to me to be akin to the hand tools versus machines debate. How can anyone who loves seeing a beautiful paper thin curl coming out of a vintage hand plane be happy with a mechanical pencil? Sacrilege! A REAL pencil is made out of wood (this is a woodworking forum after all) and requires a proper wall mounted hand cranked sharpener to get the business end ready for the job at hand. Ideally, it should smell of cedar and the sharpener will create a huge graphite mess when emptied.

I do recall taking a course in mechanical drawing in High School and we had a pencil "sharpener" that removed the wood in the normal conical fashion, but left the cylindrical lead intact. You then used a piece of fine sandpaper to fashion the point. With just the proper angle and rotating the pencil while drawing it across the sandpaper you created a great point. There was also the lazy man's device that allowed you to insert the "sharpened" pencil in a hole in its circular top and when you twirled it around it rubbed against an internal abrasive set at the proper angle. Why the two step process is beyond me. I also recall learning that the proper way to draw the lines is to do so while rotating the pencil. This avoids the creation of a flat spot.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I have about twenty or so mechanical pencils. Most, if not all are Pentels. My favorite goes wherever I do. It's a Kerry .5. You pull it apart, to uncover the lead, then put the cap on the other end during use. This allows me to carry it in my T-shirt collars without jabbing me.

Around the shops, I keep several point seven and point five drafting type pencils and a couple point threes (e.g., P205's). I've used mechanical pencils, rather than cedar beasts, for about forty years. I may run out of lead, but they are always sharp until I do.

I also keep several of the click advance type erasers around so I don't have to use the erasers supplied on the pencils.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

my favorite pencil is the one i can find!


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## ste6168 (Mar 12, 2015)

Ticonderoga #2.


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## lateralus819 (Mar 24, 2013)

Ticonderoga' are pure dog ********************. I had a box and everyone kept breaking with the softest of pressure.

I finally went to wal-mart to look for a different option. Low and behold I turned around and saw these.

Yes they ARE made in America and they are AWESOME!


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

Anyone I can find.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

*"Ticonderoga' are pure dog ********************" * WOW! Seems pretty harsh for something as inconsequential as a simple pencil. LOL!


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## PeteStaehling (May 3, 2015)

> I have always liked Dixon Ticonderoga #2s. However, the more recent editions seem to be using a harder wood and they do not sharpen as well as the old ones that seemed to be cedar.


For 99% of what I do around the shop, I too like the Dixon #2s. I have not found the harder wood to be an issue with an old style hand cranked sharpener.

For rough carpentry I like carpenter's pencils with the big flat lead.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I have used your standard #2 pencils for years, with two traditional old-school sharpeners mounted in handy areas close to me. I sharpen a lot, so I just found a great deal at a garage sale on a box of #3 pencils, which I think I will change to since I should not have to sharpen so much.

I use the big pink erasers in a five pack for erasing. Never use the pencil eraser. Unfortunately, I do a lot of erasing!


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

The spiderman/batman pencils I steal from my son…"think of it like rent, jr., get used to it. A mortgage takes a bunch of pencils."


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I'm still working off the kids extra school pencils, and my youngest is now 30.


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## AceWoodworking (Dec 9, 2015)

Cheap number 2 pencils cheaper the better cuz i loose them a loty


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Finding them-


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

Pencil Smackdown - The Definitive (Tongue-in-Cheek) Report

I was out running errands and happened to be going past Walmart. I had to find out for myself. The pencil aisle offers an amazing variety to choose from. I located the U. S. A. Gold pencils that Lateralus819 recommended. The first ones I found were in a 24 or 30 pack (can't recall exactly} and they were NOT cedar. They, like the newer Dixon Ticonderogas also on display are labelled "premium wood". Then I found the 10 pack of the cedar pencils just as pictured above. By chance I noticed that right next to them were 10 packs of a new model of CEDAR Dixon Ticonderogas. They are painted black and have a green eraser. I already had an unopened box of the new version Ticonderogas, so I decided to invest $4.54 in the Black Dixon's and the U. S. A. Golds and do a test.

Here are the test subjects:










Here they are sharpened with some writing and erasing.










You can plainly see the ragged surface on the sharpened portion of the new Dixon. The U. S. A. Gold and Black Dixon have a very smooth surface. You can feel the difference as you sharpen. You can smell the cedar in the latter two pencils. The three pencils have nice finishes on them but the black one feels better in the hand. Note that the eraser on the U. S. A. is shorter than either Dixon with the Black model offering the largest size. A good feature for those prone to errors.

In the writing test the U. S. A. Gold felt softest and gave the blackest line. The line seemed to thicken quite quickly in keeping with the softer feel. The Black Dixon was the best in my opinion. For the erasure test the New Dixon and the U. S. A. Gold gave comparable results. The Black Dixon erased more completely. Again, a good feature for those prone to errors.

Bottom line: The Black Dixon sets the new standard for a #2 wooden pencil. The U. S. A. Gold and New Dixon are neck and neck behind that with perhaps a nod to the Gold.

If the price point is an issue, the Black Dixon weighs in at a premium of 24.4 cents per unit versus 18.4 cents for the U. S. A. Gold. I have no idea how this works out in cost per board foot. I do not recall the cost for the New Dixon, but the poor sharpening performance tends to lead to a lot of excessive grinding with a lot of pencil ending up in the sharpener.

I hope that this helps everyone with their pencil selection. I just wonder what I am going to do with 30 #2 pencils!


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## lateralus819 (Mar 24, 2013)

Nice write up Kazooman!

I had no luck with the Ticonderogas. EVERYONE kept breaking on me. I'd sharpen it, try to write and it would break.

I'll be honest a lot of the reason I like the USA gold pencils is the fact they're made in USA. Plus, they do everything I ask and never have to worry about it breaking.

I sharpen mine like they do at the factory. A belt sander 

I have no problem with an over abundance of pencils. I constantly drop them and lose them. I have a big stash in a drawer so I don't have to waste time looking for one. I eventually find them and put them back into circulation.


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

Ticonderoga if I can find them under the pile.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

> Nice write up Kazooman!
> 
> - lateralus819


Thanks, it's my first (and still my best) in depth gear review here. I plan to branch out to other topics like masking tape, paper towels, and shop rags.


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## lateralus819 (Mar 24, 2013)

> Nice write up Kazooman!
> 
> - lateralus819
> 
> ...


My wife gets me the boxes of the Scots rags. They seem to last forever. I use them for everything. She gets them with a coupon from BJ's. Buys 2 at a time. Seem to last a good 6 months or so for me.


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## mramseyISU (Mar 3, 2014)

Kazooman you have entirely too much time on your hands. I salute you.


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## BJODay (Jan 29, 2013)

I hate cheap pencils. Ticonderoga #2 is a good pencil. I used to buy Mongol. I haven't found them lately. I use a mechanical pencil for finer work.
BJ


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## onoitsmatt (Mar 7, 2015)

Really looking forward to that masking tape smack-down.


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## TarHeelz (Sep 13, 2012)

> I just use one of those Bic plastic mechanical pencil. They re dirt cheap, never need sharpened and make a super sharp line.
> 
> - mramseyISU


Yep. Buy them in quantity packs and scatter them all over the shop. In so doing, I find I've reduced my pencil hunting from fifteen minutes to fourteen minutes.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

I like the zebra's work great. Not cheap, and it pisses me off when I loose one.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

> Kazooman you have entirely too much time on your hands. I salute you.
> 
> - mramseyISU


Thanks, Actually, my shop is overrun by about a dozen end grain cutting boards for friends this Christmas. It is amazing how much everyone loves them. Most are of the "WoodWhisperer" design, with a few variants. I'm down to the final sanding on the last six or so and constantly re-oiling the others. I will finish on time. I can't stir up too much sawdust for the moment, so I can undertake some quality research on the lesser tools of the trade. Hence the in depth pencil review.

PS: I really can endorse the new Black Dixon Ticonderoga 2H pencil. A classic tool for the woodworking shop.


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## daddywoofdawg (Feb 1, 2014)

colored pencils,red,yellow,orange,blue,white. one of those colors stands out against any color wood.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've got a tin can on my bench with about 2 dozen good old Dixon Ticonderoga #2's, and a variety of other things. I really need to get that more organized.


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## LostHasher (Dec 6, 2015)

Carpenter's pencil.

It's due to the work I end up doing. I can carve them a little on one side if I'm moving against a long straight edge. Normally have a sharper one, shaped more like a fat pencil for the more intricate stuff.

Plus, I have this habit of popping pencils in my mouth instead of putting them back in the belt. The shape fits better between my teeth.


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

This has been some pretty good feedback. Based on what you folks have suggested this is what I am trying out. I got a box of the plain old Dixon Ticonderoga #2's. Meh, I am not liking those so well. It seems like the lead is too hard and it doesn't leave a very dark mark. I got some of the jumbo #2's from Lowe's. Those feel better in the hand, but finding a sharpener that works with that size might be a challenge. Finally, I found a 2mm lead holder with the drafting supplies at hobby lobby. I am really liking this one, and have put some leftover squares of sandpaper in my pocket to sharpen the lead as needed. Thanks for all the suggestions.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Pica!!!. 
This is the finest marker I've ever used. It can be sharpened to a very fine point with it's own sharpener, it's lead is thick and sturdy, will mark almost any material and best of all, it erases easily yet will not smear or wipe off with handling.
I don't know how to embed a video so here's a link. 
I bought mine from Woodcraft.


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## Rampside63 (Sep 21, 2009)

Palomino Blackwing 602- best out there

Even better- the original Faber Blackwings- hard to find, worth the effort.

'Nuff said…...


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## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

I use an old school #2.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Tombow HB woodies, Pentel 0.5mm mechanical with HB lead. I buy them from the stationary store in Japantown.

I volunteer once a week at a place that helps kids do their homework and encourages creative writing. We go through pencils like a thresher goes through a wheat field. The new yellow Ticonderogas are garbage, as are the branded ones from Office Depot. Just awful.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Picas rock, now to figure out this sideways nonsense


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Any old regular #2 pencil works for me where my woodwork is concerned. It's a different story when it concerns my art work. I have a really nice drawing set up for art work and drafting and my drawing table is well stocked.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Dansaw (Dec 26, 2014)

Timing was perfect on this one. I picked up the first pencil I could find yesterday and it was a Home Depot version. I have always hated them but pick one up from time to time for yard projects. Couldn't get it sharpened so I tossed it in the trash. I was wondering what y'all used and bam, there you go.


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

I tend to use mechanical pencils. 5 or 7mm because the rulers I have, Incra and Woodpeckers have holes lined up to the marks for inserting the pencil lead to mark a dash or scribe a line across the piece by sliding the ruler.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Wow who would have guessed such a variety of choices and even a review on Pencils. Whatever works is the kind I use. 
Next up "Tooth picks" LOL.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

> Nice write up Kazooman!
> 
> - lateralus819
> 
> ...


Use those and the blue rolls of shop towels


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## Bigkahunaranch (Apr 9, 2014)

I tried all kinds of mechanical pencils, they would last two or three days then the led would suck back into the holder when ever I would try to write with it.

Plain pencils are good, but since I always wear glasses in the shop, they wont stay behind my ear, and when I put them in a apron pocket, the tips always seem to break.
I found some of this blue packing foam in some tool I recieved, I cut it into 4 inch squares and stick it near machines and then just stick the pencils in it.

I did find a "fat led " mechanical pencil at Wal-mart the other day, but have not tried it out.

I am interested in how/where others carry their pencils.

Merry Christmas to all.


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## Chocdog (Aug 31, 2014)

I like the ones that don't make mistakes!


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

and










[If I head to town and find I forgot it, I feel the a need to go back and get it akin to what phone addicts would, if they forgot their "smart" phone. This is where I've carried it for about twenty years]



> I am interested in how/where others carry their pencils.
> 
> Merry Christmas to all.
> 
> - Bigkahunaranch


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