Definitely didn't waste half an hour making this

Two. My experience with mechanical pencils is that they're often unreliable and a waste of time. I hate having to reload my pencil, I hate when it breaks if you accidentally make the tip longer than it should be, I hate when you accidentally put one more in the pencil and it gets clogged, I hate having to carry refills all the time, I hate buying an expensive pencil and worrying about losing it (as opposed to just buying a dozen regular pencils for backup)...

Just hand over the regular pencil and a decent sharpener.

Bonus points for #2 being #2
If you feel they are unreliable, it may just be that you aren’t using good ones. I use 3 on a regular basis (for Japanese) and never have issues with feeding or lead breaking; I also only have to refill it every few weeks.
- I've had the same mechanical pencil for ten years. It's comfortable, reliable, easy to reload, but if I had to choose one for the rest of my life, I'd still go with the traditional wood/graphite pencil. It's cheap, it's everywhere, it's durable, and not a great loss if you lose it.
- Same, an actual good quality, properly made and assembled mechanical pencil will just keep going and going, and if you treat it well, you never need to replace it.
  Kinda like a decent quality safety razor.
  All you gotta do is treat it right and replace the razors/graphite, nets out to saving money after probably a month or two of decent use.
- I got one because I was intrigued by its lead rotation, but I found that it really didn't rotate the lead enough while I wrote. I kept having to rotate the barrel manually to keep a thin line like I do for every other mechanical pencil, and then would get annoyed every time the clip came around to brush my hand. I've been wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if Japanese just uses more shorter strokes. Do you also like it when writing English?
On the topic of sharpeners, those battery powered pressure sharpeners are satisfying as fuck. They're shit and invariably snap the nib, but they're the sharpening equivalent of shoving a Q-tip in your ear and having a good rake about.
Or if you're all about the procrastination, spending a few minutes every lesson at the classroom sharpener like this one brings back the nostalgia:
- The pull out drawer for shavings is top tier.
Since I switched to using 0.9 mm, I almost never break a lead unless I drop it onto a hard floor; it even holds up to some aggressive tapping. Consequently, I hardly ever have to refill. I also never worry about the point snapping or stabbing when tossed loose into a bag, or keeping a sharpener on hand.
Just my #2 cents.
Plus a good ol Dixon Ticonderoga can write on stuff other than paper. About the only time I use a pencil is when doing carpentry and mechanical ones just snap.
- When I was doing roofing the pica dry mechanical pencils made things so much better. Sure a pencil works good on wood, but what about when I have to mark gray sheet metal? You need something that comes with different colors.
"Decent sharpener" aka box cutters.
Unreliable? I have two Staedtler Mars Micro pens I bought a good 20 years ago and they both work perfectly.
Back at my school in the 90's you just bought a 10 pack of the cheap black Bic mechanical pencils for like $3 (pic #5) and you were set for the year if you didn't lose too many. They never really broke and you didn't have to refill them if you didn't want to. They also never clogged and if you weren't an idiot you didn't try to use too much lead length to where it would break off.
They were simple and easy and always sharp.
It also always ends mid-word/stroke, and you start etching the paper with the metal end. Very annoying.

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

- Got em guys. I took down Mr. Bic
If that were the case, I would imagine that they would have picked a website with a much larger user base.
- Why

Gimme one of these bad boys and utility razor.

Reminds me of when I had to write a physics exam in university and it required a pencil for the Scantron cards. I basically never carried pencils so when my pencil tip broke I had to grab my utility knife out of my backpack and sharpen it to continue writing my exam.
- That's vietnam level shit going on there lmao.
Got in trouble in school once for using one of those way back in the day. Dad was a construction supervisor so they were frequently lying around.

This image perfectly stretches in the thread display. Incredibly satisfying.
Except they have no eraser. What good is the black tip??
- You use a click eraser or a normal block eraser.
  Only filthy casuals suffer one at the end of the pencil.
- 5B hardness
Ja.

This.

I'm surprised nobody else has rotring... my favorite by a considerable amount. Second place goes to the Uni Kuro Toga. Both fantastic pencils, but the weight and feel of the rotring 600 just leaves everything else in the dust
- The rotring is super smooth, but its so heavy. I wanted it to be my favorite, but I ended up reaching for the kuro toga far more. Doesnt help that the tip of the rotring bent and dented out on the first drop. I bent it back and it still works, as long as I don't rotate it.
- So I thought the uni would be a neat way to use thicker lead but avoid the weird slant in longer sessions. But I don't write in kanji (sp?) and with my mutated cursive alot of my letters string together. So the rotation is not nearly enough, and I end up still getting the weird slant thing on my lead. Only then it's worse because after I build up a flat surface, it rotates a little bit and then the edge is all wrong.
Yessss. Use a 500 daily
- Love to see it! Your eraser game needs some leveling though 😋, may I introduce you to this bad boy:
- I have the same phone as you. I love that it's red.
- I'd like to discuss the flashlight. ?
the correct answer
Full metall you say? Damnn.
I didn't know about this brand and now I have been pushed into extensive research of their whole lineup of mechanical pens.
The 800 looks amazing but I've heard some people complaining about the nib being a bit wobbly, is that true in your experience?
- I don't have a problem with the tip being wobbly, but it's definitely a concern. I think its just a problem that you would get with any retractable tip pencil.
  IMO, even if it did wobble, it's worth the inconvenience. I used to have a mechanical pencil with a non-retractable tip & one drop ruined it.
- IIRC the 600 is pretty much the same pencil but with a non retractable tip. It might be better for you unless you carry it around.
That's like an allergen for ADHD
Damn straight. Best pencil I've ever had. Well, the 0.5mm. I write too small for 0.7.
- .5mm or .3mm for me, the only place I use a .7mm or a .9mm is with woodworking.

#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.

Yeah, #8 and it's not even close for me.
I’ve been using Zebra pens and pencils almost exclusively for the last 20 years. My only complaint with the pencil is its eraser. If you need to erase something small it’s fantastic, but I always keep a separate eraser handy.
- Honestly that's a complaint I have about nearly every pencil, not just the zebra. They're almost always hard and smudgy because the pencil has been sitting out either in a warehouse or on an office supply shelf for like 5 years.
  I'd rather bring my own hi-poly brick eraser, or even better, a hi-poly retractable eraser that is a lot easier to control and keep a fresh, smudge-free surface on.
Agreed, I like both their mechanical pencils and pens, even if visually they are a bit too close.

ole reliable

Yeah, 2 if I need a traditional pencil, and 5 for everything else
My fidgeting while I was in middle school led me to break every kind of mechanical pencil I used, except for 5. I forced myself to only use those in high school and college so I would always have a reliable pencil.

2

Same. I press too hard to use mechanical pencils
- I just like being able to use a duller point sometimes when I'm drawing.

You missed an option.

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.

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

I have a ton of these in the garage for woodworking. Screw the carpenters pencils, these are way better.
The issue is the plastic internal mechanisms will wear out eventually. The Pentels have a metal core which has never worn out from my usage. I always end up losing the pencils before they break. The same can’t be said for the BICs.

Someone do this, but with vibrators.

"you can only write with ONE type of vibrator, ignoring diameter"
- Only one?
  downvotes

By a country mile

I have 3 of them, one of which is metal and cost me more than I'd like for a pencil but holy hell is it nice to write with.
What is it like to hold? I have a few nice mechanical pencils but wouldn’t mind to get something a bit less expensive for when I travel to the office (my everyday is a YOL but I don’t like taking it out… ADHD, outside, and nice things do not mix well).

#2

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

made them plastic
#1 is all metal. Retractable tip. Bought one after Adam Savage reviewed them.
#2 is definitely the best long-term option, but it's really nice not to have to constantly sharpen while you're doing some intricate work.
+1
never fails
Yeah but with mechanical pencils you can buy one and have it for years, only just buying the occasional pack of leads... Saves the trees ¯(ツ)_/¯

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

Stay strong brethren
I also prefer pen. I only use pencil if it's a drawing I'm likely to need to erase/revise. Not a fan of mechanicals though, using them puts my teeth on edge for some reason.
- the metal scraping on ur ruler or paper is painful
Yes.
This, I've been writing in inc brand R2s for 16 years now and I will never willingly use a different writing utensil.
Pilot G2 has been my preferred implement since high school. Just have to be careful for smudges, but I hate the feel goopier ink like in a bic pen, so it’s a fair trade off.
There are a few things where being sble to erase the mark is important enough for a pencil, in which case good ol' #2 fits every need.
I can't reply what I want to because Id probably dox myself.

#2

My handwriting is awful. #2 for me.

A good engineering pencil can be used for anything.

2

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.

Can I introduce you to Blackwings? They write so well and the eraser is a little bigger. Is it a lot if hype? Yeah probably, but its also just a good pencil. It's like the Rolls Royce of wood pencils
- Blackwings feel like writing with a pen it’s absurd. Plus they look great

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.

I just got photos off the internet, cropped them, and smashed them together in a docx.
- Haha. I envisioned you meticulously lining them up and spacing them evenly with a ruler. I wondered how you did the lighting because there were shadows under some pencils but not others. That should’ve been a clue that it was a composite.

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

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

0.3mm, I love to write that thin but I can't stop breaking the lead. Agreed that the kuru toga is the best in this lineup though, I've had one for most of the last decade.
I have #3 and the KH. The KH stays on my desk, but #3’s in my bag and goes everywhere because it has a fully retractable sleeve and I don’t have to worry about bending or breaking it.

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.

If you choose #2 you'll eventually not be able to write anything ever again because you can't just add more lead.

I think it's the only type of pencil you can use, not the only pencil.
As in: you can get as many of your preferred pencil as you need, but you cannot use any of the others.
- Nobody said you get a sharpener though 😂

The 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.

I think people use the sharpwriter because US standardized testing requires a #2 pencil and the sharpwriters are cheap.
- Same for Bic
it‘s going to be a very long list, lol
- Key word being deliberately. I predict the majorty of people who wind up with either of those ghastly things did so because they were all that was available, easily filched from the supply closet, or it's all their parents would give them because they are above all else cheap.
  I have probably handled and used hundreds of the damn things in my life but I have never once spent a single penny on any of them; they were without exception foisted off on me by circumstance, not intentionally sought out.
  I was a Staedtler nerd in school anyway, any time I was not allowed to use a fountain pen.

I'm a pen/pencil freak who's spent an amazing amount of money on them, and I'd choose 2.

3 Kuru Toga. Every time

3 Kuru Toga

Ticonderoga #2, an absolute classic.

2, always

2 in theory but there’s never a good pencil sharpener lying around.
- You will never get a sharper tip than with a cutter blade.
- I actually bought like 5 pencil sharpeners looking for one that sharpens on a steep angle to get the tip style that comes out of the box instead of the long style you get with most sharpeners. Now I just keep them all over the place.

#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.

The staedtler 925 is great. I think you might prefer the graphgear 500 over the 1000 though, as the rubber nubs on the 1000 are more annoying than plain knurled metal, imo.

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

I actually did stop using other pencils after getting one lol

Don’t lose any of the plastic bits on that fucking nightmare.

I'd rather fucking kill myself.

Anyone who uses #7 by choice is a freak

Thank you.

This one

Sorry, I said I wasn't going to kink shame today.

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

Better not make an error with a pen when you're doing/writing down math.
- Okay you got a point. Luckily I don't have to do lots of math on paper in my day to day life.

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

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

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

The fact that Rotring, Staedtler, Faber-Castell, and K&E mechanical pencils are missing is deeply troubling.

I also have an emotional thing for the Pentel P200 series, and the Pentel Techniclick in black has been my absolute personal favourite for light-duty scribbling and note-taking/math since the 90s.

I'm a Pentel man but the one pictured doesn't look very comfy. I'd want something closer to #6.

Pentel used to be my pencil of choice, too. You'd probably want something more like the e-Sharp. The one pictured is really more of a precision work one. Drafting, art. Less for long-form writing.
- Yeah that looks about right.

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.

Come on, where is the Pentel P200 series?

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

Hiding in the shadow of #1

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.

No carpenter's pencil?

Pentel.

Always.

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

3

5 all the way

Rotring rapid pro 0.7mm

What's your opinion on the rotring tikky? I'm personally a big fan of the 0.5 tikky
- Tikky II got me through my entire education.
- Build quality by rotring is fantastic I don’t have a Tikky but I vouch for the brand

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.

A pen.

Staedtler 35-05B but I guess 3 looks closest so I'll take that

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

I have a fondness for #7

I was looking for this one. Also great to improvise a bong with or a perform a tracheotomy.
The orange ones are basically the same but better. I use theese on a daily basis because they are military grade:
Cheap af.
Found everywhere.
Would survive a nuclear holocaust.
It's going to last longer than I.

Erasable pen. Just because I'm contrary.

Hey same. I like that they have better contrast with the page, I feel like they're more readable

5

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

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

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

Better grip and easy to refill

I had to scroll so far to see someone who likes 6! I’m a lefty, and every pencil felt so uncomfortable because of my grip and this was one of the few which didn’t make my fingers hurt.
And large eraser.

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.

2

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

7th one

0.5mm for #1 or #3.

Get that grubby ugly 0.7mm lead outta here.

Nah. 0.7, Fine enough for detail work, but thick enough to handle varying pressure for shading of isometric representations.

If I'm only allowed one type of pencil it's good old #2 (I'm more of a pen snob)

Just gimme the damn wood pencil, #2

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

Mine always stays intact. Until i let literally anyone borrow it. The worst is when you get it back and instead of being totally snapped off, it's just bent up to a 90⁰ angle, and then you have to snap it off yourself because you can never get it to lie flat again after that. That's why I would always keep a spare with the clip already fucked up in my bag when someone inevitably asked to borrow a pencil.
- It's the built in fidget!

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

I used to use them too before I tried the kuru toga. It’s nice how cheap they are but still feel at least somewhat premium.

Can I just use a pen?

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

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

Five. Tired but true.

I've got to try #1

Always and forever.

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.

This, except 0.3mm
- I lack the finesse to use 0.3mm. I've tried.

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.

Gonna send you a stack of keyboards so I can pretend I contributed to staving off the apocalypse.

https://a.co/d/gLAwp98

Only answer

I was coming here to say this. Truly a disappointment that the Pentel Twist Erase GT is not included as a choice.
But the old ones with metal clip, metal retractable tip, similar to this, of which I have a case
https://www.govgroup.com/images_products/2870282_big.jpg
I love the standard twist-erase, I bought a bunch of them in college and still use them. What's different about the GT?

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

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

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

Followed closely by the Ticonderoga.

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

There are no drafting pencils.

what about now bruv?
déja vu intensifies
- Listed as a clutch pencil. Have been calling it a drafting pencil since like 2003 when I first used one.
  It's the only type of pencil I use outside of woodworking. And if forced to choose, I go with that.

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)

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

5

1 got me through college

(ingoring the diameter)

Apparently!

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

#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.

Same for me on 4. I really thought the idea was cool.

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.

Where's the BIC pencil?

#5
- Just because it has "BIC" written on it, does not make it a BIC pencil.

8

But why no

It’s there. #6
- Oh, the “elite” looks so different I didn’t recognize it. I blame looking at it on a phone! 😓

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.

Mechanical pencil lead scratching on paper makes my ears tingle

5

Pentel Twist-erase 0.7 is the proper answer.

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

Number 1.

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

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.

Lightweight and reliable.

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.

I really think I like GraphGear 500 more than 1000. I do not like Kuru Toga. Right now I am all in on Ohto.

1

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

#7

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

No Rotring 600? For shame!

Kuru Toga Advance please.

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

Where are my fellow Blackwing pencil enjoyers?

6 because I need all that extra eraser

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

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.

The Dixon Ticonderoga is the only pencil I've used that doesn't have an absolute shit eraser, so I pick that.

I never use integrated erasers apart from emergency like my standalome eraser got launched out of the test room and the staff won't get it for me. Or for wood pencils when they are unusable for writing I'll save them as erasers. I just hate having partial erasers or stuck half erasers in mechanical pencils.
- got launched out of the test room and the staff won't get it for me
  -- third grade teacher
Gotta get yourself some of these
- I haven't been in school in over 18 years, but thanks for the suggestion anyway.

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

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

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

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

I pick number 5 because I feel like there is a balance between the expected lifetime of the pencil and the expected lifetime of the eraser. These fancy metal ones with the little sliver of shitty eraser that ends up getting lost and the supposed 3 pack replacement ones that you have to special order somewhere. Ugh no thanks.

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

reject mechanical, embrace wood.

#3 for writing.

Pencils are terrible, pens are the superior writing implement.

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)!

Why are we ignoring the diameter?

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

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

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

Hey made it easy with this one. 8 with the largest diameter lead I can fit in it.

Already made up my mind and got a rotring 600. Plan to use it till the brass erodes

Mirado Black Warrior all day.

I mean most of these look pretty uncomfortable, 8 looks the most comfortable.

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

If it's literally only one pencil for the rest of my life, probably the GraphGear 1000 since it would probably last the longest. If I can continue using multiple copies of the same kind of pencil, then it would be number 2 since that would be the most versatile and available one to use.

Number 3. I already did two degrees with it.

Only Faber-Castell for me

Graphgear 1000, without a doubt. Such a great pencil, and I love that it is weighted. It feels so much more natural writing/drawing, at least to me, with the Graphgear.

I cant use pencil. I have a bad habit of pressing down hard when writing and I just keep breaking the tip. So I always use pen. Get dat bic boi

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.

1s are hella sturdy and awesome. I love em as mechanical pencils

i love my kuru toga, but i don't really write much anymore. i do still like doing sketches in my sketchbook, and i'm biased towards mechanical pencils, so it's a #1 for me.

They're all wrong. I don't see a Blackwing up there.

Do I get to choose my lead size?

Yes
- 3 with .9mm lead

2 although 6 is also pretty good from my experience.

After 25 years of writing Japanese and trying many cheap and expensive options...

「Zebra Clip-on multi」

is my forever pencil (+pens).

I never really got to use good mechanical pencils so I don't know much except... Not 7.

1st one, with either .2 or .3 lead. That also happens to be what I main for writing already.

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.

If necessary, 2.

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