# Pencil or Pen?



## sevenzedek (Oct 31, 2013)

There is something earthy and wholesome about using a pencil. The smell of cedar always draws me to them to encourage me to pick one up and write in a journal, or draw a picture.

Pens also hold a certain fascination for me. They're permanent and cannot be erased. They come in a multitude of sizes and designs. But they don't have that cedar-clad fragrance that stirs up my imagination.

Over the past few years, I have gotten away from using both pen and pencil because my iPad has taken over due to convenience and organization it offers, but I often feel drawn to a good pencil and Moleskine journal. The paper and pencil medium helps me to feel engaged and thoughtful. It requires extra effort to write something down by hand only to erase it later—thoughts must be composed and not taken so for granted. This focuses the mind and helps me to prepare and develop my thoughts into remember-able thought bits ready to share with others.

There is something romantic to me in the industry and aesthetic of the old-fashioned pencil. A few years ago, I purchased a box of Palomino Blackwing pencils. When I received them from the that wonderful and most famous man, the UPS Man (you book sniffers know what I mean as you wait for your books to arrive), I immediately sensed the difference in these fine pencils. They write smoothly with dark lines that challenge the opacity of the standardized No. 2 pencils we have all used. They even resist a smudge very well; considering the soft lead.

So, pencil or pen? What preferences have ye fellow PB frequent-flyers?


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## MarieP (Oct 31, 2013)

I prefer pen because I can see it better. I do my crosswords in ink (actually, these days I usually do them with computer keys...) I'm glad they have ink erasers! Although, I'm left-handed so if I write a whole lot, the side of my hand looks like I hit a brick wall!


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## Jack K (Oct 31, 2013)

I make a lot of handwritten notes when I'm working on a writing project. I nearly always use a Pentel EnerGel pen. No smudges. Pen glides over paper. Smooth and effortless. I'm spoiled now and feel put out if I have to use anything else.


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## sevenzedek (Oct 31, 2013)

I find the Zebra F-402 to be a nice pen. I really like how it is weighted.


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## VictorBravo (Nov 1, 2013)

I guess I've gone sideways. I used to use, and love, a Cross Townsend fountain pen.

But I'm hard on pens and tend to lose them, so went to disposable Bics that I never seem to lose.

Then I finally bought myself a Samsung Tablet PC running Windows 7, MS Office, and OneNote. Now most of my handwriting is done on this:





But, I still always carry around my own version of a Moleskin pad (homemade, trimmed from sheet stock and copier paper). Here it is with my high-dollar Bic pen and mechanical pencil:


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## SolaScriptura (Nov 1, 2013)

A pen is a part of the army uniform. Seriously, I have pen pockets on the sleeve of my uniform jacket. So I use pen.


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## Eoghan (Nov 1, 2013)

Fountain pen, prefferably with an italic nib and a good black (or shade of black) ink. Currently using a green Parker 25 fine nib with Monteblanc blue-black ink for my study in 1 Corinthians.


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## Free Christian (Nov 1, 2013)

I use a pen. Any one that writes good, glides easy is ok by me. But I shudder when I think of my school days and all the pencils I used to chew on! How much I inadvertently digested is anyone's guess. Hey, lead poisoning is associated with learning difficulties right? Probably why I didn't do too well towards the end


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## jambo (Nov 1, 2013)

The only time I use a pencil is when marking the scorecard during a round of golf, unless I am playing my oldest son who uses an app on his iPhone to mark the score.

In writing I would use my Mount Blanc fountain pen. This was a present my wife gave me when she was my fiancé 30 years ago.


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## Tirian (Nov 1, 2013)

Pencil for sure. I have a mechanical pencil - 0.5mm HB from OfficeWorks (office equip & stationary supplies store) that costs $11 and I love it. Though I have lost two now....... need to go get another


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## Logan (Nov 1, 2013)

Free Christian said:


> I use a pen. Any one that writes good, glides easy is ok by me. But I shudder when I think of my school days and all the pencils I used to chew on! How much I inadvertently digested is anyone's guess. Hey, lead poisoning is associated with learning difficulties right? Probably why I didn't do too well towards the end



Pencil "lead" is actually graphite, so you should be safe 

I use a Kerry mechanical pencil as my weapon of choice (if I can't have a keyboard). It writes beautifully. I shopped around a lot before I found a good mechanical pencil.


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## Semper Fidelis (Nov 1, 2013)

meh

I honestly don't really care about either and am not romantic about using them except when I have to.

I use a pencil when I'm working on exercises in the Greek because I make many mistakes.

I use a pen to sign checks.

I also have a Livescribe that I use for certain meetings with colleagues or clients where I want notes that I can record for later use (either a regular PDF or a Pencast).

That's about it in terms of my use for either.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 1, 2013)

Free Christian said:


> I use a pen. Any one that writes good, glides easy is ok by me. But I shudder when I think of my school days and all the pencils I used to chew on! How much I inadvertently digested is anyone's guess. Hey, lead poisoning is associated with learning difficulties right? Probably why I didn't do too well towards the end



You may already know this, but lead pencils are a bit misnomer. They use graphite these days. However, I did do a little research on the subject, and they did use lead sticks at one time. A variation of this would be the use of aluminum sticks. Perhaps someone else could verify this as I am not completely sure. I am, however, pretty sure about other metals being used for writing.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 1, 2013)

Matthew Glover said:


> Pencil for sure. I have a mechanical pencil - 0.5mm HB from OfficeWorks (office equip & stationary supplies store) that costs $11 and I love it. Though I have lost two now....... need to go get another



I have a very good recommendation for a mechanical pencil that I will post when I get home. The one I would recommend is designed so that the lead turns as it is used, thereby avoiding the beveled edge that produces an inconsistent line thickness when writing.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 1, 2013)

Logan said:


> Free Christian said:
> 
> 
> > I use a pen. Any one that writes good, glides easy is ok by me. But I shudder when I think of my school days and all the pencils I used to chew on! How much I inadvertently digested is anyone's guess. Hey, lead poisoning is associated with learning difficulties right? Probably why I didn't do too well towards the end
> ...



I didn't read your post before I made the correction I posted.


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## GulfCoast Presbyterian (Nov 1, 2013)

Fountain pen, usually with an italic stub nib.


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## gkterry (Nov 1, 2013)

I prefer one of my many fountain pens - usually a vintage Parker 51 or a Pilot Vanishing Point. Once you write with a fountain pen, all else pales in comparison. I started using them because my hand got so tired writing with a ballpoint. A fountain pen means almost no pressure to write with and is much more enjoyable and the ink colors and types are nearly endless.


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## reaganmarsh (Nov 1, 2013)

For sermon/study notes I prefer pens. My wife purchased for me a comfortable gel pen which is refillable, so I generally use it. 

For marking books (ie underlining or making marginal notes) I've come to prefer a pencil. I was presented a nice Cross pencil which I've enjoyed using. 

For a while my eyes were giving me trouble when looking at screens, so I began writing sermon MSS longhand on legal paper. For that, I used the pen mentioned above. 

It's funny - it seems that the mind works differently when writing physically as opposed to typing.


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## Somerset (Nov 1, 2013)

jambo said:


> The only time I use a pencil is when marking the scorecard during a round of golf, unless I am playing my oldest son who uses an *app on his iPhone to mark the score.*
> 
> In writing I would use my Mount Blanc fountain pen. This was a present my wife gave me when she was my fiancé 30 years ago.



What a relief - I was starting to think the trillions of pounds spent on developing IT was a waste.


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## Scottish Lass (Nov 1, 2013)

Any smooth writing pen will do. I prefer odd colors (green, purple, etc.), though, except for my Bible.


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## Mr. Bultitude (Nov 1, 2013)

I generally use pencils because of the erasability. I am very error-prone.

But, for portability, I like to carry a pen with me. Specifically, because of its size and durability and keychain-attachability, I keep a trekker space pen in my pocket. This has the added bonus of being able to show off to people my pen that "can write upside-down, underwater, in extreme temperatures, and in space."


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## jwithnell (Nov 1, 2013)

I discovered a few years ago when my husband was teaching me some math that I prefer a harder pencil. Everything stays much crisper. Pens and I don't get along, never have. They'll die just because I'm in the same room, though there's _one type_ and only one type of inexpensive blue-ink pen that works, so I buy them by the dozen. Right now, I'm probably split 50-50 on pen and pencil, having found that I tire out less doing my Bible study and sermon notes in pen.


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## Free Christian (Nov 1, 2013)

Graphite! That's good to know. Hope that phased out lead before the 1960's! Knowing my, murphies law past, they will discover ingesting graphite causes even worse things!


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## Free Christian (Nov 1, 2013)

Did a search and apparently the paint on them contained lead back then. So yeah I ingested lead, just not the way I thought I did. Some pencils from China these days still contain it in the paint!


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## JoannaV (Nov 1, 2013)

My fountain pens always meet mysterious ends


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## ZackF (Nov 1, 2013)

For pens my favorite are Parker jotter stainless steels. The ones with made with no plastic. They are crisp writing, professional and attractive without being pretentious. If I happen to lose one, I am also not out a fortune. 

.07mm for mechanical pencils. Don't care much for the old school wooden ones.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 1, 2013)

Here is that link I said I would post about the mechanical pencil with an auto lead rotation system:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026ICM1E

Here is a picture:





If you like to write tiny notes in your Bible, this is one way to go. It comes in a size that will hold a lead 0.3 mm.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 1, 2013)

Here is a better link to jetpens.com.

http://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Uni+kuru+toga+0.3


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## Free2Live (Nov 2, 2013)

I just started using an erasable FriXion pen(cil) by Pilot. It's ink is erased by the heat generated by the friction of the (non consumable) eraser. In other words, neither the paper nor the eraser are damaged by erasing.

If I understood the warnings correctly, the ink disappears at 150 degrees, but can be brought back if the writing is refrigerated.

That could make for some interesting experiments on my geekier days. I can imagine the looks on my wife and kid's faces if I start putting pen and paper in the toaster oven and refrigerator. 

That alone may be worth my time. 

I also have a Samsung Note 8. The built-in stylus and separate digitizer come very close to an acceptable substitute for paper and pen/pencil.


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## sevenzedek (Nov 2, 2013)

Free2Live said:


> I just started using an erasable FriXion pen(cil) by Pilot. It's ink is erased by the heat generated by the friction of the (non consumable) eraser. In other words, neither the paper nor the eraser are damaged by erasing.
> 
> If I understood the warnings correctly, the ink disappears at 150 degrees, but can be brought back if the writing is refrigerated.
> 
> ...



That is quite the "secret agent" pen you have.


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## Free2Live (Nov 2, 2013)

It might beat lemon juice.

Better go back to lead pencils. The NSA (the only government agency that listens) might take notice of the new technology and track those who use it...


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## JM (Nov 2, 2013)

I go through phases. Right now I'm using a cheap pencil but still have and use the pen I mentioned here: http://www.puritanboard.com/f24/nib-69380/


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## Mindaboo (Nov 2, 2013)

I use whatever is close by, except when I'm writing in my journal. I always use a pen for that...black ink, no variation in color, that drives me nuts. I don't like different colors mixed together, pen or pencil. When I'm writing a To Do list I use pencil mostly. Brad bought me a set of pencils from Lowe's that I love. I can't remember the name, but they are my favorite. My kid's use them for school work and love them as well. 

I'm cheap, and Bic pens work great for me. I like the flow of them, the way they fit in my hand, and the way they flow on the page. I have nice handwriting, and I hate it when a pen is hard to use. I have small hands, so it's something skinny and easy to hold for me. I don't care for gel pens. I have a hard time with them for some reason.


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