remove all the cool stuff Japan made in the 20th century and the US consumer experience would have moved more than a bit towards Russia's – AND the yen was twice as weak as it is now, LOL
posted by torokunai2 at 10:14 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

What a delightful article.
posted by Vatnesine at 10:42 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]

It's nice to have some history behind some of the pencils I have. I really miss CW Pencil enterprise which was a great source for single pencils. I have both Tombow and Mistubishi Hi-uni pencils on my desk right now.
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:03 AM on March 3

Aw man, now I really need some nice pencils stamped HOMO, for uh, reasons.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 11:12 AM on March 3 [7 favorites]

Today's manufacturers are not racing to improve the pocket knife, for example...

Surprisingly, there is, in fact, a race going on currently between a bunch of fancy new pocket knife steels. You can find untold numbers of Youtube videos and forum posts about it, with the most popular reviewers spending hours and hours cutting cardboard and hemp rope with any one of a dozen recently developed steels.

So maybe pencil engineering competition will come back someday, too.
posted by clawsoon at 11:40 AM on March 3 [4 favorites]

I don’t use pencils that much, but when I do I use Hi Uni.

I love the way using good wood pencils tickles my sensorium, but I don’t enjoy dropping out of a state of flow to sharpen it. When I was still doing design with pencils I would pre sharpen a dozen or so.

I do use mechanical pencils a lot. I have all kinds, from cheap plastic ones to fancy ones made of cool alloys. We may be in a golden age of Japanese Mechanical pencils.

I always come back to Mitsubishi Uni Kuru Toga and Pilot Shaker lines. My favorite for carrying everywhere at this point is the Pipe Slide variant. Give it a try, they are around five dollars each.

At my desk I prefer the original black and orange Pilot Shaker. I saved for months to get one in 1986 when I was in grade school. I still have it. It has a crack in the plastic body but still works.

The Kuru Toga rotates the lead every time you touch the paper, no need to worry about managing lead wear to get consistent lines. The Shaker advances the lead with a quick shake of the wrist, great for writing fast. I now see that my two favorite pencils remove one distraction each very well. I like tools that remove distractions.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:47 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]

Both Uni and Tombow pencils are available at JetPens, of course. I favor mechanical pencils, my pencil of choice is the Uni Kuru Toga Roulette. It rotates the lead as you write, ensuring the line remains consistent in width.
posted by tommasz at 11:49 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Oh yea, pocket knives… I carry one of three folding pocket knives that look almost identical to non-knife persons. Which one I pick depends on mood or expected activities.

One has a patented locking mechanism that keeps it securely locked but allows fast one hand opening and closing. It is made of an early powder metallurgy steel that has great edge retention, but is almost impossible to sharpen to a razor edge and is not super though. The next one has average locking power, and can be opened one handed with a little practice, but needs two hands to close be. It is made of one of the classic steels that is easy to sharpen, very though, but has crappy edge retention and can rust if not cared for properly. The third one has a traditional liner lock, needs two hands to open and close, but it is made of one of the latest steels and although very hard to sharpen, it stays sharps and can take abuse.

I rarely talk about knives because “knife people” are 99% terrible persons. Let me assure you that I go out of my way to find practical knives with short blades that look the opposite of “tactical”.

Now my pencils… I wield those as threateningly as possible with the intent to inflict maximum damage.
posted by Dr. Curare at 11:56 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Now my pencils… I wield those as threateningly as possible with the intent to inflict maximum damage.

So you're saying that the pencil is mightier than the pocket knife?
posted by clawsoon at 11:59 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]

Sorry, last comment… the Pipe Slide is a Kuru Toga variant. The lead guard retracts so it does not bend or poke holes in your pockets.
posted by Dr. Curare at 12:00 PM on March 3

I just got some Mitsubishi pencils in the mail today! I like blackwings a bit better but the Mitsubishi has better value or quality/price ratio.

As for weirdo jerks in the world of writing utensils, I really like the Zebra F-301 series and decided to try the all-metal F-701. It has a nice feel but the ballpoint refills are only ok. Searching around to see if/what kind of gel refills would fit, I was surprised and a little dismayed to see the F-701 has a big following from edc/knife people, to the extent that you can order custom tips to make it into a rather dangerous shiv in disguise :-/
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:25 PM on March 3

I thought this was going to be about mechanical pencils and was disappointed for something like .0004% of a second. Great post!
posted by Sphinx at 12:29 PM on March 3

One has a patented locking mechanism that keeps it securely locked but allows fast one hand opening and closing.

Is it a Sebenza?

“knife people” are 99% terrible persons

Man, I hear that.
posted by The Bellman at 12:33 PM on March 3

I recently bought this set of 4 Pental GraphGear 1000 pencils with high quality replacement leads and a nice eraser in pen format. I keep the .5 at my desk and the .9 in the living room/kitchen area for writing notes/reminders/lists/etc.

I'm not a huge pencil user, wooden or mechanical or otherwise, and I don't draw. But I really like these -very well made, they glide easily when writing, and the lead and its little guard sleeve retract at a click of the pocket clip.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:46 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]

If you've never read Henry Petroski's The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance (1990), you should.
posted by neuron at 1:05 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]

You can also read David Rees' How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical & Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening for Writers, Artists, Contractors, Flange Turners, Anglesmiths, & Civil Servants.
posted by box at 1:16 PM on March 3 [4 favorites]

Now my pencils… I wield those as threateningly as possible with the intent to inflict maximum damage.

So you're saying that the pencil is mightier than the pocket knife?

pencil than penknife sorry i just couldn't not gild your lily
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:33 PM on March 3 [2 favorites]

Amazing and shocking! Japanese mass production process of stationery.

Meditative and worth watching. I have used these my entire life and it had always been a mystery to me how these are actually made.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:42 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Now that is a deep dive. Did everyone see the pelican atop a pencil in the fifth photo?
posted by bryon at 1:43 PM on March 3

Lovely piece. I'm struck by the importance the essay places on government regulation:

As they improved their products and competed in the global market, Japanese manufacturers were keen to build a reputation for quality and reliability. To that end, the government worked with a wide variety of industries to enforce quality standards for different types of products. The system, which persists to this day (but no longer includes pencils), is called the Japanese Industrial Standards, or JIS.

I'll have to read more on that system, particularly since that excerpt fiercely reinforces my biases, but man that rings true.
posted by Bryant at 1:50 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]

I grab my crossword puzzle.....and choose my weapon: pen or pencil?

I'm a JetPens fan, and I usually grab a group of favorite pens (Pilot Hi-Tec, or G-2) for either simple birthday gifts or Xmas stocking stuffers from them. For a few arty children I've purchased some of their artist pen sets, and even a couple of their various coloring books. Search their site for "adult coloring supplies". Great for all ages, and you might wind up as the favorite aunt or uncle.
They have various "Samplers" of pens and pencils which are also fun to give.
https://www.jetpens.com/
posted by pthomas745 at 2:05 PM on March 3

Nice post. I recently have taken to carrying my grandfather's pencil sharpening knife.

oddly, a rose cutting knife works well for fine trimming in a pinch.
posted by clavdivs at 2:18 PM on March 3

I’ve used both the Mitsubishi and the Tombow pencils mentioned here, and I’ve come down in favour of the tombow. It just seems nicer to me? They’re equal to the blackwing pencils - probably better, if you want a larger range of leads with clearly defined gradients. I know some successful artists that use the blackwing and have sponsorship deals with other pencil companies, but I think that blackwing just have more market penetration in the west

The big company for pencils in Europe is Faber Castell, a German company who do a wide range of pencils and other art equipment. I don’t think their pencils are quite as good as the Mitsubishi or Tombows mentioned in the article, but I do rate the other stuff they do - erasers, charcoal, colour and pastel pencils, are all excellent. They also do a speciality pencil sharpening knife.
posted by The River Ivel at 3:52 PM on March 3

' oddly, a rose cutting knife works well for fine trimming in a pinch.'

Yeah my Opinel gets abused for this purpose sometimes too.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:08 PM on March 3

I use a "Mitsu-Bishi" 9000 General Writing for professor-type work (writing exam keys, homework solutions, etc) and it brings me so much joy. Opposite the Mitsu-Bishi brand it says in small caps
MADE BY ELABORATE PROCESS
posted by MengerSponge at 4:23 PM on March 3

The Bellman, it is a Benchmade. I am one of those who do not get the sebenza.
posted by Dr. Curare at 4:26 PM on March 3

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