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Theroc
2318
Keyboard Club Member
Oct 26, 2016
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That YouTube channel is cool. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
I don't use pencils that much so what I have is rather limited. That said, I swear by Staedtler's Lumographs; they have been the pencil for as long as I can remember... For sketching! I would not write with them. Honestly, I would not write with any pencil... well, maybe with a good mechanical.
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Staedtler makes great erasers too, but if I had to pick only one it would be the Uni-ball Boxy or Pentel's Ain Stein, if I couldn't find the Boxy.
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The "best" pencil sharpener has to be the KUM Automatic brake. I don't think you can get more sharpener for the money.
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However, for fun, or as a conversation starter, nothing beats the Faber-Castell UFO.
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Maybe I'm straying a bit, but for color pencils I'd go with Tombow's Irojiten Color Dictionary.
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I confess, however, that I am a bit of a fraud here. I recently sold my unused 90-pencil set. How can I recommend something I couldn't bring my self to use... IDK, I'd still rather have them on a shelf unused, than draw with something else.
Oct 26, 2016
MikeMD
1100
Oct 26, 2016
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TherocThanks for the suggestions! I definitely prefer pens as I have a tendency to smear pencil when I write with it, but I'm excited about incorporating them back into daily use. Plus there's tons to appreciate about what goes into making a pencil (as I'm currently learning). Also found this guy last night: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-h7lZSJna02CBE8uVO5YdQ/videos Awesome videos / reviews and exremly talented artist!
Oct 26, 2016
mmg122
115
Oct 26, 2016
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TherocBlackwing, Blackwing Pearl and Blackwing 602 are my favorite woodcase pencils (in that order). For s sharpener, I like the Kum Master Sharpener.
Oct 26, 2016
amateriat
31
Oct 26, 2016
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TherocSigh...had to bring up pencils, didn't you?
The problem with pencils for me is the problem with lots of things, it seems - the best stuff disappeared a little while ago, and, of course, while it was around, I took it for granted. To wit: my all-time favorite woodcase pencil was Faber-Castell's Velvet Deluxe from around the 1990s: True to its name, writing quality was plush without being sloppy, smooth but very controlled. Yes, shoulda-would-coulda grabbed a case of the things, but by the time I was hip to just how good the things were (sometime around 2000-ish), the supply has totally dried up. Contacting F-C directly offered little more than sympathy...I think a few people there knew what I was going on about, but that ship had truly sailed. I keep a tight leash on the small and dwindling stash that remains.
My ABSOLUTE favorite mech pencil in the known world was a Niji "05" that was that rare "automatic" that truly walked the talk: an autofeed mechanism that worked without fail for some five years of heavy use, then suddenly stopping. Drove me nuts - it felt near-perfect in the hand, and, together with the Velvet Deluxe, actually got me back into taking pencils seriously, along with my then "new" rediscovery of fountain pens.
The close runner-up to that pencil was Rotring's now-discontinued Trio Pencil: not an auto, but largely makes up for that by offering three lead sizes (.3/.5/.7), and offers a fairly solid feel in spite of it's complex mechanics. That one's a keeper.
As for other woodcase pencils, Ticonderoga and Blackwing come somewhat close...when my supply of FCs disappears, I'll come back to trying those out.
And, I'll second Doctor_Memory's rave for Panasonic electric sharpeners...another well-kept secret in plain sight. Perfect points, and the "auto-stop" actually works.
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Oct 26, 2016
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