The making of pencils is fascinating and many of us of a certain age and older are able to share our biases against pencils of inferior quality. As humble as they are, quality in pencils is something to be appreciated, particularly if one needs to make a quick note and the pencil has inferior lead that refuses to mark or breaks off during the effort.
On the floor somewhere near the computer in my upstairs "office" there is an electric pencil sharpener. It is used maybe once a year, but was once a highly valued tool given that it ALWAYS delivers a consistent point and NEVER grinds the pencil to a stub in the process. Of course, that was back before we did most of our note writing using a keyboard. I don't use pencils very often anymore, though they are a good thing to have. Here is a short list of tasks for which a pencil outshines the ballpoint:
- Sketching...yes, it is possible to doodle with a ballpoint, but the pencil is more expressive and smears better
- Writing to certain surfaces (e.g. tile)
- Any mark that must be temporary
- Where light pressure is essential
- Where an ink smear is undesirable
- Construction projects...I guess it is more a tradition, but snapping a line to a pen mark seems just plain wrong
My most recent uses of a pencil:
- To make reference marks for aligning a toilet (water closet) on a tile floor
- Making lines for Christmas wrapping...I lack the gene for cutting straight
- A telephone note
The last time the electric pencil sharpener was used:
- Sometime in 2016
On that last note, I believe it is time to buy a box of pencils. A quick inventory showed only two working examples in the whole house, both of which are becoming rather short. Question...should I spring for the genuine Dixon Ticonderoga or settle for the generic (Staples brand) equivalent at less than half the price?
Steve