Why do some people still use wooden pencils instead of mechanical ones?

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SpaceMoose

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#1 SpaceMoose
Member since 2004 • 10789 Posts
Why do some people still use wooden pencils that you have to sharpen and which get shorter as you use them instead of mechanical ones? I'm talking about just for regular writing, not like art pencils or something.
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Curlyfrii87

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#2 Curlyfrii87
Member since 2004 • 15057 Posts

I prefer the wooden pencils to the mechanical ones! :?

Maybe i'm just old fashioned!

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DJ_Lae

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#3 DJ_Lae
Member since 2002 • 42748 Posts
Stubbornness, nostalgia, or maybe they just like chewing on them?
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Cube_of_MooN

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#4 Cube_of_MooN
Member since 2005 • 9286 Posts
I use mechanical, wooden ones are just a pain to use. I know a few people who prefer wooden, not sure why they do.
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deactivated-605ba7fd6332a

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#5 deactivated-605ba7fd6332a
Member since 2005 • 12039 Posts

Oh my goodness, I had that identical thought about 5 hours ago. I was about to take a midterm and saw that the girl next to me was using a regular pencil. She was sharpening it because I guess it wasn't sharp enough (it was a multiple choice sheet where you bubble in the circle, I don't really know how sharp you need a pencil to be for that. :|) and at that point I thought [insert your post here].

Anyways, I don't know why people still do use regular pencils. Perhaps it is out of habit or something, they may have learned to write using regular pencils as a child. Or maybe they prefer the feel of a regular pencil over the mechanical ones. Or is it because you can buy a massive pack of pencils for a low price (people do tend to often lose pencils).

Whatever the case, I never use pencils anymore. It's either my trusty Sheaffer fountain pen or nothing.

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ct1257860

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#6 ct1257860
Member since 2006 • 4441 Posts
I like the wooden better cause the mechanicle always breaks on me lol, and i write kinda hard so the wooden is best for me.
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expandingeye

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#7 expandingeye
Member since 2007 • 831 Posts
a perfectly sharp wooden pencil beats a mechanical pencil anyday.
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SpaceMoose

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#10 SpaceMoose
Member since 2004 • 10789 Posts
a perfectly sharp wooden pencil beats a mechanical pencil anyday. expandingeye
I'm going to skip the obvious question and I'll instead ask how long it stays "perfectly sharp."
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Cherokee_Jack

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#11 Cherokee_Jack
Member since 2008 • 32198 Posts

Because I'd rather not have my lead break every 3 minutes, and most mechanical pencils look really stupid.

(I use Mirado Black Warriors, myself)

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123625

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#12 123625
Member since 2006 • 9035 Posts
BecauseI hate modernisation.
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jimmyjammer69

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#13 jimmyjammer69
Member since 2008 • 12239 Posts
I can't draw for toffee with mechanical pencils.
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ThePlothole

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#14 ThePlothole
Member since 2007 • 11515 Posts
Mechanical pencils have a nasty habit of developing a sharp point that cuts right through the paper. Plus I have a [bad] habit of drawing on the margins of my papers.
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SpaceMoose

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#15 SpaceMoose
Member since 2004 • 10789 Posts

Because I'd rather not have my lead break every 3 minutes, and most mechanical pencils look really stupid.

(I use Mirado Black Warriors, myself)

Cherokee_Jack
I don't know what you people are doing with your pencils, but I don't have a problem with lead breaking often as long as I use a decent brand and don't click it too far out. That they "look really stupid" is certainly not a type of response I expected to see, but I guess everyone has their unusual pet peeves...
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Cherokee_Jack

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#16 Cherokee_Jack
Member since 2008 • 32198 Posts
[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

Because I'd rather not have my lead break every 3 minutes, and most mechanical pencils look really stupid.

(I use Mirado Black Warriors, myself)

SpaceMoose
I don't know what you people are doing with your pencils, but I don't have a problem with lead breaking often as long as I use a decent brand and don't click it too far out.

It's impossible to avoid it breaking. In wood pencils you have a tapered-off construction that doesn't expose any more of the lead than you need to write with, but in mechanicals the lead is sticking straight out, just waiting to snap.
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ThePlothole

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#17 ThePlothole
Member since 2007 • 11515 Posts
It's impossible to avoid it breaking. In wood pencils you have a tapered-off construction that doesn't expose any more of the lead than you need to write with, but in mechanicals the lead is sticking straight out, just waiting to snap.Cherokee_Jack

Actually better models have a retracting "sleeve" that protects the lead. This is what my sketching pencil is like. (I don't carry this one around with me, less it be stolen)

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AdrianWerner

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#18 AdrianWerner
Member since 2003 • 28441 Posts

I also prefer wooden ones. Why?

-they're much more pleaseant to hol (wood > plastic )

-there's bigger selection of them (soft, hard etc)

-with soft ones I have to put a lot less pressure on it to write than with mechanical ones.

To be honest I rarely use pencils to write though, I use normal Parker pen (better than any kind of pencil for writing) or just type on the laptop. If I use pencil I prefer wooden one for the reasons above as well as the fact that it's much better for doodles :D

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ice_radon

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#19 ice_radon
Member since 2002 • 70464 Posts
Stubbornness, nostalgia, or maybe they just like chewing on them?DJ_Lae
Nah, well for me at least; if you have a week sharpened wooden pencil, you have better weight distribution(compared to the bulky mechanical types with clips, grips and other crap to offset the balance of weight... You can get some really nice fluid writing going for one. And two, I am not a fan of those dreaded "lead snaps". I am not a hard writer, but a lefty going across a pieces of paper(in a righty desk) can cause some really weird pressure points where as a wooden pencil is tapered in a cone shape from the tip of the lead to the shell.
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ice_radon

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#20 ice_radon
Member since 2002 • 70464 Posts

Oh my goodness, I had that identical thought about 5 hours ago. I was about to take a midterm and saw that the girl next to me was using a regular pencil. She was sharpening it because I guess it wasn't sharp enough (it was a multiple choice sheet where you bubble in the circle, I don't really know how sharp you need a pencil to be for that. :|) and at that point I thought [insert your post here].

Anyways, I don't know why people still do use regular pencils. Perhaps it is out of habit or something, they may have learned to write using regular pencils as a child. Or maybe they prefer the feel of a regular pencil over the mechanical ones. Or is it because you can buy a massive pack of pencils for a low price (people do tend to often lose pencils).

Whatever the case, I never use pencils anymore. It's either my trusty Sheaffer fountain pen or nothing.

uhoh_hotdogs
I actually find that if you can get a really dull wooden pencil for those tests its easier to fill them in. I usually just grab and old one from the drawer which has not been sharpened in forever.
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DigitalExile

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#21 DigitalExile
Member since 2008 • 16046 Posts
I like the wooden better cause the mechanicle always breaks on me lol, and i write kinda hard so the wooden is best for me.ct1257860
This. Those "mechincal" ones are just too frail.
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-eddy-

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#22 -eddy-
Member since 2006 • 11443 Posts
They always work, more reliable. I've had so many mechanical pens crap out on me that I just prefer old skool pencils.
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Baranga

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#23 Baranga
Member since 2005 • 14217 Posts
I can't draw using mechanical pencils. Also, it's a giant pain in the ass finding the right size, diameter, softness etc for mechanical ones.
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Hewkii

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#24 Hewkii
Member since 2006 • 26339 Posts
a lot of mechanical ones suck.
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kruesader

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#25 kruesader
Member since 2006 • 6443 Posts
Wooden ones feel heaps nicer to write with and are probably better for those who push hard like myself.
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Cloud_Insurance

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#26 Cloud_Insurance
Member since 2008 • 3279 Posts
I use a lead holder...
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-eddy-

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#27 -eddy-
Member since 2006 • 11443 Posts
Wooden ones feel heaps nicer to write with and are probably better for those who push hard like myself.kruesader
Pushing it to the max brotha. :P
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ThePlothole

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#28 ThePlothole
Member since 2007 • 11515 Posts
I use a lead holder...Cloud_Insurance

I have one of those too. I'd use it more if local stores carried the leads I needed.

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Cloud_Insurance

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#29 Cloud_Insurance
Member since 2008 • 3279 Posts
[QUOTE="Cloud_Insurance"]I use a lead holder...ThePlothole

I have one of those too. I'd use it more if local stores carried the leads I needed.

I just use one because as an architecture student I typically have to use it for hours at a time, so I'm just used to it.
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sAndroid17

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#30 sAndroid17
Member since 2005 • 8715 Posts
mechanical leads are too thin. they snap too easy
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olion

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#31 olion
Member since 2004 • 343 Posts
I'm not a fan of mechanical pencils for a few reasons. As stated previously, the lead tends to break more often than it should. Another reason would be that my handwriting looks AWFUL if I use a sharp pencil. If the pencil is somewhat dull, it seems to move much more smoothly and I don't get jagged letters. I also tend to lose pencils fairly easily (although this year I've set a record for going 3 months with the same pencil, and it's still with me), and losing mechanical pencils is much more costly than losing wood ones.
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KG86

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#32 KG86
Member since 2007 • 6021 Posts
I don't like change.
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#33 LittleHands134
Member since 2008 • 1176 Posts
I've never really thought about it, I'll just use whatever I can find. A pencil is a pencil.
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SolidsnakeY15

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#34 SolidsnakeY15
Member since 2004 • 2302 Posts
My pencil made contact with some body fluids in anatomy lab. It's easier to throw pencils out than wash them obsessively :P Although I personally don't use mechanical pencils currently, I have in the past and I really didn't mind them. So I'm happy using both.
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VacantPsalm

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#35 VacantPsalm
Member since 2008 • 3600 Posts
For Drawing: I don't think a mechanical pencils is the best thing to use for shading. Maybe rough sketches though. For Writing: WRITING!?!?! What the hell, just type whatever up.
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#36 DeeJayInphinity
Member since 2004 • 13415 Posts
I'm not a fan of mechanical pencils for a few reasons. As stated previously, the lead tends to break more often than it should. Another reason would be that my handwriting looks AWFUL if I use a sharp pencil. If the pencil is somewhat dull, it seems to move much more smoothly and I don't get jagged letters. I also tend to lose pencils fairly easily (although this year I've set a record for going 3 months with the same pencil, and it's still with me), and losing mechanical pencils is much more costly than losing wood ones.olion
You can get mechanical pencils with a thicker lead. There's .3 .5 .7 and .9 lead sizes. .5 and .7 are the common ones. .3 is only for drafting because the lead is easy to break. .7 and .9 are probably the best for you.
And the pencils cost like $1 if you buy them individually or as low as .10 cents i you buy a pack.
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Whicker89

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#37 Whicker89
Member since 2004 • 18919 Posts
I like wooden ones better.
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-Shooter-

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#38 -Shooter-
Member since 2006 • 4295 Posts
It's a mystery :o
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Kenny789

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#39 Kenny789
Member since 2006 • 10434 Posts
I like wooden pencils because I'm not comfortable with the mechanical ones :P I use ballpens for writing most of the time anyway.
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FragStains

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#40 FragStains
Member since 2003 • 20668 Posts
You can be much more expressive and the erasers last longer. They are less expensive. You can also do the melting pencil trick much easier.
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cr4zychri5

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#41 cr4zychri5
Member since 2008 • 558 Posts

I use the cheapest thing around, as I tend to leave everything behind me. Bic biro pens, and wooden pencils.

If I had a pencil case I would buy more useful stationary, but I just have a few crappy pens in my blazer pocket when in school.

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dave123321

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#42 dave123321
Member since 2003 • 35553 Posts
Because I could not care less about the two and just use whatever I have.
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rb2610

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#43 rb2610
Member since 2007 • 3325 Posts
Hmm, in England it is quite rare to see someone with a mechanical pencil, about 95% of people just use wooden ones, they're much better, whenever I have used a mechanical one I get pissed off with it after the novelty of clicking it to expose the lead wears off.
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smarb001

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#44 smarb001
Member since 2005 • 2325 Posts

pencils

I use this type of mechanical pencil. Papermate Non-stop. Cheap, effective, rarely breaks, nice eraser, and no annoying clicking.

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SpaceMoose

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#45 SpaceMoose
Member since 2004 • 10789 Posts

I actually find the opposite of what many of the replies here have said. I actually find wooden ones to be less comfortable as I tend to get something like a minor blister on my finger after using one for a while. I also generally have leads break on me more when using a wodden pencil than a decent mechanical one, and even if mechanicals broke slightly more often, they take next to no time at all to "sharpen," which is, of course, the primary point of them.

A lot more people than I expected replied here, although it's obvious more people are buying mechanical pencils (where I live anyway) as they are almost all you find in stores anymore. At least now I know people actualy have specific reasons for using wooden ones. I thought of one of my own that might have applied way back in elemetary school: Having to sharpen a pencil was always a valid excuse for getting up from your seat.;)

It's a mystery :o-Shooter-

I guess it is if you didn't read anyone else's replies.

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eggwaffle

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#46 eggwaffle
Member since 2007 • 597 Posts
Wow, in the US is there some mechanical pencil craze or something? Wooden pencils are completely fine for me and pretty much everyone I know.
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DJCUEBALL

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#47 DJCUEBALL
Member since 2008 • 2562 Posts
Perhaps for an artist, it feels and glides better.... just assuming....
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SolidSnake35

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#48 SolidSnake35
Member since 2005 • 58971 Posts
The mechanical ones always break.
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DJ_Lae

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#49 DJ_Lae
Member since 2002 • 42748 Posts
The mechanical ones always break.SolidSnake35
If you don't click them too far out they're okay - if you just have a habit of putting heavy pressure on the pencil, try a 0.7 or 0.9mm pencil. The 0.9mm ones are beasts.
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lester007

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#50 lester007
Member since 2007 • 205 Posts
I don't really care. I just pull out the first thing i grab in my pencil case. Which usually is a wooden one because for some reason i got tons of those :S.