Derwent 3B
A pencil can generate megabytes of text, needs no batteries, and has no user manual. It is comfortable to hold, it smells good, and it is relaxing to turn around in your hand as you try to think of the right words. Pencils don't need ink; all they need is a sharpener. They are warm and friendly; they have souls.
I've long been a pencil fan, and, even if I'm writing these words on my iBook, I have several pencils next to me. I use them to doodle and sketch, or to jot down ideas as I brainstorm. Much more than pens, the pencil has character: it comes from nature - from trees and the soil - and it is rooted in the deeper subconscious as a tool that has lasted for some two centuries.
But not just any pencil will do. I've tried out most of the pencils I have come across, and my quest ended when I bought a box of Derwent Graphic pencils, in assorted hardnesses, and eventually discovered the sensual feel of the 3B pencil. The soft lead of the 3B lets me write with no impediments, as the words almost ooze out of my hand. Combined with a yellow legal pad, I can think of no better word processor.
-- Kirk McElhearn
Derwent 3B Graphic Pencil
$2
Available from Wallack's Art Supplies
Manufactured by Derwent
Favorite (15)
Rachel
I'm a big fan of all of the Derwent art products, and I have to say they're some of the best around. If you're looking for an even more simplified version of a pencil, I suggest the Derwent graphite sticks... Solid writing material, and no wasted wood to kill the rain forests with.
Matt Roche
Completely agree with the post, but you talk about producing megabytes of text then suggest a drawing pencil. How about a little love for the writing pencil, with a quality eraser snuggly at the head.
My kids were using the pencils you get at Staples and it is horrific how low this basic tool of literacy has shrunken. The leads break every sentence, the eraser dries out in days and is ineffectual at erasing.
I would throw my lot in with the Palomino pencils with erasers. Just a useful tool for writing letters and numbers with a little backspace button at the top.