My favorite tools: Pentel P207 mechanical pencil
The sharp that's always on point
Contrary to the title of this essay, my "favorite" pencil is the Dixon Ticonderoga Black HB (a.k.a. “No. 2”). I love the feel of this traditional wood pencil in my hand. The lead is consistent and dark, a classic No. 2 if there ever was one. And the smell! With each sharpening, the scent of wood takes me back to simpler times. But I'm easily distracted, so taking time to sharpen a regular pencil while creating won't do. And I am nowhere near organized enough to maintain an ever-ready quiver of sharpened ones. No, given my idiosyncratic way of doing things, the ol' wooden No. 2 frankly is not for me. Ergo, I choose to have a scribbler of a different fold - the mechanical pencil - and my mechanical of choice is the trusty Pentel P207.
Always sharp at the press of a button and with an ample supply of lead housed in its sleek barrel, the P207 is the pencil that's always ready, no matter the line being drawn.
The origin of the first mechanical pencil is murky (unlike the clear line it draws), but it appears the device came into its modern form in the early 1900s, likely in Japan. There, they simply call them "sharp" pencils because they're always…well…sharp. Today, myriad companies manufacture mechanical pencils with several different mechanisms, but a leading brand, Pentel, uses one of the most common mechanisms - ratchet-type (the expected “clicky-clicky” that advances the lead).
The Pentel 200 series pencils, including the P207 and its sisters, the P205 and P209 (among other less common variants), were invented in - yes - Japan sometime in the 1940s, presumably after WW II. They’re still made there today. The pencils share a common design: a twelve-sided plastic barrel with a metal pocket clip and thumb-activated mechanism for dispensing lead. The different version numbers identify the diameter of lead; P205, P207, and P209 each have lead sizes of 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.9 mm, respectively. They also differ in color depending on the size, with the P207 being a lovely shade of blue. I prefer the P207 because its lead is stronger than the P205's and can stand up to marking rough surfaces like wood, but it has a high enough fidelity to make exact lines on smooth materials as needed. (Unlike the P209, which I find too thick.)
Many other mechanical pencils arguably work just as well as the Pentel P207, with many of these being far less expensive. A good example is the readily available PaperMate SharpWriter, which costs about 30 cents a piece in bulk. The P207 is substantially more expensive, costing about five bucks a pop or more. Still, it's not all that expensive, and I've had about three in constant use for several years now, and they all work as well as the day I bought them. So there's that in their favor.
Beyond durability, I like the feel of the Pentel in my hand, which draws me to them most. It's that feeling when we know we have a good tool at our disposal. It doesn't necessarily make us better, but it makes us feel better. And when we feel good, we do good. So, having tools that get us into the right mental space to create is always a wise investment.
The Pentel P207 mechanical pencil. It's one of the most used tools in my shop. And indeed, one of my favorites.
Until next time.
JRC
Good thing pencils got the actual lead out long ago. :-)