At some point in our childhoods, most of us have wondered which writing instrument is the best. Some of us used mechanical pencils in our childhood and continue to do so today in the workplace or for general use. However, some of us are die-hard fans of wooden pencils. There are many possible reasons to the choice we make and this article will attempt to address this age-old debate. Before you continue reading, do follow me on and subscribe to the newsletter. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Reasons to Use a Mechanical Pencil
#1: It’s Eco-Friendly
A mechanical pencil can last for years, that is if you take good care of it and don’t break it. In fact, mechanical pencils are more durable than wooden pencils, as they do not require sharpening and can survive the occasional fall. Furthermore, some mechanical pencils are made out of recycled plastic or metal. Thus, choosing a mechanical pencil helps to reduce your carbon footprint and save the environment.
#2: It Doesn’t Require Any Sharpening
We’ve all been there and we know how annoying or frustrating sharpening a pencil can be. A mechanical pencil, however, requires no sharpening. Even if you break the lead, all you have to do is push more lead out by pressing the top button and you are ready to write again. It’s that simple. Another point to note is that the length of a wooden pencil decreases with increased sharpening. Eventually, it becomes so short that it virtually becomes unusable. A mechanical pencil, on the other hand, faces none of these issues. Amazingly, all you have to do if you run out of lead is to refill your mechanical pencil with more lead.
#3: It Provides a Sense of Ownership
Mechanical pencils are able to withstand heavy amounts of usage and can last for decades. Unlike their wooden counterparts, they are completely reusable and are able to provide a sense of ownership a disposable wooden pencil can never provide. For those sentimental folks out ther, a mechanical pencil will be a great writing instrument which will always remind you of past memories.
#4: Mechanical Pencils are More Ergonomic
Unlike wooden pencils, which can be quite painful to hold after hours of usage, most mechanical pencils come with a rubber or metal grip, although the latter usually comes at a higher price. As a result, mechanical pencils are more comfortable to hold over long periods of usage. For example, the Pentel Graphgear 1000, as shown in the image above, comes with a metal grip with inbuilt rubber pads for a more comfortable writing experience.
However, there are also some reasons as to why some people prefer to use wooden pencils.
Reasons to Use a Wooden Pencil
#1: Artistic Use
Wooden pencils are widely used by artists nowadays and for good reason. Shading with a wooden pencil is much easier as a mechanical pencil usually only produces fine lines. A wooden pencil can also be much easier to hold while drawing on an easel as it is lighter than mechanical pencils which may have a metallic body.
#2: It Is Affordable
For those who rarely use pencils, a wooden pencil is good enough. 5 USD are enough to buy 24 pencils or more (a pack of pencil usually contains 12 packs, so this means 5 USD is enough to afford 2 packs of pencils which gives 24 pencils), which is quite a lot for casual use. This is way cheaper than a mechanical pencil, which may cost about 1 to 40 USD depending on its quality. Furthermore, mechanical pencil lead may cost another 1-3 USD per pack. However, for long term use, I would still prefer using a mechanical pencil.
Conclusion
A mechanical pencil is way better than a wooden pencil due to its durability, reusability and simplicity. However, some might like the feel of a wooden pencil while others might find a mechanical pencil more convenient. Whether or not to use the former or the latter depends entirely up to you, although I must say I prefer using a mechanical pencil. If this post was useful to you in any way, do consider liking this post and comment down below. Stay tuned for my next post!
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