Recently, I’ve made a few additions which are tied to my previous entry on writing instruments. New pens and pencils for the first time in years.
On the pen side, two additions from Fisher: the shuttle style Space Pen and the Bullet. The former, mainly because it’s a little piece of American history. Thus, I was sorely tempted by the AG7, but had to settle on the SH4 since it’s meant for household use not collecting dust. There’s also the fact that I come from the age of the Space Shuttle program rather than the Apollo program. I’d also like to think it should lead to no more “Dang it, why are you out of ink!? It’s only been 15-20 years!” Which is what has left the Zebra F-301s as the last functional pens I had. The latter, because I was looking for a compact pen that’s suitable for pocket carry: for those of us who don’t want to carry a damn pen.
There are times I’m left wanting, like buying coffee at Sprouts Farmer’s Market and typically end up using my phone’s camera as a substitute for a pencil. Because Good Freaking Luck spotting where their pencil ended up! My idea anyway, is the bullet is small enough to toss in a pocket with my comb and AirPods, and forget about until actually needed. The cap creates a decent writing size when stuck on the back, and covered or sans cap, it’s about the size of the little pencils we used to use with a compass and household chores when I was a kid. Except you won’t stab yourself in the leg π.
For me, it’s kind of an amusing twist of sorts. The Zebras aren’t expensive, they were probably $3.50 to $4 for the pair when I bought them in the grocery store some years back. At the most! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them for nearly half that in my lifetime. Presently, the same model is around $6 – $7 on Amazon for a pair. More if you want a 4-pack. The Bullet on the other hand was $30 and it’s for a role where realistically, it can get lost or stolen. When I was a kid, asking my mom for a pair of F-301s was in that category “You better not lose or break the damn thing.” Needless to say, we had a lot of disposable pens and very few refillable ones when I was a child. Suffice it to say, the Fishers are beyond what I’d ever imagined paying for a pen without taking up drawing comics or calligraphy as a hobby.
Yes, I am fundamentally a cheapskate at heart. But, I also learned that if you are going to solve a problem: then solve it so it doesn’t come back again. Realistically, I expect the refillable pens to outlive me, provided that I don’t use them as an emergency crowbar and that cartridges remain available.
Now, enter the one that gives me glee: Uni’s Kuru Toga Elite. This is the first good mechanical pencil I’ve ever bought myself, and the second mechanical pencil I’ve ever had that has any concept of quality. I was able to get one with replacement leads and erasers on sale for the price of the pencil. I’m pretty sure that my younger self would’ve had a stiffy at that. Compared to the SharpWriters I’ve had to make do with, it’s a joy to use. Hell, it even rotates the lead to wear level the tip!
Mechanical pencils are hardly a new thing. They’ve existed for at least two or three hundred years, and the old Eversharps became a thing around the time my grandparents were born. By the time I was a teenager, they weren’t quite the same scale as free pens but still quite common everyday items. As an adult, I generally found mechanical pencils to be ubiquitous. Although the good quality professional grade sort, tend to be far rarer outside of engineering fields. I’d classify the Kuru Toga in that scope.
I’ve always found mechanical pencils a tad fascinating. Partly, because I’ve rarely had the opportunity to use or enjoy writing with them. Since they’re fidget-able like clicking a ballpoint, I was promptly barred from using our scant few mechanicals when I was like 4 years old or something like that. Thus, by the time I was responsible enough to be trusted with such a writing instrument, and you know, could actually write, the only real resource was ye’ ol’ pencil.
If someone had given me one of these Kuru Toga during the peak of my handwriting, i.e., my teens, I would probably have leapt for joy and hoarded the pencil leads.
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