Mechanical pencil with heart and soul

I recently chanced upn an opinion piece from The New Yorker, written in 2012 by former staffer Mary Norris, about her pursuit of the perfect pencil.

While ultimately she landed upon the Palimino Blackwing, which is a wonderful pencil, she made a statement in her piece that has set me back:  "Someone at the office suggested I try a mechanical pencil, but I found it soulless."

I am sure that there are plenty of pencils in this world, not to mention mechanical pencils, that are difficult to find a personal connection with.  That said, I am saddened by such a blanket statement.  Who would say such a thing about a pencil?

To Mary Norris, author of My Life in Pencils, if you are ever googling yourself and happen upon this, I would like to introduce you to my pencil soul mate.  It is a mechanical pencil.  It is the Alvin Draftmatic.

I have written many thousands of pages with an Alvin Draftmatic, so I know it well.  I prefer a bold line, so I use a 0.9mm lead, and I change out my lead based upon the weather conditions and the type of the paper I am writing on. 

The Alvin Draftmatic has many fine qualities:

It is the exact proper weight, size and dimension for my hand.

The plastic barrel warms slightly while being used and feels like an extension of my mind, not a tool.

The knurling is perfectly milled and does not cause calluses on my fingers, even with extensive use for days (or weeks, or months) on end.

The clip is easy to remove (I don't want a clip on my pencil at all).

If the paper is right, I am using a good wooden clipboard, I am comfortably seated, and I have the proper lead, I can write for hours in complete joy without hand fatigue.

I trust this pencil.  I have used it for years and it has not failed.  The mechanism has not broken.  The pencil is solid, sturdy and dependable.

Finally, it is a pleasure to write with.

In my view, that is the making of a pencil soul mate.

Not all mechanical pencils are created equal.  The Alvin Draftmatic is a mechanical pencil with heart and soul.

5th grader on Alvin Draftmatic: "It stands out from other pencils"

My young friend Bruce recently changed to a new elementary school where he is now learning the art of longhand writing.  I can't imagine that kids don't learn cursive in schools these days, but it is true.

Since Bruce is learning cursive, I thought it would be a much more enjoyable experience if he had a proper pencil.  I got him an Alvin Draftmatic 0.9mm and a package of 2B lead.

Bruce likes the pencil.  He wrote me the most wonderful card.  I am certain that this is the best card that I have ever received.

My pencil case; a cradle for every pencil

When you love your pencils like I do, you can't have them rattling around in the bottom of your handbag, or worse yet, left at home in a pencil cup.

A pencil case that gently cradles each pencil so they don't roll off a table top.  It will also prevent pencils from getting lost, as an empty sleeve means that you still need to put your pencil away.

In my pencil case, I keep 2 mechanical pencils.  Right now it is loaded with an Alvin Draftmatic 0.9mm with 2B lead and a Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 0.9mm with HB lead.  (2B lead is for writing on rainy days and HB lead is for using on sunny days).

I also have a stick eraser.  This is because I would never use the eraser that is included on the end of my pencil, except in emergencies and under dire circumstances.  An eraser isn't really necessary, but its a little extra just to make me feel special and prepared for anything.

The fourth slot in my pencil case is for lead.  I don't use the barrel of my pencil to store extra lead for several reasons.  Extra lead makes a rattling noise inside the pencil that sends me to distraction when writing.  Lead can get jammed in there, potentially leading to anxiety.  Also, I prefer to load my lead down the front of the tube at the writing end (I'm a muzzle loader), and not through the breach, so I don't even want to pull the cap off the end of my pencil...ever.

If you tape two packages of lead (Pentel Super High Polymer 15 pcs) end to end, it fits nicely in my pencil case.  When I need to refill my pencil, I have the lead right there.

My pencil case, shown here, is an Aston Leather Finger Style Quad Pen Case.  It comes in several colors, and I have it in tan.  I have been using this pencil case for several years and I have nothing but positive things to say about it.