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Comment by buyx | Hacker News Reader

When I was in school, we used pencils until we were in standard 1 (now called grade 3). After that it was mostly pen. In fact, I remember my teacher saying that I'd have to use a pen if I wanted to progress to grade 4. Pencils were perceived as infantile, outside of a few niches (technical drawing, geometric constructions and automated tests).

It therefore surprises me to see their widespread use in, especially, the US, if movies are to be believed. I would never be able to write an essay in pencil, for example. Are there any particular applications to which they are better than pens?

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I grew up in an Indian school in the middle east, and know what you're talking about with pencils considered infantile (grade 5 we HAD to write with pen, and until then we almost HAD to write in pencil). As soon as I came to college in the US and realized I could submit work in pencil, I ditched all my pens like termite-infested bricks.

In my opinion, pencils are clearly superior for everyday tasks. Basically, just with the fact that they can be better erased. To me personally, they feel better to work with because they have finer pressure-based control. This is why a lot of artists always draft in pencil, and leave a lot of details in pencil too. Manga artists, architects, proofreaders, some stenographers, etc use a lot of pencil. Several of these end up inking their work afterword, or using pencil-work just for drafts that are later digitized.

However, I can go on about objective reasons why pencils are just better regardless, no particular applications necessarily.

They're cheaper. They're not going to go dry because you 'lost the cap' or it's old. You know a pencil is going to work if it has any lead poking out. It's consistent and reliable compared to pens suddenly not working mid-word. They're lighter to hold (less tiring and strenuous on your wrist to write for a long time). If they break they're not going to get everything in your bag stained. They can write well on many more surfaces than most pens. If one pencil fails for some reason (lost?) you can just get almost any nearby pencil and resume (unless you're in an advanced application field like technical drawing or manga artistry) without your work looking strange (2-toned).

I keep a pen around for the sole purpose of signing forms and writing checks (where the fact they're harder to modify is actually a good thing), and filling things people ask me to fill in pen.

This, although I use a Rotring Rapid Pro mechanical pencil. I only use that because it's less messy and much heavier than a normal pencil so it's easier to write with, plus the end doesn't break off in your pocket.

I have a pen for signing as well but it's got a Fisher space pen refill in it they flow reliably meaning no grinding on a sheet of paper to get ink out. Plus it works upside down and all sorts which is handy for signing pizza cheques on my doorstep :)

There is a big downside to pencils (and ballpoint pens), which is that you need to push down on the paper. I write a lot and for years I would be limited by my hand getting sore (having to take breaks, simply not being able to keep writing). After moving to a fountain pen I've had no trouble at all, I can write the whole day without any pain or soreness.

They are archival. Writing doesn't fade and doesn't react with the paper you write on. Very important if you are writing something that may need to be read 100 years from now.

Writing is erasable. By gently using an art gum eraser it's possible to remove and fix mistakes because there is no ink that soaks into the paper.

Pencils are pressure sensitive. You can have great control over the shape and darkness of the lines you draw.

They work extremely well with waterproof paper, much better than a pen, even the "special" pens that companies such as Rite in the Rain will sell you.

Pencils never dry out and you always know how much "ink" you have left by just looking at them.

I've personally use pencils as a museum curator, as an artist, as a field biologist and of course as a student.

Pencils have a bad habit of smearing if you put sheets together.

Not really. Maybe if you use a very soft lead, in which case you may want it to smear.

Oh man, I got really used to pencils in University because they make it very easy to correct something while you're taking notes. But of course you still have to use a pen for exams, and one time I got carried away and used my pencil like I was used to. The examiner chewed me for a good ten minutes.

The whole point, of course, is that when you write in ink, it can't be easily erased and changed, while if it's written with a pencil, you could bribe the examiner to change it (or any number of other shenanigans). I guess Americans don't try to cheat as much.

When I was in school, a lot of testing, including college placement exams, was scored by means of electromechanical devices ("Scantron") which identified answers by testing for the difference in conductivity produced by filling in one of several multiple-choice bubbles with pencil lead. Using a pen would result in a score of zero because the machine couldn't tell you had filled in anything. I don't know if this was used at university level because I never ended up going, but it certainly was used on the placement exam. (Four hours of multiple choice questions with exactly one -- one! -- essay section to break up the monotony, my God, I was ready to die afterward.)

I go to a university in America, and I've had a few tests there given on Scantron.

I don't know about "better", but I enjoy the feel that a quality pencil gives me when I use it to write, whether it be prose or equations.

(I use Mitsubishi drafting pencils)

I'm thinking this might be nice: http://www.graf-von-faber-castell.com/perfect-pencil

There is also a cheap plastic version by Faber Castell (not "Graf von").

2mm one of these works pretty well. Doesn't have the wood bit so doesn't make as much of a mess:

http://www.rotring.com/en/mechanical-pencils/265-rapid-pro-m...

I use a 0.5mm one for everything.

That is unbelievably classy.

Writing underwater, in space and at non standard angles. Pencils could not care less about gravity or lack of air, and have a wide temperature range of operation. I've no proof on this, but my guess will be something like -150:600 ± 50C.

Pencils can be actively dangerous in zero gravity: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_in_space

Indian here, we hardly use(d) sharpeners. We used to sharpen pencils using shaving blade.

Would love to see a tutorial on that.

I used the blade of a pair of scissors, because my sharpener was usually missing.

I remember that. High quality sharpening, but required a lot of skill.

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