pen vs pencil A pen is a common writing instrument used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. While in pen vs pencil, A pencil is a writing implement or art medium constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing which prevents the core from being broken and/or from leaving marks on the user’s hand during use. Tokyo Pen Shop obviously loves its merch colorful, and mechanical pencils are no exception! We have looked far and wide to discover the most innovative features available. We are particularly fond of Mitsubishi's Kurutoga line of mechanical pencils, which self-rotates the lead.
My three favorite writing implements are my Twist-Erase 0.7 mechanical pencil, my Precise V5 rolling ball pen, and my Cross fountain pen. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. But in terms of ease of use I prefer the Twist-Erase. I just wish the marks were darker and that they did not smudge.I'm curious what others in the pen and pencil camp use.
Also I'm curious about the question of bound vs unbound notebook, paper size, and whether you scan your paper notes for archival purposes.Is there a pen or pencil technology that combines the ease of use of Twist-Erase but which does not smudge and makes darker marks?Sorry is this has been asked before. I could not find it. Please delete if it is redundant. I'm definitely an Expo marker + whiteboard guy. Quick calculations or notes to myself all just end up there.If I'm writing on paper, it's usually a pen that I've stolen from TD bank, and it's always on 1/4 inch grid paper. I find it easier to use than college ruled or legal pads because the lines are smaller.
It also allows me to write upside down or sideways, or do diagrams.For drawing / sketching I usually use acid-free water color paper and a combination of 6H, 2H, 2B, and 6B graphite pencils. I'm honestly not sure what brand they are, I only care about how soft they are (I have a complete set, but those 4 are the most worn.). Mechanical pencilsome good writing focused regular pencils are in my opinion, Faber castell pencils with the studs and triangular cross section (when looking at the pen from the back)I like to use drawing / art pencils sometimes even for writing because they are softer and nice.Pens are always bad pretty much because the ballpoint always fails in the middle of writing some word, at least in my experience.The only good ballpoint pen that I recently acquired was a freebie engineers' association pen, which is very effective even though it looks flimsy and cheap.Fountain pen could be nice though.
ProPro will make the case for why pencils are betterCon will make the case for why pens are betterI have three reasons I believe pencils to be superior:1) They can be erased easily and completely. Sure there's some erasable pens but it looks sloppy and it's still quite visible after erasing.2) Pencils are made of natural material where pens are made of plastics that are bad for the environment.3) Pencils are more adept at producing varying degrees of darkness (shading) better than pens.Thank you. Look forward to your reply. ConI accept this debate and I thank Pro for recreating this debate so that I may argue Con's side.I would like to include the definition of superior and also suggest that the word better can be used interchangeably with it.Superior: of higher grade or quality; higher in rank or degree.
1Better: more useful, suitable, desirable; more advantageous or favorable. 2These are the reasons that I believe to make pens superior to pencils:1. Pens make dark and distinct marks while pencils make light marks that fade easily and are more difficult to see.2. Most pens do not smudge while pencils tend to always smudge and get graphite all over the side of the user's hand.3. A mistake made with a pen can be easily crossed out with a line or covered up with Wite-Out.4. There are places that now provide recyclable pens, and there is such a thing as refillable ink pens.
Pens are not as fragile as pencils, which can easily be broken in half compared to a pen, or mechanical pencils, whose lead breaks if the user presses down too hard.6. Pens are capable of the same shading effects as a pencil; art pens have the capacity to do this as well as most ballpoint pens. Pens are more efficient because they do not have to be constantly sharpened.8. A pencil's length will shorten as it is continuously sharpened. This will make it increasingly more difficult for the user to hold the pencil, and most likely the user will discard a majority of the pencil due to discomfort. Due to this, pens last longer because their length remains the same, and this insures that the user will continue to want to use it until all the ink is gone as there will be no discomfort coming from attempting to hold a shortened writing utensil.9. Ink is able to show up on skin and this brings a certain pleasure for pre-adolescents and adolescents that graphite/lead cannot supply.Resources:1234(Note for the fourth link: if the video does not pop up then scroll down to where it says 'videos' and click on the link that says 'Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens' and it should open up.)Thank you once again and good luck.
I accept these definitions and will first provide my rebuttals to your points and then make the case for pencils.Counter Arguments:1. This may make pens useful in some situations while disadvantageous in others. Pencils are more useful in situations where the writing isn’t intended to be permanent such as on homework, notes, etc. Sure if you were writing a final draft you’d use a pen but the nature of pencil markings is a strength not a negative. Also, pencils have varying lead densities that go from ultra-light to dark.2. Smudging is sometimes the intended purpose. Particularly in artistic shading you can smudge pencil lines to make lines less sharp.3.
White-Out can be used with pencils as well and is external to the pen while the pencil eraser is typically attached to the pencil. Since its external to the debate it’s not really a point for pens.4. I concede that there are recyclable pens which makes pens/pencils even here.5.
Sometimes that fragility comes in handy. For example, if a friend needs a pencil I can simply break off a piece of mine and voila two pencils. Mechanical pencil lead breaking is not inherent to the mechanical pencil but the user’s choice of lead 1.6.
I concede that there are artistic pens which makes pens/pencils even here.7. This is not necessarily so. First, pens have the annoying tendency to dry up forcing the user to try and get ink to come out by scribbling on scratch paper. Second, there are multiple types of pencils that do not have to be sharpened via sharpener, e.g. Mechanical pencils and peel-off pencils.8. This is not true of mechanical pencils.
And, some actually prefer short pencils 3.9. True, it shows up on skin but adolescent fun is not limited to pens. Pencils are more suited to the adolescent task of pencil darts 4.My three reasons for pencil superiority/betterness still stand:1) They can be erased easily and completely.
Sure there's some erasable pens but it looks sloppy and it's still quite visible after erasing. Con did not rebut this so I take that as a concession to this point. Sure there are external items that can do this for a pen but it doesn’t make the pen better/superior. To be better it would have to be an intrinsic quality of the pen itself.2) Pencils are made of natural material where pens are made of plastics that are bad for the environment.
While it’s true that there are some recyclable pens as well the likelihood is that even those pens are probably disposed in landfills rather than being recycled.3) Pencils are more adept at producing varying degrees of darkness (shading) better than pens. Some pens do have to capability to produce shading. But I still maintain that pencils are better suited. Con’s own source showed twice as many artistic pencils as pens. Companies sell items based on demand for the product. Under the definition for better this would make pencils more favorable for this purpose. @randolphI deeply apologize, too, because I did not foresee the hectic week I have had.
I am sorry about your grandmother and I send my condolences to your family.@Everyone ElseI failed at this debate and I am sorry. If Pro wants to re-debate (which would probably be really annoying considering that would be the third time he's debated this topic) then perhaps we can have a better shot at giving a serious debate on this topic.
Once again, I am so sorry for not knowing how badly this debate was going to turn out.