When it comes to carpentry, I like to think that I’m laser accurate. Think is definitely the operative word there. It’s really more of a delusion. That’s why when it comes to marking wood for a cut, I’ve always been dissatisfied with the traditional carpenter’s pencil. How can I expect to make an accurate cut when my pencil line meanders and is seemingly an inch wide? Thankfully, our intrepid friends over at Tool-Rank.com and ToolGuyd.com may have turned us on to a great alternative to the carpenter’s pencil, the Staedtler 771 Mechnical Pencil.
So, you want to know more right? For more mechanical pencil analysis than you’ve seen since your nerdy high school drafting teacher lectured you on pencil virtues, visit ToolGuyd.com and Tool-Rank.com. If you really want to get your pencil geek on, check out the DavesMechanicalPencils blog, which even features some passionate, heated commentary. Oh, and if you actually want to buy one, they’re about $8 at StationeryArt.com (don’t forget to order some extra lead while you’re at it).
Chris of ToolRank also did a video review of the Staedtler 771 here:
http://youtu.be/qbYuWsTRLL4
Before I saw this on ToolGuyd I never thought about how bad those carpenter pencils are for anything other than crude marking. Now that it made three different blogs I’ll have to break down and part with $8 to see if all the coverage is worth it. The thing that sold me was Staedtler’s own description: “perfect choice for both children and chunky-pen-lovers!” Or is it chunky pen-lovers…..
Bob, I may need to start a chunky-pen-lovers blog now! You gotta love unintended marketing. If you wind up giving it a try, please report back on what you think of it! In the meantime I’d like to recommend a lower fat diet with lots of exercise for anyone struggling with being a chunky pen lover.
Been using mechanical pencils instead of carpenter pencils for the precision and the need for sharpening. When the stock is rough however, I resort to a ultra-fine Sharpies. This is a great alternative. Looking forward to trying it out.