The sample images are a bit confusing; none of them include all of the recommended pencils, the names don't always match up completely (I guess "Caran D'ache Noir" is the same as "Caran D'Ache Grafwood 9B"?), and one of the recommended pencils doesn't appear in the samples at all (Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 12B).
Simply put: darker = softer (read: holds point for less time). Standard pencil is the sweet spot (2 hb). As a former art student and user of (probably) many hundreds of pencils, I can say it's hard to beat that middle ground for writing. Obviously drawing is a totally different thing where you might need a bunch of different weights.
I think the thing that makes a pencil a pleasure to use is what it looks like. Totally subjective aesthetic qualities will keep me coming back to the same pencil with much greater force than the actual writing characteristics.
> Charcoal requires a fixer (usually a spray) that prevents smudging after you are finished
My kindergarten teachers used sugar water sprayed using a home-made Bernoulli-effect mister made from two pieces of drinking straw meeting at 90 degrees.
There's a new type of matte graphite pencil from Faber-Castell called "Pitt Graphite Matt". [1][2] They go to 14B and lack nearly all of the normal shine of graphite. Probably best of all worlds if you want something that's very dark but not fiddly like charcoal.
Edit: I see Pitt Graphite Matt is mentioned in the article, but they only mention the 12B and don't cover the fact that it lacks the shine of other graphites (in spite of commenting on how charcoals don't have this issue).
1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5OL3E59nX8 Kirsty Partridge Art - "If this pencil works, it will change your life."
2: https://www.faber-castell.com/pitt-graphite-matt-pencils
Everything I see has a "uni" wordmark for the pencil company. However, AIUI mitsubishi more or less means "three rhombi" -- the companies are both named after the same family crest.
I felt like kind of a numbskull when I made the observation that "Asahi" must be a similarly diversified company (Asahi Pentax cameras, Asahi beer) and was informed that "Asahi" means morning or rising sun by some patient soul.
It happens everywhere: Ford's Theater (Washington DC) is not related to the Ford Theater (Utah); similarly unrelated to Ford Motor Company, Ford Instrument Company, or Ford Meter Box Company.
> Their Boxy eraser is amazing...Anyone know of a better one?
Erasers continue to improve. One of the newer foam erasers, such as from Sakura, will probably perform better. There are many informative customer reviews at JetPens. Check out this sampler of their most recommended erasers: https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Eraser-Sampler/pd/19499
I want to emphasis the suggestion of picking up a box of Musgrave 600 News if you enjoy pencils. It is a weird pencil. I carry several of them in my tool bag (they work well as carpenter's pencils for situations where you need a better point for writing), and will sometimes pick one up to annotate a book. I found they work best with a non-long point sharpener, as the graphite is so soft, it's quite difficult to not break the point, especially if you have a heavy hand.
I really like pencils as well. A few years ago I started a development journal mainly to stay motivated and so that I could look back to see how far I had come. I quickly found out that the whole process was a lot more enjoyable with nice paper and pencils.
I use several pencils and like them all really. I currently use all four Blackwings (black, pearl, natural and 602) as well as as a Tombow MONO 2H if I want fine lines, and I occassionally use the Mitsubishi k9800HB which is nice but not my favorite.
Now I am going to try the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 10B and even the KH-20 pencil sharpener. I like the manual long point sharpener from Blackwing and it is what I use daily. Overall, for general use, I like either the blackwing natural or the 602. The Black is very dark and makes normal pencil look anemic but you do have to sharpen frequently, although sometimes pausing to sharpen helps me clarify my thoughts, so I don't really mind. The pearl gives you similar quality, but is slightly harder so it last longer between sharpenings. Also a very good choice.
How well do the pages hold up over time? When I look back at my notebooks from ten and twenty years ago, the pencil has not held up well. I think the rubbing of the pages from use and moving them around has really lightened the marks.
My journals are net yet that old, 3 to 4 years, so probably too early to say. Thus far, they look good, and with a really dark pencil, even with a bit of fading it doesn't really matter.
I am using Staedtler Mars Lumograph 3B (#1) to write notes on book margins, but I still find it not dark enough. I plan to buy a darker one in future, but the article says that the darkest ones are all prone to smudging. So, I'll probably try a 6B rather than a 10B or 12B pencil next time.
I wouldn't recommend writing with the 6b pencil (and definitely not with the 10 or 12b). The core is very soft and it gets dull almost immediately. So unless you want to sharpen the pencil every couple of words better stick to a 2b (there are 2b pencils that are darker).
Comparing the darkness of graphite to black ink, I find that pencil begins to look as dark as ink at around a hardness of 7B.
I personally can't write cursive with a woodcased pencil softer than 4B. Even then I have to renew the point every half dozen words.
Mitsubishi Hi-Uni have probably the overall highest quality for woodcased graphite pencils. That's considering the case wood, the finish, the consistency between pencils, the lack of grit in the graphite, etc. Other brands may offer something you prefer in a particular case.
Faber-Castell 9000 tend to be lighter by grade than other brands. Their harder grades are reputed to be firmer and smoother than usual.
Staedtler Mars Lumograph have added carbon in the mix to reduce glare, making the graphite look blacker. The softer grades are a bit darker than other brands. I have found quality and darkness to be rather inconsistent, though.
One thing the article does not mention is that the darker (and softer) the pencil, the more easily it smudges. Even if it is not charcoal, you’d do best to fixate if you use really soft pencils like the 12B they tested.
As a side note: I love a thick 5.6mm lead clutch pencil for quick notes and sketches in my notebook at work. It writes like a pencil and you can erase it, but it has the feel of a sharpie (thick lines, not very accurate). It forces me to be concise in what I write and draw.
But after experimenting there I did settle on #2 lead for most uses. My notebook simply becomes one grey smudge much too quickly with softer leads.
I've been a bit of a Mitsubishi pencil evangelist for several years now. Other than the shade of the graphite, the hardness/density, smoothness over paper, erasability, and more are all points to weigh when seriously considering a writing utensil.
The 9850 has been my preference, and it comes in a lovely deep red. Cool article!
I'm looking forward to getting a box of these when my current supply of Blackwings (a gift, because I would not spend that much on a pencil) and Musgrave Tennessee Reds is exhausted. I've heard good things about the 9850s.
The least dark in that picture is the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 10H. Note 10H (maximum hardness, minimum blackness) rather than 10B (maximum blackness, minimum hardness).
The Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 10B is also in that picture; it's the second one. It does look a lot blacker than the 10H version, although still not quite the darkest in that picture to my eyes. But the conclusion at the bottom seems to be saying that those other writing implements aren't really pencils, which justifies the Hi-Uni 10B being the darkest thing that is actually a pencil.
