“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Where does this leave the choice writing instrument for various students, the pencil? For that matter, who has ever praised the pencil at all? Is this empirical proof that the pen is greater than the pencil, or is the greatness of the pencil so universally accepted that praise is redundant?

The question of pen or pencil has bugged me, and likely a few other students, for quite some time. There are multiple angles to examine this predicament by and ultimately it probably just comes down to personal preference, but I am determined to throw in my 2 cents.

“The pencil is mightier than the sword…” that just sounds silly doesn’t it?

Before I reveal what my personal preference is, I think that I should at least try to objectively compare these two writing instruments. I think there are only 4 categories needed to judge this competition by: versatility, cost, ergonomics, and style. Those categories are, to me, the nexus questions when it comes to choosing any writing instrument, whether it be pencil, pen, quill, or Sharpie.

Versatility goes to the pencil, hands-down. A single pencil can be used for the entire duration of a school day and then some, and works just fine for any and every subject, especially math. In fact, one of the biggest drawbacks to the pen is that it is unusable for science or math. The nature of those subjects demands paper and pencil – math homework doesn’t look too great when the paper is covered by scribbles and white-out. 1-0, pencil.

Cost also goes pencil. While it’s possible to buy pens in bulk at a reasonable price, quality is another issue altogether with those. nothing can beat the cost-effectiveness of pencils – a good, precise mechanical pencil can cost less than a dollar. The same quality in the form of a fountain or ballpoint pen would likely cost over 10 times that. And hell, let’s face it – nothing is cheaper than a enormous box of plain old-fashioned wood pencils. Good look finding a pack of 100 pens for 2 bucks. 2-0, pencils.

♥♥♥ I never write with any other pen

Ergonomics goes to pens, but with a side note. There’s no doubt that a good-quality fountain pen is an absolute joy to write with. Dark elegant lines appear with even the lightest stroke and the death grip is no longer necessary. In fact, I now draft all my blog entries with my fountain pen (and I would recommend that all bloggers draft in pen and paper) – it’s wonderful to write with and I feel like I could continue writing for hours on end (so long as my supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew doesn’t run out and my parents don’t yell at me for eating and writing in bed). At the other end of the spectrum is a dull pencil – they’re absolute nightmares and can tire even well-trained hands in seconds. Even mechanical pencils have their drawbacks in this category – I find that they often produce a very faint mark and to write in a legible shade I I have to exert a great deal more force than I really want to. On the other hand, cheap ballpoint pens frustrate me more than all the dull pencils in my life ever will. It’s damn near impossible to write with those 20-for-$1 BIC pens without exerting a Herculian effort, which means I can forget about writing in cursive, my preferred script. In my opinion, the best, ergonomic pens that write without the need for much force are Pilot V5’s and fountain pens. 2-1, pencils.

Because Zizek and Lacan approve

My backup pen - it's been through a lot, but I've rarely used it

Style undoubtedly goes to pens. The faint, smudge stroke of a pencil says, “I’m insecure about my handwriting skills so I have to rely on an eraseable pencil.” The stroke of a pencil is inherently weak and exhibits insecurity and general sissiness. A pen, however, will always produce a dark, bold, strong line (so long as there’s ink, in any case) that exudes confidence and manliness. When you write with a pen, you make a statement. A statement that probably goes something like, “I’m a total badass and I don’t need an eraser because I’M PERFECT AND I NEVER MAKE MISTAKES.” Besides, when was the last time you saw an elegant pencil? A good pen clipped to a shirt pocket just looks totally badass and intimidating (either that or it makes you look like a total geek… whatever), no matter who you are (not to mention it has the ability to turn that shirt into the equivalent of a Rorschach test). 2-all.

What a pity that the score is tied at 2. I’m sure that those who were looking for a definitive answer to the question posed in the title are thoroughly disappointed. Well, I would hate to disappoint my readers, so I’ll touch on a few more points that will hopefully spur those of you still on the fence to make a decision.

Wow... just... wow...

The problem of taking notes in pencil is that you’ll spend an unnecessarily obnoxious amount of time erasing and rewriting. Veteran pencil users will find that erasing becomes something of a basic instinct and more and more time gets lost erasing mistakes where a simple scribble will do. With pens however, there’s no eraser so you just scribble it out and move on – far quicker than the erase-and-correct method. Erasing slashes productivity, but pencils themselves welcome careless mistakes by promising a second chance. With pens, it’s do-or-die: you’ve only got one shot to get it right. After a short while writing with a pen you will find that your thinking processes change and you become more engaged in what you’re writing. Thus, you’ll make fewer mistakes. Because mistakes are for sissies.

Of course pens have their drawbacks – fountain pens have the unique ability to turn you clothes into the equivalent of an enormous Rorschach test, and if you have the unfortunate habit of chewing on pens, any pen carries with it the danger of turning your face into a Rorschach test as well. If you’re forced to write the final draft of an essay by hand, you’d better hope that you don’t make any mistakes because white-out is the stuff of the devil. And scribbles all over your notes don’t look so great – if you’re not a prodigy, a the unforgiving nature of the pen can be rather discouraging.

My preference? I always use a fountain pen – I hardly ever write with anything else. The only time that I ever use pencil is during math and science.

What’s your preference and why? Share your thoughts down below ↓