The Problem with Adam Savage's Favorite Pencil 

What product did YOU love that underwent a disappointing change later on? PaperMate SharpWriter: amzn.to/3TyMjZK Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here. Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): ru-vid.com Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: ru-vid.com/show-UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOAjoin

Imagine being the executive in charge of changing the design of this pencil and then getting roasting by Adam Savage for 16 straight minutes for it lmfao

This is the only person on Earth that I would listen to talking about a pencil for 16 minutes.

"It looks cheaper" is EXACTLY what my thoughts were when you first pulled it out.

"God! I'm nine minutes in and I apologise for taking so long to get to the point.." Adam, not one of us wanted you to get there any quicker 😂 this is what we're here for. Enthralled, and feeling lucky to have all this time with you and your shared thoughts,processes and inner workings.

the "it's fine" at 12:35 has immeasurable amounts of emotion in it the pure disdain, the despair

My father was one of the engineers that worked at PaperMate and actually worked on developing the production line for that pencil (among other products). He would have been pleased to know how much you enjoyed that pencil. My childhood was filled with pens and pencils taken from the test runs of production and my father’s shirts having small ink stains in the breast pocket from test pens that had leaked. One of my fondest memories of him was when he took me into work at the lab in South Boston and showed off two machines that were both making ballpoint pen nibs. One was using a single piece of wire, while the second used two wires to make the nibs. It was then that I knew how much he loved his work. Your comment about why they didn’t make them in white for you is probably spot on.

This is a story of loss, not of change. When I was in high school, I fell in love with the Stanford PhD mechanical pencil. Sanford rebranded them under Papermate and kept producing them, and I loved them so much I even got my friends into them. They were so perfectly shaped that my hands just didn't cramp with them like they did with other pencils (in research later in life, I would discover that was exactly what they were engineered for). Everything else just turned out to be way too small for my hands to hold comfortably and write with for 4-5 hours a day. I bought a new one every year in high school, always blue. I didn't need to, they didn't wear out in a year, but it was a ritual of school shopping. Senior year I splurged with my school funding and bought the one that twisted between pencil, pen, and plastic stylus. It was janky, way less smooth in function, but it was "cool." I went directly into the workforce for a bit out of high school. in 2008 I decided to go to community college to begin working on my degree in information technology. I bought a new PhD, this time in a gorgeous hunter green. I rarely used it, most of my work was digital. But it did do some pagelong division and things like that. It was basically brand new at the end of the semester. I decided that I didn't want to continue community college because it was boring me to tears due to not being at all challenging. A decade later I decided to go back to college in earnest. I'd found a private college out of state that people told me was truly challenging and pushed its students to the limit. That sounded great, and I wanted to advance myself beyond retail and hard labor jobs. I went to Office MAX to pickup supplies... and I couldn't find a PhD. No big deal, I'll go across the road to Walmart and... once again not find anything. Clearly I would just order one from Amazon. Or not. Turns out, the PhD had been discontinued in the ten years since I had last bought one (at least in the US market; it was seemingly still produced in Japan but they weren't sold here). I was heartbroken, because I remembered the cramping and pain that awaited me with a normal sized pencil. I settled on the thickest thing I could find, which was still pretty thin, and trekked on to college. It sucked. I started looking at buying an old PhD from ebay. The prices were pretty excessive, and, as a college student living off of meager savings and selling my collectible possessions, I could hardly justify $30-40 on a used mechanical pencil. Fall break of my freshman year (as I had only done a single semester of community college), I was cleaning out my closet in my bedroom at my parent's house and packing stuff up. I found an old, zip-up binder from high school. My heart fluttered. I opened it to find that inside were my senior and community college PhDs, still in perfect working order aside from needing new erasers. It's been almost six years since then. That green PhD is STILL kicking it in perfect working condition, and I still have the original replacement eraser I put in it when I found it. It's loaded with lead and has a dedicated spot at my desk. I am not losing it again. Of course, I do have the money now to pickup a used or imported one from ebay no problem, but that green PhD is special. Even talking about it, I'm debating ordering several just to put back in case of emergency.

I have learned that my favorite pencil is also Adam Savage's favorite pencil, and I have learned that my grandfathers instrument of crossword completion is now hideous. Thank you Adam, and never apologize for such passion!

“In cheapening the product to increasining the profit” is the best phrase I’ve heard in awhile.

Art teacher here: regular ol' Ticonderoga #2 pencils have become almost unusable!!! Hard to sharpen, wood splitting, breaking easier. They used to be the best!!

The number of times I've said bad words after being told “oh, they don't make that anymore”… Shoes, pants, tools…you name it always my favourite stuff too

I have the same love for this pencil as Adam. I was first introduced to it when I noticed my grandfather using it during my childhood. He worked as an engineer at Bell Telephone in Philadelphia. But when he wasn't at work, he was a carpenter, model maker, and daily completionist of the local newspaper's crossword puzzle. He gave me my first Sharpwriter #2, and I've bought many since. I'll cherish the dozen or so of the original make I have left!

I worked at a water heater manufacturer that went through a cost cutting phase. I was a process engineer at the time and was told that the purchasing team had identified a new supplier for sheet metal blanks (used as a protective shroud) that was significantly cheaper but thinner gauge and different metal composition. I was told to run trials on the new sheets and report back on suitability. The sheets worked fine for for the first 5-10 tries but quickly began to cause problems with the rollforming machine. Little did I know that the purchasing team had already placed orders for 1000s of this new product. Within 24 hrs a strange metal coating from the new sheets had galled up the rollers on the rollforming machine and they needed regular cleaning. The operator also began having to spray lubricant on the rollers and the maintenance team needed to constantly supervise the machine while running. Also, the fit-up of the folded metal sheets was not working well with the rest of the product during assembly. The purchasing team was congratulated at the time for making a cost saving, meanwhile the company had created a net loss in $ savings due to the additional cost of machine maintenance, lubricant, rework, time wasted in fitup. Unfortunately it was difficult to capture these costs on paper and so they got away with it. It can be very frustrating when corners are cut to save a few dollars and I'm sure examples like this happen across many manufacturers! Savings in one department can have repercussions in the larger picture! Listen to the engineers people!!!

"The old pencil has a point of view on being a pencil !" Love that. I can imagine the conversations the old pencil master would have with the young yellow apprentice. This is what we are! This is what it means to be a pencil!

I’m going to echo a lot of other people on here when I say that the noise you made along with the “its fine” was the most validating moment of the video and I want to thank you so much for putting that moment on camera. As someone who’s made that exact same sound over Athletic Tape before, I’m glad to find someone else who gets worked up over something that other people will see as inconsequential. I’ve found a new tape brand that is a very good substitute but it’s not the same.

Adam Savage, when you visited St. Louis for a Mythbusters live performance, I had the privilege of meeting you (and being front row in your on-stage selfie). I'll repeat what I said to you at the meet and greet afterwards: "The passion you have for what you do shines brightly, and I appreciate all your hard work." May your tools never break Mr. Savage!

My grandpa (we all called him papa), was an electrician of 40 years, a hobbyist woodworker, and general tinkerer of all things and growing up I remember spending time with him down in his basement workshop and without fail you could look at any workbench and find multiple sharpwriter #2 pencils because it was his go-to for any job, he always kept one in his pocket everywhere he went. He was also the person that introduced me to mythbusters at age 8 which just opened my eyes to the maker mentality and here I am coming full circle to a seemingly innocuous pencil, adored by my grandpa, being lauded by the person that connected us for so many years. RIP Papa.

When Adam is talking about clearing out the injection molding machines for making a custom colour, what he's referring to is called a line purge. The Dum Dum lollypop mystery flavours are actually the result of not purging the lines between flavours, so they are a mix of what they just finished making and what they are just starting to make.

Pencil nerd, engineer, and maker here - While I have a Palomino Blackwing 602 within arm's reach while watching this, my preferred pencil is the USA General's Cedar Pointe. I prefer the unpainted pencil and have never liked mechanical pencils. I'm not trying to convince anyone. Find what you love and I love the passion here. I get it.

I’m almost in tears 😢 the passion you put into something as common as a pencil, and the company changes it. Breaks my heart.

To those wondering why they just watched a 16-minute video about a pencil, you didn't. I mean, you did, but it wasn't really about the pencil at all. It was about the relationship -- dare I say intimate relationship -- we have with our tools. If you've never had the shock of finding out a favorite product was being discontinued, well buckle up. It's coming. My wife and I used to get pieces of black forest cake from the local grocery store. They were SO GOOD. Then they switched suppliers, and stopped carrying them. We still talk about it like five years later. I would be heartbroken if Zebra changed the F-301 pens and pencils. I'm even a penmaker, and I still love the F-301, so much so that I figured out how to use the Zebra refills in a few types of pens -- not to sell, but just for me, so that I can show off a pen I'm proud of but still have the feel of the Zebra pen refill. We all have little things in our lives that help ground us and give us a disproportionate amount of comfort or joy -- our Goldilocks items. Not too big or small, long or short, heavy or light, wide or narrow, bright or dark, loose or tight -- JUST RIGHT. And listening to Adam talk about that for 16 minutes? That's 16 minutes well spent.

Adam, I say this with the utmost sincerity. You make me feel better about my autism. Speaking openly about your feelings on this matter is something a lot of people would not do. Watching you come to the realization, in almost real time, that it was "fine" was special. Thank you.

Rajiv Surendra has a great viewpoint on the importance of loving the things we use, and not being afraid to damage the things we find beautiful because they are meant to be useful tools. I think your love for this pencil proves that point. Thanks for talking about pencils for 15 minutes, I really enjoyed it.

I can't believe I listened to Adam talk for 16 minutes about his favorite pencil. But, much like the original PaperMate that you love so much, you are also an institution.

As an animator, this reminds me of the time at a small studio when we were gearing up to make what turned out to be a moderately successful feature film. We had a very lengthy meeting in which we tested pencils, paper and erasers, scribbling and drawing and erasing in every possible combination to find the paper that would allow for the best line and take the most eraser abuse. Once we came to a consensus we ordered pallets of animation paper and crates of pencils and erasers. And then all we had to do was make a 90 minute film one frame at a time by hand.

I love Adam…He never talks to the camera…He talks directly to me (and you), somehow like we are in the same room, hunched over the same bench. His presentation has an intimacy that has you nodding in agreement. As for worrying over pencils…well, we have to draw the line somewhere!

My grandfather can be a frugal one. Garbage picking, cull lumber, you name it, if he can save three cents he will. Rightfully so, growing up with nothing means he will continue to save on things till his last days. Funny enough, where he never was frugal was with this exact pencil. He has no real reason to why he likes it so much but knowing him, it always works and erases well it’s gold in his eyes. A simple man with simple needs but those simple needs are very important.

This video reminds me of why i love watching Adam. His genuine patio. For what he loves is inspiring

There was a news story a few years back about the "chalkapocalypse".... mathematicians hoarding a particular brand of chalk from Japan, Hagoromo Fulltouch, that was already difficult to get before the company announced they were going out of business. Fortunately the story has a happy ending, a Korean company bought the name, recipe, and two of the machines and is making it again. Still, I imagine many of them live in fear that somebody at the company will decide to make their mark by "improving" the recipe the same way PaperMate "improved" the Sharpwriter.

One thing that I love about these videos is that Adam shows us how compelling it can be not to edit out the mistakes and flubs and natural pauses that happen in conversation. I love how sometimes he pauses to think about what he wants to say. So many times I've edited out that type of thing, so I get a lot of jump cuts in my videos. That seems to be a common thing among creators. But Adam doesn't do that. He lets the "awkward silences" have their space in his videos, and for some reason, they work. When I get back to making videos again, I think I'm going to give that a try and see how it works.

The Pentel Twist-Erase with the long white eraser refill got me through school and my engineering career. They were my favorite and the best of all I tried. I understand your feelings about your pencils. I used to freak out when I had an exam and couldn't find mine.

Never apologize for how much time you talk about something. It is part of the appeal, the transference of excitement about every little thing that makes every video so enjoyable.

I feel your pain! As an industrial Designer / Design Manager (once even for a certain brand of toys from a galaxy far, far away), I have to agree that PaperMate did a big no-no there. Not only is the Sharpwriter what you could call a "3-dimensional representation of a (sub)brand" and therefore should not be changed as this could strengthen the position of copycat manufacturers, you simply don't mess with your core audience! *When a such a thing happens, it's normally the result of radical cost engineering, usually shifting from in-house production to a supplier - and, as now TWO companies need to make a profit, the predictable end result will ALWAYS be a much, much worse product.*

Adam has a super power. It is the ability to do an extensive video on something as mundane as a pencil and hold your attention the entire time.

I worked at a plastics plant for a while. Not for these pencils, but a lot of the general stuff just applies across the board. I can personally verify that you have to clean the whatevers. It's a whole thing.

I am a contractor/carpenter. I used to love those Paper mate pencils.now I prefer the pentel sharp (P200 I believe) as my edc pencil. They are available everywhere designed for drafting. and you can get them in a little thicker lead if you want. They come in .09 perfect balance between precision and durability. And they look cool too

"I'm trying to make sounds that demonstrate my disdain." I love that. I do that all the time!

This is the pencil equivalent of that young woman who curated a home museum dedicated to her favorite discontinued Crayola crayon color.

I have not held one of these pencils in over 15 years, but can feel the spring shaking inside every time he waves it around.

I'm not really 'into' pencils, but I randomly ran across a Sharpwriter #2 one day and thought to myself "this here is a damn fine pencil". Found it years ago and it's still kicking around here somewhere, which is really rare for me. Gotta appreciate quality tools.

Every time a cherished object of mine is encheapened, I am going to re-watch this episode and take comfort in knowing my emotions are shared by others.

That is the GOAT of pencils. Been using them since the 90s. Best eraser, fine tip, extremely light build and ingenious twist design.

Two things… 1- Today, my dog picked one of these up randomly in my neighborhood while we were on a walk. Then I saw Adam mention this pencil in two separate videos that I watched. 2- I can appreciate the love for a pencil. I’ve been a Dixon Ticonderoga man since about ‘98 myself. They also aren’t as good as they used to be. But I recently found an old box in an old drawer, and have been working off that for a while.

Dr. Martens Boots. Used to be made in England, then manufacturing moved to China. They even released a "Made in UK" line, which were ALSO made in China. I've had multiple people tell me their Docs from the 80s are still holding up to this day, while people who bought Docs in the mid-2000s had them fall apart within A YEAR. Luckily, there's an alternative. The way Docs spread internationally was the result of a UK company purchasing patent licenses to produce the Dr Martens designs (which were the result of a German soldier who wanted to improve the comfort of his military-issued boots, who came up with pretty innovative designs), R. Griggs Group, who then collaborated with another company called NPS (because while R Griggs had the patent, they didn't have the equipment or technology to produce the Dr Martens design), using the sole from NPS's Solovair line of boots to create the first Dr Martens available in the UK. Solovair still exists today, and they still use the exact same lasts, leather cutters, and machines used to make the very first pair of Dr Martens with the Solovair sole in 1960. Basically, they're identical to Dr Martens except they're a bit more expensive(but honestly not THAT much more), and will last you a hell of a lot longer.

I am sad sewing machines became disposable. I just got a ~1960’s Kenmore for $30 from good will. You can easily get into the device and it has oiling ports all over the mechanisms. I got it home and it fired up and sewed well without even being cleaned.

I work in an art supply store. The section that I'm in charge of are the aisles that hold pens, pencils, markers, and paintbrushes. This kind of enthusiasm and sentiment is one that I encounter on a regular basis, so your reaction to a change in such an iconic product that people use every day is a perfectly normal one to me. If they made an unannounced change to the Pigma Micron 02 I've been using since I was 16 I would react the exact same way

I bought one of these on a trip to the US 8 years ago because I needed a pencil, didn't think much of it, had never heard of PaperMate before or since, but seeing the thumbnail, my first thought was "Is that a PaperMate pencil?" So it did manage to lodge itself into my memory, and now I'm left wondering where I left mine...

The relationship between a maker and a pencil is so critical: a pencil knits the imaginary into the real world, solves problems on the threshold of possibility. Finding an instrument worthy of this task is no small feat.

Tool tip! Take a spare 0.7mm mechanical pencil and fit a generic household sewing needle (pick one close to 0.7mm from the pack with a caliper). Now you have a handy retractable scribe with a hardened steel replaceable tip. Super handy.

Adam - don't worry about the amount of time you took. Your videos are priceless to many of us. I retired from teaching and I can tell you from experience that regular #2 pencils have been crap for years, as well as sharpeners. It is very difficult to get quality pencils where the lead does not continuously break while sharpening. Frustrating when you are testing 30 students.

I am so glad to see someone saying what I was thinking. I used these exclusively at work. The new model feels like I need more lead protruding for me to write. The lead feels like it springs back into the pencil more when under pressure and I despise it. It does look worse, but the squishy feel is what really kills me. Thanks for making me feel less insane.

Everything about your non verbal reaction is KILLING ME! You convey so many emotions! And I feel all of them and can still react to how I feel reacting to your reaction. This moment will be well remembered for quite some time!

I've noticed this same trend in basically every consumer industry. Changes that compromise the brand and quality that are undoubtedly a result of the drive for better profits. Even down to the formulation of your average breakfast cereal.

LOL, First, I'm a huge fan and have been for many years. As such, it was incredibly validating to hear you wax nostalgic about my favorite drawing tool! I have been a footwear designer for 24 years now and I have pushed everyone where I work to adopt that specific pencil too. In my opinion you didn't mention the most important feature that makes the Sharpwriter better than the bulk of other cheap disposable mechanical pencils out there, the shape of the end where it angles down and supports the "lead". Most of the others round in then turn out with a tiny cyl that doesn't support the lead well and so I CONSTANTLY break them when I really get into sketching and it throws me off my flow. The Sharpwriter is a straight taper in like a traditional wood pencil and so it carries more material right up to the edge of the exposed lead and supports it much better and thus keeps it from breaking. I rarely break the leads while drawing with it. Funny what you say about the erasers though, as I glance around my desk I have 4 or 5 of them all with completely flat, worn off erasers. I like to draw loose sometimes w the pencil then "draw" again by removing the lines or mess that are not perfect with the eraser, so I typically use the erasers up on the quick and then switch to click erasers, those pen shaped plastic jobs that hold a white eraser that you click out as you use it up. You also didn't mention what I as an industrial designer would have guessed first as far as reasons to change the color. That somebody in marketing felt that a lighter more yellowy color would be more appreciated by younger kids and they may have even done some ridiculous focus group where they watched a bunch of children through one way mirrors to see which pencils they picked up first. For all I know my 13 year old at home might prefer brighter colors because they are more like the pallet they see in their video games, but I enjoyed your rant... And I feel your pain!

I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! I hate when my favorite products get changed! I’m a budding artist and hate most erasers that leave eraser shavings behind. I LOVE the kneaded eraser by Faber Castell. If they ever change it I’ll be sad! Thank you for your videos!❤❤❤

A CONVERSATION I CAN FINALLY GET IN ON. I grew up left handed, I always HATED all the stupid products made for lefties because they were always cheap, crappy, and just not worth the cost to put in stores. Also as a leftie, the type of pencil, pen, crayons....really any writing utensil was always under HEAVY scrutiny from me on how smudgy, messy, or just overall crap it was for a leftie to use. When I was in college for graphic design, I spent an entire semester (like 6 months actually....) testing new pens, pencils, and drawing brands to find what worked THE ABSOLUTE best for me. I found drawing pads, paints, pens, all kinds of things. One stood out above the rest. A pen that I found on a blog in 2015 talked about this crazy good pen for lefties. I HAD TO TRY IT. It was perfect, the weight was perfect, it wasn't weighed down in the back or front, but rather in the middle, the ink didnt BUDGE and it flowed out of the pen with ease without ever causing issues in my cluttered school bag. When I tell you I spent over $400 dollars on buying as many of these damn pens as I could, I mean it. In the span of 2 weeks I had over 80 of these pens sitting in my dorm room. Many of them got lost, broken, or overall grew legs. I actually still have my one from college that I used all 4 years, ink refills and all. However I recently tried to buy ink refills and it was drastically different. The ink smudged all over my drawing pad, and somehow I managed to stain my shirt and hands a dark blue black, it was weird but it was only like the ink had too much alcohol in it, causing it to bleed significantly more. I am still searching for the perfect leftie pen to replace my dearly beloved. To Parker Jotter pens, please re-evaluate your pen formula for us lefties. I miss the GLIDE of your pens!

My favourite example has always been the stainless steel soup ladle: it’s a perfect utensil that has been messed with in the last few decades - not only do they come with perishable rubber grips now (maybe good for people with arthritis and such, but not a feature for the majority), but the material has become thinner, which makes them less comfortable to use and more likely to bend. You can still get proper ones, but they’re _premium_ items now. I inherited my mother’s ladle, easily 50 years old, which will easily outlive me - otherwise your best source for a decent ladle for a decent price is the flea market.

I suggest that you take about 20-50 and set them aside. wrap them up. and pull them out for special projects. things that matter to you. eventually you wont be sad when you use the new pencil, you will just use it and not think about it till you see an old one in the cup. So the nice thing to make a special project even more so will be using your favorite 'ol pencil that you saved just for something in which you are taking special care. idk. just an idea, if you want.

I took a tour of the sharpie factory. I remember these pencils and they were produced as base price as they could. When I was younger the lead pusher-upper was colored black and I always liked taking them apart because they looked like a little rifle. When we took the tour of the sharpie factory, they mentioned however much money they saved by not coloring plastic

i know i'm late and this won't be seen, but this pencil is the one my father used during his career as a landscape architect from well before i was born into the 2010s. It was a great pencil and I never realized it was on the way out. Seeing this specific pencil in this video brought back so many memories of using all the lead and wearing down erasers when i was 8 and 9, and my dad just chuckling and replacing the used lead. Idk, it was something I hadn't thought about in years, and this video took me there immediately as soon as Adam put the pencil on camera. Thank you for your dedication as a maker, as a researcher, as someone who appreciates following a thread of interest. My dad gave me so much, and watching Adam create these videos makes me appreciate his legacy even more. Thank you Adam, and thank you Dad for having the tools i used to bolster my own creative desires that made me the man i am today. Thank you

I can't believe you made a video about a $0.25 pencil. I'm having a harder time believing I just watched a 16 minute video of Adam talking about a $0.25 pencil. Love you Adam. 😂

I’m a teacher of 14 years and the Sharp Writer has become my favorite. I absolutely hate mechanical pencils. But I love this one. They have changed. I noticed it a while ago, they do feel cheaper, but still sticking with it.

I’ve used these religiously for the last decade or so. It’s funny because I never even noticed they changed the color though 😂. But I absolutely agree with your assessment. They are cheap(price not quality), simple, and the lead is solid. You could lose them all day and it’s not a big deal because cost isn’t an issue. A few years back I did get a few batches of them that had issues with the mechanism that holds the lead in place. The lead would gradually push back up into the pencil as you used it. It was very aggravating and made we rack my brain over how I was going to face this new reality that would turn my life upside down. But they finally corrected the issue. My daughter has given me a hard time about not using the fancier mechanical pencils with the refills and thinner lead. But I tell her I’ve been down this road before. And this instrument checks off all the boxes for me.

The pencil nerdiness in this video makes me so happy. No tool will ever be perfect but it’s always great to know what tool is perfect for you.

Man! I just bought my workshop, and I bought two huge packs of those pencils and I was so dissapointed. I immediately noticed the build quality difference. I use them for marking, drawing, illustration, writing and i felt so betrayed and and just this huge "WTF" feeling. It was so crushing. Im happy you made this video because I tried explaining this to some people and nobody really gets it. Hopefully the Sharpie doesn't see any cutbacks...

The Sharpwriter no. 2 is an indispensable tool in my instrument repair shop. From writing notes on measurements to lubricating nut slots to marking bridges, I haven’t found a pencil that does it better. There was an old one hanging out in my shop when I took over and I rediscovered it in all its glory. When it got lost I had our accountant order me a box from our office supply company. I had a similar reaction when I opened the box. They look and feel cheap now. I too found the eraser does wear down faster than the old ones do. It’s still the best pencil out there for my needs, though. Thanks for the rant, ramblings and all.

I've used the Zebra F-301 pen and M-301 pencil for decades, since I was in the Air Force. They fit great in my uniform shirt pocket without sticking out, and write great. I've continued to use them the past 20+ years as a civilian after retirement. I now have a leather pen + pencil sleeve to hold them I keep in my front left pants pocket.

I bought my alligator forceps after Adam recommended them and ended up getting a job as a jeweller, and I now use them on a daily basis to hold tiny chain links in the laser welder

In my small hobby shop I’ve refurbished dozens of old shop tools including a number of table, scroll and band saws from the 1930s-1960s. When working with these tools I’m constantly amazed at how much more solid and well-built they are when compared with their common era counterparts. From housings made from cast iron versus thin sheet metal to motors that have spun for 70 or more years and with just a little care and maintenance will spin perfectly for another 100, they just don’t compare with the designed obsolescence of many modern tools. I feel your pain. Even one cheaper pencil at a time .

For me its Power tools. I grew up with Craftsman and Black and Decker power tools that were made out of metal. I have my dad's circular saws, jigsaw, corded drills, and routers. Most of these tools are older than me (and I turn 42 this year). The amazing thing is that they still work. I have never had a problem with them. I miss when companies made tools that last. I feel your pain Adam.

Vindication! This is my absolute favorite pencil too and I've gotten a lot of crap about being so particular about using them. Sad news about the changes...seems like they aren't different enough that I'll need to stop using them. Thanks so much for this video...I really felt seen.

My mom is an artist and uses a faber castell tk 9400 (a thick mechanical) for drafting on canvas. As a draftsman I'm using Rotrings for drafts but I adopted the tk 9400 too for marking on parts, its so versatile and no more trouble with broken leads.

Remember when twist ties had metal in them? I'm hoarding products with them now because new ones are literally just the papery plastic that holds the metal that keeps things tied together. These little things triggers my OCD and I truly feel your pain, Adam.

I'm a fountain pen and ink nerd. The most recent kerfuffle is that Lamy recently rereleased their much loved 2016 limited edition Dark Lilac ink, a rich purple with a golden sheen. But people immediately noticed that it was not quite the same (different base colour, green sheen), and were disgusted and outraged. Lamy had replied to a customer saying that they had tried to recreate it exactly, but that one of the dyes that they had used was no longer manufactured, and then backtracked on that in an official statement after a screengrab of the convo went viral. The New Yorker even published an article about the whole thing. I expect there are a lot of pen nerds working there. The original ink was selling in the aftermarket for $300 a bottle, up from $12. Soon after the Lamy company, a German manufacturer since 1930, announced that they had sold to Mitsubishi Pencil Company from Japan. Imagine the turmoil that caused! The Lamy Safari is one of the first fountain pens that new fp nerds try when they are falling into this rabbit hole. I have 3 myself.

Use the new ones you have first. That way you extend the lifespan of your vintage ones and give yourself a chance to warm up to the new ones. Since childhood I've hated that pencil but that is the way i go about change with my tools at work

Adam, I'm still mad about Pilot changing the color of body of the Pilot Precise V5 blue pen (and the logos on all the V5/V7s) 20 years ago, so I feel you on this one.

It seems small. But if you use it every day, it’s not a small thing at all. A lot of the tools that I still enjoy using were my dad’s drafting tools from college. It’s going to be a very long, sad day when I can no longer find the consumables for them.

I just found a vintage one because I watched this. I knew immediately what it is and where I saw it. It's now on my desk and I can never use it now.

when you order a product for over 20 years and the company "updates" it and makes an inferior product, its a valid concern.

I bought some of these a long time ago after you recommended them. My two issues with this pencil is that the lead naturally has a little bit of spring to it, and the tip is wiggly. Here are my two suggestions to make a good pencil great: Pop off the eraser, drop a short M2 socket head screw into the tip of the spring, reattach the eraser. The screw takes up the empty space between the eraser and spring mechanism and the lead is less springy! Bite! Bite the orange end of the pencil where it connects to the tip, just enough to dent it with teeth marks. This tightens up the connection between the body and tip! (don't do it enough to stop rotation, just take up the slack.)

From just the thumbnail I heard him shouting "PENCIL NERD" from the black wing story.

How did I just spend 16 minutes listening to someone talk about a pencil and love every second of it? 🤯😂

Adam Savage, if you check your local Staples store or other office supply store, many still have old back stock with the old design, better imprinting, better eraser, and better dark orange/red color. I picked up a pack of 36 old-stock PaperMate Sharpwriter #2's. They're dated 2014. The NEW ones are dated 2022.

Forget not as good, what about not made at all any longer? I'm convinced General Mills had spies following me around in the grocery store to see what cereal I bought so they could stop making it. First they took the cereal I'd been buying for years away, so I found a substitute that I liked almost as much, and a few weeks later they stopped making that, so I found another and they stopped making that too! AArgh! I finally realized all of them were made by General Mills, so out of spite I started buying Grape Nuts because they weren't made by General Mills (they are made by Post) and they'd been on the market for something like 180 years. And I don't even like Grape Nuts :-).

That’s crazy. These are my favorite pencils too. Back when I was in college I went on a rant to one of my friends about how much a love them. The next day he showed up with a box with perhaps 500+ of them. They were obviously factory seconds but most of them are perfectly fine. It’s been the only pencil I’ve used since then. Still have most of them too.

My mom has sworn by these forever. I bought her some in bulk for xmas and she IMMEDIATELY noticed the difference. She still likes them, but I thought it was interesting how quickly she could tell without even looking at an original version. I love these pencils, but the lead on the inside tends to break too much for me. I prefer pencels that can be refilled with graphite.

these were my favorite pencils going through school - didn't realize they had such a fan base! I was the only one I knew that loved them. I'm left handed and have difficulty writing, but these made it relatively easy.

Pencils are one of the first tools we are given as children, and they are the primary conduit to our creative lives. If you grew up in a family that expected academic success, creativity, or just a lot of writing, I think you grow up with an inexplicable love for pencils. To me, they represent pure creative power. Who knows what is going to come out of this pencil? A great drawing, a brilliant poem, or story, or the idea that will redirect my future? Bless you, pencils.

Its a very calm tantrum 😂 i love it !

You said something so deep, that lot of people don't understand, tools are objects we spend lot of time, and we go through lot of emotions and even if cheap they should make us happy. The Japanese brands truly embody this point of view and even with the cheapest pen or pencil they aim to deliver visual and tactile pleasure. Great video

My grandfather owned an office supply store for decades … he sold a hundred dozens upon hundred dozens of those. It’s one of my favorites because of sentimental reasons.

When you held that pencil up to the camera, I had to pause and go dig through a box. Turns out that my grandma exclusively used these exact pencils! I have a box of about 20 from her house that I've been slowly using for marking music. I had no idea they'd become collectors items. 😂

My girlfriend and I live in different states and hand write letters to each other. A lot of my letters have at least a paragraph about the writing utensil that I'm using. It's a very important topic for me. This video totally spoke to my interests. Thanks Adam.

I hope these videos will forever be available that way I can always sit in Adam’s shop and just listen to his newest thoughts and feelings

I love that Adam's definition of 'inarticulate' is still an order of magnitude more articulate than most people on youtube.

Completely understand the feeling! For me it was Skullcandy's cheap $10 JiB wired earbuds, I carried my headphones in my pocket everywhere when traveling, so it didn't matter how fancy they were they would break eventually, these were my solution. The sound quality was amazing for the price, they felt solid, would last a good 1-2 years before the wire would have any issues, I always had a backup pair and would buy a new pair every time my primary broke and i changed to the backup. A few years ago i bought a pair and everything felt wrong, the plastic was cheaper, the earbuds felt slightly lighter and less substantial, the sound quality was lower. I was devastated.

I know what you mean, I used bic cristals for writing throughout school, college, grad school, and before the Plague, noticed that they weren't lasting as long, and the ink wasn't the same blue as it was (and I'm that sad I noticed a difference in blue between my US cristals and my UK/europe ones), you're right about a "cheapening" on things. As for pencils, I use the tried and trusted Staedtler Norris 121 "school pencil" as my go to.

i forgot this channel and adam excised. ive been feeling alone and like im too weird, bc the people around me are nothing like me. having rediscovered this channel i no longer feel so alone. im like him. i never relate to people but now i have. thank you

I have been using the sharpwriter for YEARS as my favorite drawing instrument. I buy them in 60-100 packs at a time. Their lead was perfect and never sand or waxy. I was devastated last time I ordered them to find that the lead had changed (it’s now slightly harder) and is now waxy and harder. I’ve been buying ‘vintage’ packs off of eBay:(