The Problem with Adam Savage's Favorite Pencil

[@tested]

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[@paulpixphotos]

Do you still have the custom white ones I made for you in a custom pelican case at NY COMIC CON a few years back? I hope they got some good use, even if they were lost on a regular basis.

[@LedgerAndLace]

Any software that is now a monthly subscription and requires internet to work. You can't just buy a CD and own it. Also: laptops without a CD/DVD player, or outlets to plug in cameras or phones. Want to right-click and save an image? TOO BAD. Now you have to do a bunch of useless extra steps. Want to video chat in Gmail? Remember when you could click a video icon and call somebody? TOO BAD. How was it easier to do in 2012 than it is now? MS Publisher used to have a graphics library of royalty free, public domain images. Not anymore. Now it's based on a Bing Creative Commons search with a "copyright is your responsibility" warning. Some of the images provided are clearly watermarked! Those are just a few off the top of my head.

[@dreamcat4]

oh well... when my supermarket asda took away the 50p pure natural crunchy budget peanut butter. and everything else had plam oil and other crap mixed into it... they brought it back eventually, several years later at 3x the price with inflation... what else? hmm well makita stopped manufacturing the xfd11 subcompact 18v drill now. which was the smallest most powerful tiny drill in their lineup. and it used to be dirt cheap too. had to pay double for a 2nd one here. what else? well for the longest time certain things will goes away. then finally might come back again years later. in mens fashion certain clothes has happened multiple times. and that probably sucks the worst of all of it. what else? well basically when they completely screw up all modern motor vehicles with drm and other useless crap inside of them. to the point that they are basically unusable and costs a load of money to maintain for no good reasons whatsoever! and this especially has occured for the new vw ev, compared to a bunch of much more sensible chinese evs coming out. which is killing the western competition going forwards in the auto industry and for no aparrent purpose, other than to just destroy our own industries. it's such a shame, they are all everywhere so darned awful now. whether its an audi, vw, mercedes, bmw doesnt actually matter at all. all of them. every single one you sit in it and immediately its like... yep this has lost the plot

[@Ansgrim]

Modern Chuck Taylor All Stars are unwearable, they changed the design to include a bunch of padding now so they move around on your feet when the padding squishes unless you lace them unreasonably tight, like crazy tight. The padding also makes them feel much warmer on the foot, totally ruining the feel of the shoe.

[@nathanielskinner6868]

Warheads. They stopped being nearly as good or as sour even in their extreme versions. I've managed to get a hold of vintage ones. This isn't just nostalgia speaking. :D

[@dylandenney3980]

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

[@Duzz14]

Such a great comment. I was sitting at work thinking “I gotta remember to watch that pencil Adam Savage video” thinking nothing was weird about that hahah.

[@cyberspacemanmike]

For my money: Leonard Read, Milton Freeman.

[@Axeglass]

lol same

[@theshunnedone2955]

not only that, but his conclusion was simply that he doesn’t like it cuz it’s ugly 😂

[@Felttipfuzzywuzzyflyguy]

For real, same!

[@CommanderFox]

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

[@lukeb2700]

For real though. I hope they see this

[@korinoriz]

I'm also an avid lover of this pencil and have similar issues.

[@trevorzauner6670]

Serously 🤣

[@katfishzomby]

it's awesome. i hope they see it.

[@GigaVids]

DEI strikes again

[@XanTheDragon]

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

[@DMMinthehouse]

it was indeed not fine. not in the slightest

[@MadRS]

I was just about to make the same comment. You can hear in Adam's voice that everything is far from fine but he is trying not to make a big deal about it.

[@Blitterbug]

Adam's existential crisis was palpable

[@zaq_hack4987]

More cope has never been captured on video than this moment ...

[@shldnfr]

@@DMMinthehouse I read this comment in the voice of the narrator from Arrested Development (Ron Howard). 😄

[@christiankoll1528]

"I don't know exactly how it works, but I know you gotta clean out the whatevers." What an incredibly applicable sentence.

[@mchipitt]

lmao. This guy def has an interesting way of talking.

[@glennthisfieldisblank838]

@@mchipitt there's always whatevers to clean out

[@Toesty5]

It feels like a very Terry Pratchett sort of sentence!

[@marksmith7549]

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.

[@ScreaminEmu]

I live in Southie. Where is (was?) this pencil lab?

[@marksmith7549]

It was in the Gillette World Shaving Headquarters at the time. Before 1985, PaperMate was owned by Gillette at the time.

[@blahblah49000]

These pencils were also my favorites as I was growing up. So many pleasures in life are the little things that someone, somewhere made his life's work. Thanks to your dad.

[@EyeballOrigami]

@@marksmith7549 I imagine to be a typo but I so want there to be a Gillette Word Shaving Headquarters.

[@thomgizziz]

@@EyeballOrigami It is company the aussies use when they want to shorten words.

[@DanteNava]

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

[@exalented]

You get what you vote for

[@Koleisus]

@@exalented I must have missed the Yearly Pencil voting again.

[@opalpersonal]

and i'm betting that's because it is. they're probably using less pigment or different pigment because it's cheaper, and using a cheaper (read:worse) formulation of rubber, because some finance or logistics guy figured out they could save $X a year making it that way- and by "save", that of course means more money going to executives. just like adam sez.

[@Jay-ju6yd]

The more yellow the pencil, the cheaper it was. Those ones that had YELLOW-yellow pain that didn't always even have a thick enough coat of paint, and were made out of the wood that grew fur when you tried to sharpen it...

[@mwater_moon2865]

@@opalpersonal Ironically, the color change could be something that's actually a product improvement. Red and yellow pigments in my line of work are the more toxic ones, so cutting some of the color could be making a product that is less likely to make you and (and the kids that stick them in their mouths) sick. Also, @Jay-ju6yd the "furry" wood pencils were the ones that used cedar wood, which SMELLED wonderful. Since I'm old enough to have had a job emptying the class pencil sharpener (which was much better than knocking out the erasers or cleaning the chalkboards), give me those over the faux wood "plastic" pencils (whose lead was also an abomination) ANY day.

[@dvjvbv]

"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!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That's how I feel about the products I love, so I get it.

[@kevincron6235]

This is the quote that encapsulates this video, for me.

[@Bedlightt]

This problem boils down to "It's every so slightly different, and I don't like it". And honestly? I feel that. I don't care how subtle the change is, if the thing that I have loved for years even slightly changes a little I'm instantly crabby about it and will absolutely pick it to pieces and find excuses to hate it.

[@mwater_moon2865]

I feel you on this, but it's kinda funny to me he wanted a white version (which may not have been possible because the plastic had a base color that's incompatible) and now his biggest beef is the color is lighter.

[@anantakesharipanda4085]

*Classmate* brand has done the same to its notebooks in India.😢 And that makes me upset.

[@flashwashington2735]

It's why you left your wife. A I right? 🤔 I'm right. 🤣🙃😉

[@Scrivscribe]

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!!!

[@killingtimeitself]

god just thinking about this is such a nightmare, and i'm not even a factory manager or anything. The amount of downtime that would be caused by needing to rework production lines. The amount of rework to the machines themselves needed, and the potential for shit end product is the single largest money sink you can possibly make here.

[@williamparker2922]

Saving a dime to spend a dollar.

[@zachmoyer1849]

the ole paper warriors at it again im pretty convinced they are the whole reason the world sucks.

[@ZeroPointAlpha]

Reminds me of my time at a whey plant. Basically, our factory took liquid whey from a nearby cheese plant, sprayed it onto giant rollers heated by steam, which would then roll around at a speed such that the whey was cooked in time to be scraped off by a blade at the front, where it then dropped into an auger to be taken to another area to process it further. When I first started there, it was great. $12/hr. at a time when the state's min. wage was $5.35/hr., 8-hour shifts M-F (I worked graveyard shift), and on the weekends, we could come in to clean the machines while maintenance did preventative maintenance on the equipment. ...THEN came the switch to 24/7 operation. Now we were working 12-hour shifts, with no shut-down times for cleanup. Needless to say, it became hell to work there. I still worked night shift, meaning there was no maintenance crew to fix anything that broke or clogged during our shift. Things started breaking ALL THE TIME. Scraper blades were cracked, lubrication systems on drums failed causing them to catch fire, augers were getting twisted, and to make matters worse, they basically pushed too much material through the machines, meaning the whey wasn't completely cooked when it got into the auger systems (hence the twisting). If it somehow made it past the augers without turning into gross milk-concrete first, it would then gum up the hammer mill, the shakers, conveyor pipes, everything. So I'm honestly curious as to how much extra money they're making since that change.

[@zachmoyer1849]

@@ZeroPointAlpha some of that i think is "college nepotism" one gets in and they give all their buddies the easy jobs. Jobs that used to be given to people like you who worked there for a long time. And they make terrible decisions but they are all friends through the chain of command so it makes no difference. I say this having friends like this one worked in a field so i asked some rudiementary questions just to make conversation and an outsider would have thought i was the one who went to college for 4 years lol. Yet he had a job making 50 an hour doing basically nothing.

[@jenniferbryant3272]

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!!

[@nerfninja6]

oh i loved these pencils as a kid that breaks my heart

[@AmberStoneDraws]

I have a ton of Ticonderoga red around. I love them for watercolor sketching. Which seems like a weird thing to say but they really are the best.

[@adversary22]

Mitsubishi 9850 office pencils are good and are even pretty. The Tombow 2558 is also good but comes in yellow with a lovely ferrule if you don't care for the Mitsubishi 9850's beautiful red color.

[@vemund77]

I've been enjoying staedler blues

[@JenniferThorson]

Yep, I'm a science teacher who has students writing with pencils every day. My Ticonderogas are still better than a lot of the cheap pencils out there, but I still have the problems you describe plus the occasional pencil with the he graphite off center so that they never truly sharpen.

[@Duzz14]

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

[@shawnbenjamin2678]

Cory Doctorow call this enshittification en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification

[@Xanderall]

Sounds like a form of Shrinkflation, but the reduction is in quality, not portion size

[@Kirk.Schr0dinger]

Like "biggering" in The Lorax.

[@johnjingleheimersmith9259]

It's possible this wasn't the issue at all though. Very possibly the machinery and tooling were so old and outdated that repairing became either near impossible or not worth replacement/fixing. It's a common thing just like with the original blackwing. Instead of replacing the machinery they just decided to close up shop. With the Papermate it's totally possible they had to replace with a completely new line and the old stuff was just not compatible for whatever reason. Just throwing the possibility out there.

[@monotech20.14]

Pentel Graphgear makes the best mechanical pencil.

[@the.y.method]

The sentiment is shared across fields. After 25 years as a cook, we do the same thing about tools, knives, tongs, you name it. I feel you on this. It changes everything when they do stuff like this. And yeah, the original yellow is lovely. But the eraser is a dealbreaker. I hate the cheapening of institutions in favour of profit.

[@Pangloss6413]

Planned obsolescence sucks

[@mwater_moon2865]

To be fair, the eraser might be made with a synthetic rather than natural latex, making it not only safer for those with allergies but also making it last longer when left in warm or sunny places. IE, the changes might be actual improvements to the net use/life of the product (esp since I couldn't see the difference in eraser usage myself, so I'm not sure how "real" vs. "perceived" the variation is.)

[@tommazzocco2692]

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.

[@NotAStranger2440]

What film?!

[@ryan_2368]

Oh wow you did Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, and Hercules! Thank you for the amazing work you did in those! Never thought I'd have an opportunity to say that to someone who actually worked on those.😮

[@heathermalcolm7639]

What pencil and eraser combo? And congratulations on those films - jewels, every one.

[@torenatkinson5708]

thank you for your service

[@Melancthon7332]

Don't leave us hanging! Which pencil and which eraser?

[@SaraBearRawr0312]

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.

[@MackNeuwirth]

...... I'm an electrician, hobbyist woodworker, and tinkerer... I had a basement workshop... this is weird.

[@stuartm2476]

I haven't thought about these pencils for probably as long as Adam has known about them. Strangely though, the sight of one instantly reminded me of my grandma. I probably spent more time taking them apart,fiddling with and inevitably breaking, the super simple feeding mechanism than I ever did writing or drawing with them.

[@paulstejskal]

That’s a sweet post. RIP.

[@nssdsad]

@@MackNeuwirth you wouldn't happen to be dead, would you?

[@devilmay]

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

[@slojohnson]

Let me tell you about "New Coke"...

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@slojohnson let me tell you about Pepsi... They started adding artificial sweetener into their regular cola somewhere last year. Which means there is now only died Pepsi and no regular anymore.

[@winstonsmith8482]

And it seems like this is becoming more and more frequent all the time.. I'm seeing stuff like this EVERYWHERE now, in everything from Food products, to Computer Hardware, now to Pencils. and it's infuriating. practically every company now is cutting corners and pinching pennies to the point of damaging the product.

[@winstonsmith8482]

@@HappyBeezerStudios Wow... I fersure noticed a change in pepsi to the point that i don't even like to drink it anymore. Oh well, thanks for helping me to improve my health PepsiCo!

[@fireborn]

MS Windows is a prime example. Windows 2000, XP and 7 were great. XP was my favorite UI and 7 was a great all around OS. 2000 was awesome for networking! Windows 11 is poop hanging from a walnut tree… I HATE walnuts.

[@Michman2024]

I've been making custom furniture for 26 years. Ask me about changes in tools and materials sometime. We really have little control.

[@frednurk5168]

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.

[@matthewlawton9241]

I'm going through this with glasses. They don't make my frames anymore. And it absolutely is a black hole in my life. There are frames that are...close...but not right. And they're not even expensive, designer frames. They're super cheap in fact. ... but they were PERFECT for me. THE most perfect frames I've ever had. My insides are just crawling over it.

[@killerdago5212]

My comment was already here when I went to make it. Thank you.

[@flipback2033]

@@matthewlawton9241 This is why when I find a "perfect" item, I buy them in bulk, if possible! I've done this with USB cables, docks, tools, clothing items, etc...

[@ekzpo3876]

@@matthewlawton9241 In finding something special, the woes are most felt when it is lost. The fear, or discomfort, of returning to a darkness you once embraced is terrifying when you did not realize the light was nearly gone. Seek peace in the darkness for that is when your dreams return your special something; the promise of a new day brims on the horizon.

[@circuitsalsa]

Also in the comments with autism, i was devastated to find last week that "my" shoes are no longer being made so I got a different pair from the same vendor at the shoe store because mine were falling apart, and went online to buy "my" shoes on the secondhand market. I'll have a few more years to figure out how to adjust to something else now... or maybe I'll just learn shoe repair (they're leather so they are actually repairable). Adam's reaction to his faithful pencil tool changing on him is so relatable.

[@EstateManager-s4g]

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.

[@sheltonclark6944]

Thank i didnt know i needed that info 😅😅 but i did thanks

[@Sir_Kero]

That's why those are my favorites. You never know quite what you'll get, and you may never have another like it!

[@chrisfrisch1347]

i have worked in many a plastic manufacturing setting, rotational molding, injection molding, sheet and bag extrusion. I was primarily a material handler but did run some molds and extruders its pretty simple really heat and pressure with a side of rapid cooling . I personally think it would be cool to make these pencils in some random colors. So instead of line purging just add a few random color pellets up top at the dryer hopper and see what kinds of swirly oddball pencils you can pop out the other side, and market them to school children.

[@bradnail99]

The mystery flavors are a very clever solution! The things I learn here, so great.

[@Studio23Media]

That's actually a genius solution to avoid waste and turn it into product! 🤯

[@BearInTehWoods]

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!

[@sether_ton]

Hey Adam! The great thing about Sharpwriters is that they fit a standard eraser, like you can find in a Pentel Clic 3-pack. I usually buy a pack of the Clics and cut them to size. I’ve been using a single 5-pack of Sharpwriters for the past seven years by cutting my own erasers this way. I know this doesn’t fix the plastic quality issues, but eraser “feel” is usually the deciding factor for me.

[@TemporallyAnarchaic]

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.

[@peterwatt9219]

I would check out the Faber Castell Grip Plus. Very similar, thick as heck, and my massive hands love it. Might not be for you but worth checking out, I think.

[@SteveSamons]

I have a very similar history with that exact mechanical pencil. I also got the version that can change between a mechanical pencil and a pen. I haven't ever seen anything top it!

[@lefthandedclogger]

I was trying to remember my favorite one! It was THIS! The combination of top click advance and retractable eraser were perfection for me. I can’t stand tiny erasers that are expensive to replace. I loved these. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

[@jakereichelt8683]

I had bought a bunch of these in high school. Raved about them to everyone I knew and at one point I had lost all but one. I held onto that for so long before I lost it too. Looked them up to buy some more when I was in college and I too discovered with dread that they had been discontinued. That was close almost ten years ago and still haven’t found a good replacement.

[@allwaysareup]

In elementary school (2nd grade I think) I bought a Zebra M-605 F-605 pair at the dollar store I still have the M-605, but it needs work, and after buying maybe four of them over the years off eBay I learned mine is weird and has all metal internals, so that replacement part I'm hunting for is going to be a headache.

[@f.d.6667]

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.*

[@Luziferne]

"now TWO companies need to make a profit, the predictable end result will ALWAYS be a much, much worse product" Never truer words were written in all of the History of Capitalism… Also they hurt our Adam, as if their Greed alone wouldn't be enough to call for their heads and cry out for Communism, this is!

[@WasLostButNowAmFound]

Kenner. Woo

[@BH.22.]

Industrial designer here aswell. I like what you pointed out. Companys should be more proud and commited to what they have and what they are. After all they had a following for thier product and a uniqueness in the market. Everything you wish for. And now it's arbitrary and random. The yellow is exactly the yellow you get if you ask a random manufacturer: "Can we get it in yellow?" Unfortunately this is the way a lot of companys are steering torwarts. Hence the Helvetica logo trend. Profileless and streamlined. Super boring uniformity. Marketing agencies and departments should give the design decisions back to the designers!

[@Cole3418]

​@BH.22. I like torwarts better than towards. I am going to start using that from now on.

[@judgedrekk2981]

we also learned this with New Coke....never change the core product, always offer the new design as an alternate or variant for those who don't know in the 80's Coke made new coke, tried to replace the old formula and after a wave of backlash they reverted back, had new coke just been an option it might not have gotten such hate...

[@freerangemtb]

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.

[@d4slaimless]

And audio somehow is awfully out of sync when he draws with pencils.

[@blahblah49000]

Pauses like that serve as emphasis points; they also allow the audience to prepare to hear what's about to be said. Too many YT videos are cram-packed with constant speech, which reduces the listener's ability to comprehend and remember what is said. Like in lectures in a school setting, it's better to say less and say it well, than to say more and have it be forgotten.

[@KevinVinck]

It’s always funny to me how common jump cuts have become in videos these days given when I was in school for video production and editing 15ish years ago we were told to avoid jump cuts at all cost. I spent so much time finding B-roll for interviews just to hide them.

[@chaos.corner]

I hate the jump cuts. The biggest thing to me is that they reduce the "sincerity" of the presentation.

[@cytherians]

TBH, I thought maybe he had a beer or two before pressing the record button. 😏🤪

[@NAPAVINE]

this warms my heart because these are my grandmas favorite pencil and seeing these always brings me back to being a kid and my grandma helping me with homework. she still uses them to this day and swears by them.

[@fredherfst8148]

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

[@MontegaB]

It's a really shitty part of aging. At a certain point it feels like everything you know around you is disappearing and there's not much left anymore of the world you grew up in. Certainly seems to be happening faster lately!

[@pauljs75]

I felt that when Reebok changed their air-walk shoes in the late 1990's, the solid color ones from the early 1990's were perfect and like walking on plush carpet yet still reasonably supportive. Great shoe for being on your feet all day if you had a job like that. Then they changed to some gaudy colored thing in the late 1990's, and as far as in terms of function the replacement wasn't even close to being half as good. It was kind of a shame they did that.

[@voidsabre_]

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

[@Dabbleatory]

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.

[@joethestampede]

That was one of my favorite stories

[@SteveBakerIsHere]

Yeah - that's a prime example of what goes wrong.

[@nikonshooter71]

I think Adam even talked about that chalk

[@eloghatu]

Ive also been noticing this across many different hobbies. Starting to feel like I may have to just buy bulk of things I enjoy because who knows what will change about them later.

[@Dabbleatory]

To be clear, I'm not saying the Korean production is changed or worse in any way. As far as I know it's identical. But, I'm not a chalk user. Just saying that it's always a worry when a product is under new management that they'll mess it up. Even if the new management is at the same company. Too many new managers love to change things to demonstrate that they're "doing something".

[@geebskerbal2771]

people this is a clear demonstration on why WHAT you are making a video about is not important but THAT you are passionate about what you are making a video about .. I enjoyed this not because I love pencils just that the passion was very hard to break from and drew me in completely lol well done!!!

[@contessa.adella]

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!

[@robbienunes9077]

Couldn't agree more - it felt like "old school KZbin." I was looking for something to watch while eating some food, and clicked on this. It felt like he was having a conversation with me, griping about this new pencil - not that I was watching some video.

[@bruwin]

Adam never acts like a celebrity, and treats us like fans. He treats people like friends with cool interests. They might be the same interests as him, or interests that we get excited about the same way he gets excited about his interests, he doesn't care. He's excited that you're excited.

[@vinceearl4240]

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.

[@CaffHCloudlow]

Always buy the best tools you can afford where youre at. If you hate a tool, you'll budget to replace it for better. This video inspired me to take a photo of my favourite drawing line up. A Palomino Blackwing is the most recent addition 5 years ago and I use that now that I draw "looser". However my Staedler Mars Micro is extremely sentimental as it was almost mandatory kit when I began my degree and afterwards was a daily driver. Solid, reliable and tactile. I avoided using the eraser on it. I have an opinion that erasers on most pencils are pretty shithouse, or good and very finite... so don't want to love them too much.

[@johnathanmoyer2375]

Oh god, why is the F301 such an amazing pen?

[@remingtonspeed7481]

​@@johnathanmoyer2375the 301 has a thin ink that doesn't smear and requires little pressure. The pen itself is very light and just big enough to be held while still small enough to fit unobstructed in most pants pockets. The only short coming is the plastic components make it fragile and I have broken many by squatting in tighter pants.

[@radellaf]

@@remingtonspeed7481 My beef with them is that it's the shortest shelf life for a ballpoint cartridge I've ever seen. Five years, maybe? I have 20+ year old Parker and Bic pens that write as if they were new. The Zebras, if they write at all, are grey and dry. Red and Green, of course, are even worse. Green Bics, I take it back, Green 4-color Bic refills are the shortest shelf life. Year or two.

[@threepot900]

@@vinceearl4240 “Goldilocks items”, that’s such a perfect description, and I’m stealing it for future use. I have a huge collection of fountain pens, some cost less than $10, and one is only a handful of loose change away from $1000, but my go to for work, jotting notes and doodles is the Lamy Safari in plastic or metal with a 1.5mm italic nib. They cost $30-90 depending on materials and if it’s this year’s limited edition colour. The rounded triangular grip was originally intended to help children hold a fountain pen correctly, but it’s just the right size and comfortable for adults too, that it’s become a cult classic.

[@oiuryfsjngfffffh100]

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

[@musicforchange1990]

Thanks!

[@_oksure_]

I can't believe this video came out. Pencils are super important, they have the ability to carry legacy. I have a Faber Castell TK9500 that my father gifted to me. It was his father's, which was used from daily crosswords to engineering sketches for repairs on long range aircraft. The craftmanship is impeccable, but the body bears the scars of three generations. There is a groove around the barrel from the clip being spun loose and tight when deep in thought. The brass shows through the chrome plating & the text has all but rubbed off. The barrel that the spring sits on inside of the pencil has infinite scratches from being depressed and released. The replacement graphite is stored in (TK 9071) a wonderful case that has a simple but gorgeous mechanical function. One stick of graphite with consistent daily writing and sharpening, will last me over a year. It truly is an infallible form of mark making, much has it has on my life and my future child.

[@dracolux7987]

10/10 would like that pencil 😮😮😮

[@joshankenmann]

This is poetic.

[@-MoistPalone-]

This was beautiful friend. Thank you for sharing.

[@evilcritter]

Sounds like a Stormtrooper designation. I wonder if TK421 was an earlier model of the pencil, or if the name was a designer's nod to their favourite tool.

[@qbishop1]

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!

[@advicepirate8673]

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.

[@Becausing]

🔔PENCIL NERD!!!!🔔

[@advicepirate8673]

@@BecausingLmao, I didn't know that I needed that, but I did ☺

[@medleyshift1325]

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!

[@ryano.9004]

such a solid pencil. My go-to and daily-driver for nearly 20 years in archaeology/ CRM

[@austinkroe]

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.

[@bobbressi5414]

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.

[@WoefulMinion]

I agree, although this one felt unusually disorganized and meandering.

[@Beljeth]

It's the passion. When people talk about things they're genuinely passionate about, it is naturally compelling.

[@jerrydeli8348]

pencils are NOT mundane. erasers are not mundane. the color of tools is not mundane.

[@wingerding]

​@@jerrydeli8348what are they then?

[@acrazydurian]

i swear he can convince me to watch paint dry and it would be FUN all the way.

[@monkofbob]

There is something so beautiful about the moment you recounted, of Jamie saying the more scientific option should rule, and here it is purely aesthetic. Chef’s kiss

[@HappyFoxBots]

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.

[@tiagobelo4965]

my mother has a vintage singer sewing machine (so vintage it actually uses a tilting plane pedal, one of those with a design reminiscent of the early 20th century art deco aero trains), not only is it absolutely beautiful, but the build quality is incredible, it reminds me of an old an old machining mill, its high quality thick cast metal, every single part on it is well made, its older than most people I know (parents included), and despite never being maintained you can just get on the pedal, get into the rythm, and it will move incredibly smoothly. the loss of high quality equipment designed with a long service life in mind is absolutely tragic, no matter what industry or hobby it may be in.

[@SteveBakerIsHere]

Yeah - but can you load an SVG file and have it sew a row of daisy's....HA! Suck on that one, obsolete tech. (Er...we do actually have a 1937 Singer...so...um...OK, you have a point!)

[@cynthiadugan858]

When it comes to sewing machines, vintage is definitely superior ❤

[@doglover1neo]

The closest you can come to a reliable sewing machine made nowadays on the industrials. The downside is they typically only do one thing well but that would make some so reliable. They're intended to do one thing non-stop in a factory setting so the last for a very long time as well as extremely repairable. For example I work at my job on a machine from the '70s and can I use attachments or parts for my modern machine from the the early 2000s. As well as there's attachments constantly being made the motors are readily available. With that being said they still have extreme amount of variables in what you can get. Proper factories will have specialty machines because sewing machines are specialty machines in and of themselves. Downside is they take up a lot of room, unless you have a Servo motor they're noisy, the fact that you have to then add additional accessories to make them do other jobs makes a little pricey. For example a home machine can sell a button on or a buttonhole without a problem, for my industrial machine I need to buy a $60 attachment. And if I remember correctly zigzag industrial machines typically don't before well as a straight stitch. It could be that the information I'm getting is in the sense for factory work. And that the factory needs to have the same Stitch repeated at high speeds over multiple machines for hours on end, and for them it's not worth it to have slightly subpar work

[@cytherians]

I did a similar thing. I found a 1980's vintage Singer sewing machine on Craigs List for $20. The equivalent machine would've been well over $100 new, and not the same quality. I don't need an LED screen for a sewing machine.

[@mm9773]

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.

[@Nathan_Talisien]

You're so right! All too many kitchen tools have gone this route... I've gone through three box graters in the last decade because they are built so flimsily; yet my mother has had the same one since the 1970's.

[@shapeshifterboogie9853]

Oh man you hit a nerve there. I so feel you. There was nothing wrong with how they made them and they just had to make it thinner, thus less material thus cheaper. Stop the madness.

[@Sawblade02]

If you want tough cookware, you have to shop at proper restaurant/catering supply stores. Then the only hard part is trying to not to buy the monster 2-quart sized ladle when you only needed 8 oz. 😅

[@ameliag8574]

just a guess but isn’t the new grip because of heat transfer? where with an all metal utensil in a pot, the handle warms up (maybe to the point of being uncomfortable to touch) and the rubber or plastic grip prevents that? i get the frustration with new stuff’s lack of durability and cheapness, it becomes so obvious when u compare new and old tech!

[@cytherians]

I buy OXO mostly now. They generally tend to avoid making the cheapening mistakes. And when they use rubber, it's usually a very good quality one that lasts.

[@bwm999]

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.

[@jjock3239]

This tip got back 10 of the 16 minutes I lost watching this video.

[@granjmy]

Excellent tip!!!

[@oz_jones]

Hehe, tool _tip._ I need a hobby .__.

[@bewilderbeestie]

Good old-fashioned silverpoint! Still works fine, and you have to use them for _decades_ before they start wearing out. But be aware that you can't erase them.

[@harmonic75]

​@@jjock3239Watch at 2x you'll come out ahead 😂

[@stevehawley5618]

I love that your delivery of "it's fine" in a way that completely belied the words. When I was younger, I liked writing implements that inevitably destroyed my pants. I used Parker Big Red fountain pens. They leaked. I used Pentel P225 pencils. The point wore a hole in my pocket. I saved up to buy one of the high end quicker clickers from a stationery store in Summit, NJ. I loved that pencil and used the hell out of in until the fateful day that I dropped it and the point was ruined. I just spent too long trying to find what the model was. For a few years I used a Marsmatic rapidiograph which cracked and flooded my leg with ink. These days, I keep a gel pen in my pocket and have a stack of generic 5mm mechanical pencils for in-house work. In my shop, I have a stack of pencils, both standard and flat that I got from a local wood supplier when I spent entirely too much money there that are actually pretty decent. They are raw wood which feels good and doesn't slip in my fingers.

[@OldLadyReacts]

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

[@justayoutuber1906]

D'Oh!

[@DustinHorvath1987]

"Let me collect myself." lol

[@GlenGlenervo]

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.

[@NG-VQ37VHR]

You'll begin seeing a lot more. It's just another unfortunate cost of inflation. The materials they use become more expensive. So, in an attempt to keep the cost from going up for the end consumer, they have to reduce their material cost by using inferior, but cheaper, sources.

[@LS-zu5gt]

@@NG-VQ37VHR "in an attempt to keep the cost from going up for the end consumer" and the only reason this happens is because the company is unwilling to let price changes eat into their profits. The enshitification of products in pursuit of an ever growing pile of money is so fun to experience.

[@drewrathbone7857]

It seems to happen when investment companies buy a well known quality brand, Wedgewood, Pyrex etc, make a load of terrible profit driven products after closing the original factories, move production to the Far East and ruin the brand reputation, then just turn and burn.

[@spvillano]

@@NG-VQ37VHR and in prepared foods, less ingredients, changing the flavor into something washed out. Went through that and well, I saved even more money, I duplicated recipes and make my own, saving my expense in buying their watered down crap. I'm sure some executive is blaming sales for their sale slump. No, executive, you turned tolerable into c'est merde.

[@spvillano]

@@LS-zu5gt or they could do what's always been done, costs go up, prices go up. Something that's as old as money is. Not try to starve out the market until people start sharpening the National Razor!

[@Circusgirl1002]

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.

[@TheWizardLordGaming]

My Grandfather passed recently and we over the past 5 years have slowly been clearing out his house and shed to make his life less cluttered one thing we discovered over this time was that power tools were so much more durable. Now power tools are made from plastic and replaceable parts. But my grandad's tools were the kind of tools you'd expect to see used in high-end industrial factories. He had drills that were entirely metal and hefty. You drop it and the ground breaks instead of the tool I had nice smooth corners so the original paint was barely chipped on the edges where tools today would have a tone of wear on them after a month of use. The Quality was 100% unsustainable to produce for bulk but man they are amazing to use. It's one of those things that make you wish was still a thing today but you also understand why it can't be. I now use his old tools in my shop today I've looked up their manuals and how they were made and what parts etc so now I have a box of replacement parts etc specifically so that I can service and look after them so they can keep being used in my shop hopefully for my lifetime.

[@stephendavidcampbell]

"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.

[@stevenA44]

WRONG! I wanted him to get to the point SOONER!! Rambling on and on about nothing before getting to the point was ridiculous.

[@stephendavidcampbell]

*Edit* " very few of us"

[@kickstart118]

@@stevenA44 I agree

[@TheBitzii]

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!

[@busterkeaton6528]

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.

[@Belgand]

I find the quality on the uppers to be almost irrelevant considering the soles will wear through within a year, and, in the US at least, you can't resole them.

[@jabezhane]

I miss the days you could walk into any small market town, find the family hardware store and buy a pair of red or black 8 holes for like £30 and they would last forever.

[@leemarsh3569]

Yes, my DM’s wore out so quickly. It was very disappointing

[@Ylyrra]

They've become entirely a "luxury brand" these days. Their work boots stayed pretty good til the end, I've worn them for 40 years and each pair has lasted me about the same time apart from a couple of outliers with defects, but they stopped making them some time in the past 5 years since my last pair. Now they're just another faux-boutique store selling 300-quid pairs of "limited edition" (by which they mean seasonal, not actual limited edition) fashion shoes.

[@khaitomretro]

Dr Martin's "Made in England" range are still, and always have been, made in the original Wollaston factory (operated by Solovair) and are the only ones that are made with the original look leather, Quilon (a replica of the tough leather and eggshell finish their classic 1970s work boots had). Solovair branded boots are made in England at the same factory to the same quality but cannot use the same Quillon leather as the classic Dr Martin's due to the companies licensing and manufacturing agreements. Solovair's designs are also slightly different from the original DM's. So both Solovair and Dr Martin's Made-in-England boots are manufactured in Wollaston, in England, with the same quality soles, welts and stitching, but to slightly different designs and with different finishes. All other DMs are made overseas.

[@tompov227]

I so appreciate this because very recently my favorite pen ever that I have been using since 2016 had almost all the colors discontinued going from 19 to 3 and it absolutely shook my entire world.

[@SparrowHawk183]

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.

[@RodCornholio]

I’d pay you to use that as a quote on product packaging and adverts…if I was in the pencil business. You made the humble pencil a magic wand. Well done.

[@SparrowHawk183]

@@RodCornholio Hahaha thanks! 😄

[@rondavis3232]

Very, very well said. I'm stealing that.😂

[@keddykp]

Not just makers; as a desk-jockey HR type for my day-to-day, I have specific pens and pencils that I am absolutely possessive over and my co-workers know not to touch them lmao. There's something about adding an appointment to my physical planner with my favourite planner that makes the drudgery a little more ok.

[@dulcimer16]

What a cool comment

[@KitchenGuy]

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.

[@nosidamXlynax]

do you utilize the isograph or rapidograph? and what sizes? i utilize the rotring isograph 0.1mm and a custom 0.03mm ^_^

[@KitchenGuy]

@@nosidamXlynax I use the tikky pencils (0.5 and 0.35) but have used the isographs before, but you always have to switch out the cartriges if you let them sit for too long. If I want to mark something permanently I started using Mitsubishi uni-ball, not to precise but the ink is very nice.

[@PamOrl]

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.

[@jonahvanderheiden3079]

I’ve been a writing utensil snob since about 5th grade ~14 years now. Been using the Sharpwriter for even longer, because that’s what my aunt has always enjoyed, and subsequently so do I. Not just because she used them, but also because I have an essential tremor and push insanely hard when I write, to compensate for the vibration for my hands. The lead strength is unmatched by any other pencil I’ve tried. To this day they are the only pencil I can pick up and use, to the point that I keep at least one in my pocket or bag at all times. That’s how deep these go. To Adam and I these were never JUST pencils. They’re an emotional bond to a legendary tool of penmanship that will stick with us forever. Rest in peace to the OG Sharpwriter.

[@angst_]

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.)

[@robertwhite6384]

See I like the spring in the lead. Keeps me from writing too hard and breaking lead. To each their own.

[@D3nn1s]

This is kinda the point of mechanical pencils, the spring helps you keep constant pressure for drawings. If you like non springy pencils just buy regular ones i guess or the thick mechanical ones

[@angst_]

@@D3nn1s this is the only mechanical pencil (or writing device) that I've ever seen that has a spongy lead, so I wouldn't consider it a design feature of all mechanical pencils. It's inherent to the design of the twist mechanism in this one product.

[@D3nn1s]

@@angst_ okay, every one ive had was spring loaded, interesting.

[@PaulJimenez3]

I'm glad you mentioned their wiggly tip as that was what turned me off of them on first encounter mumble decades ago. At the time I preferred the BIC disposable mechanicals - black barreled with rainbow eraser holder ends, to me they had the right combination of flex and a good lead to make them my favorite. Sadly, they too have changed - first the original version reformulated the plastic to something that felt more likely to shatter than bend, and now I'm not sure that original edition even exists anymore as instead there's a plethora of colors and such. Luckily, I'm mostly digital these days, with either a keyboard or if it MUST be drawn, my Remarkable 2. It's not perfect - it always feels a bit small, and it's greyscale to name some major flaws - but it's really pretty close. It's nice to be able to scribble on a PDF form.

[@pmpreece]

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

[@JamesStrassburg]

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.

[@hmadrone]

Modern Blackwing makes an unpainted pencil called the Natural, which is my favorite in the Blackwing line. It's the hardest lead of any pencil they sell, so perfect for sketching. I might have to pick up some Cedar Pointes, which are a lot softer.

[@zoffinger]

Do they make Ticonderoga spray paint?

[@mattl2328]

I came to this video (this channel really) looking for the tool insight you spoke of at the beginning. I am looking for a pencil to live in my hat. Then I witnessed the type of rant I am known for. You bring me joy, never change your colors.

[@Rystefn]

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.

[@Apollyon1974]

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. 😂

[@Blutmage]

Thank you! I’ve been using these for years and I thought I was the only one who noticed this (everyone else I try to talk to about this stares at me like I’m nuts).

[@chefjuke1]

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 .

[@mromutt]

I love to pick up old tools for a couple dollars at the thrift shop. They are so easy to work with and repair. Some of them when you open them even have a layout pasted inside because they expected you to repair and keep using the tool forever.

[@donsurlylyte]

they were expensive back in the day, but cheap now.

[@winstonsmith8482]

@@donsurlylyte is it really cheaper in the end when you have to keep buying it again after the first one breaks? It's certainly a lot more wasteful.

[@bennyfactor]

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.

[@DragoDrake]

"It's ... fine" he says, through gritted teeth, and in audible pain.

[@AmberStoneDraws]

As long as they don't change the needle tip or the barrel size on the V5, I'll use them forever. ;_;❤

[@nigelworwood8530]

V7 High -Techpoint 0.7 in Black for me ...

[@bennyfactor]

@@AmberStoneDraws big same, buddy. Just honks me off, you know? I still have one of the old blue ones, though, for old times sake.

[@mikebond6328]

I stopped using the v5/v7 after the second one that took an ink dump in my pocket. Pilot G-2 all the way.

[@kilmameri8844]

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

[@jamiecarter9357]

I watched a 9 minute video once on how to properly sharpen a wooden pencil using a manual pencil sharpener like you'd have in a classroom... so much to know and understand that I just took for granted. This is the next level...

[@john_djr]

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!

[@michaelramon2411]

I have also used this pencil quite a lot, though just for paper writing. It's extremely convenient to have a pencil with retractable lead in your pocket

[@RedTail72]

A couple of thoughts on this video. First, as you were talking about trying to get PaperMate to make them in a custom color, I was thinking to myself "they look just like a #2 pencil and that is their brand, of course they won't change the color". Needless to say, I was floored when you broke out the new "model" and they went to that bright yellow. I feel like PaperMate owes you some pencils in white now just for that horrible color. Second, I can't thank you enough for making these videos. As someone who likes to dabble in everything, I see so much of my own thought process in you and it helps to confirm I'm not broken or crazy. I laughed when you noted it took 9 minutes to get to the point, because I can relate to that so much. I feel like I give a 10 minute answer to yes/no questions all the time because you have to give some backstory which then connects to this and so on. I have to stop or I'm going to keep going off on tangents in my comment. In summary, thanks for sharing these real videos and letting those of us with similar mental processes know we are not alone!!

[@SoloSabbath]

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.

[@granjmy]

I bought some twist ties on eBay. They are big, thick, perfect.

[@AmpHibious]

every time i buy a product with a power cord that has a thicker gauge twist tie, i try to keep it. aside from being useful around the house they are great for miniature modeling.

[@granjmy]

@@mal2ksc Yeah. Not the same. :)

[@MatthiasGarner]

My grandfather, a lifelong electrician and tinkerer, also preferred the PaperMate Sharpwriter #2. Love seeing it featured in a Tested video, haha

[@louisegrimhelm3041]

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

[@codywalz8555]

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.

[@k.v.2049]

Adam being about as passionate about pencils as I am about pens brings me joy. Over the years I've always had one favourite that slowly evolved. Now I have three different refillable one for different usecases. I'd be going nuts if I can't get a refill for one of them someday.

[@nicholashall4444]

I have many memories about my Nana always using these “old style” mechanical pencils, just like the one you showed off. I was…indifferent at first, used to hate the but, the more I use it the more I loved it. Anytime I seen/hold one I think of her. I never knew they changed it

[@Shambolicoholic]

Just another example of the enshittification of everything, as coined by Cory Doctorow. While watching this video I went from being introduced to something I've never bought before to jumping onto Amazon planning to buy way too many to being horribly disappointed that something I never knew about before wasn't as good as it used to be. 😭😂

[@naikrovek]

that word is over-used and worn out. everyone thought "oh shit new word, I must use it in every comment I make" and now I'm so sick of it that I stop reading as soon as I see it. do yourself a favor and abandon this word.

[@Kunstdesfechtens]

Same.

[@SaHaRaSquad]

That's not what enshittification means, it specifically refers to online platforms that act as middlemen between corporate and private customers and start bleeding both dry until everyone leaves.

[@naikrovek]

@@SaHaRaSquad it is "the act of making something shitty" - and is much more general than online platforms or any other single topic.

[@blorglord]

​@@naikrovekget over yourself bro its a word 😂

[@dustmundo]

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.

[@motormaker]

If a big enough stink is made the revamped model will go away like new coke.

[@tsm688]

@@motormaker lol no. once a product moves to china it stays in china. once a product gets dumbed down by china it stays dumbed down.

[@tomhorsley6566]

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 :-).

[@johnbetsa5598]

I thought they were only shadowing me,

[@jmacd8817]

Which cereals? I'm curious, as my cereal of choice is Cheerios. I also like Super Sugar Crisps (or whatever they're called now)

[@BuckleyLucky]

reminds me of "gatorade tiger" back when tiger woods got into trouble they discontinued the 'key lime' flavor and I dont understand why they didnt just take his name off of the bottle and keep the flavor. very sad. I miss that light green gatorade tiger! 😥

[@Babarudra]

Sobe Cirtus Energy!!!

[@bobcoombs7924]

Brand loyalty based on spite. I like it. 😁 I probably do that and don't even realize it.

[@samuelmarlow2934]

There was a line of notebooks I used to love, and got me through college. They discontinued them about 15 years ago, and it was definitely a form of grief.

[@EmilioMejia]

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.

[@aleksandrdowd]

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.

[@poolatka]

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...

[@jcongdonable]

I'd always been a Ticonderoga #2 kind of guy (usually sharpened with a knife or a chisel; I also mounted an old hand-cranked sharpener underneath my welding cart next to the pencil cup), but this video inspired me to get a box of Sharpwriters. I'll be perfectly honest: not having the emotional connection with the previous version, I have found them to be perfectly acceptable, and there are now several dozen scattered around my shop and in the pocket of my backpack. I'm sorry for your loss (sincerely; not being sarcastic), but I'm glad that your concern about the new version led you to make this video and thus to introduce me to another useful tool.

[@thegingineer0]

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

[@trublgrl]

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.

[@francissicnarf2510]

Its a very calm tantrum 😂 i love it !

[@Games_and_Music]

A tantric tantrum?

[@laurasantos6126]

I laughed a lot about your disappointing on your fave pencil, because I thought I was the only weird person in this world to act like that. I looove this pencil, but it's hard to find them here in my country. Anyway, that's what the other viewer said that you're the only person who we can spend 16 minutes of our time to hear about a pencil. Love it! TY 😅

[@pdtraill]

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.

[@victor-charlesscafati]

Regarding the color: My theory is some newly promoted exec in marketing or product ownership wanted to make their mark by picking a "better" color.

[@jesperwall839]

Probably more like saving money. Cheaper if you only have to blend two colors instead of 3 or more for the old color.

[@virtuserable]

Could also be the suppliers for the raw material jacked the prices up for the pigments and polymers.

[@mapowey]

i think it’s just that raw yellow is cheaper than a yellow and red combo

[@brolohalflemming7042]

They may be able to redeem themselves by giving Adam a factory tour. Especially if they also have a museum. C'mon Papermate, do it!

[@blahblah49000]

I'm convinced that this is the phenomenon that is responsible for much of the reverse-progress in things across the spectrum: a lack of humility at the levers of power. As you said, as each person retires (or gets promoted) and a new one is promoted into his place, the new one wants to make his mark, so he can be noticed and keep moving up the ladder. The only way to make one's mark is to change something. Therefore, if a product or service has already been optimized and is mature, the only way to change it is...to make it worse. But, quite likely, the person making the decision, and those above him, don't use the product or service directly, so they don't even know enough to notice or care. It's just not enough for someone with a corporate ego to let good things keep being good.

[@mitchelharrison4177]

Aesthetics are very important. My initial reference point was guitars. Many new players will quit early on because it’s difficult to learn, and can even be painful at times. However, if your guitar looks so attractive that you can’t help but pick it up and play it every time you see it, you are more likely to continue learning and progressing your skills. You will also become much more adept with that particular guitar, and it will begin to feel like “home”. I notice that in my tool selection as well.

[@bentackett6299]

I've had this feeling so many times with so many products. Stanley hammers come to mind. And you are so right about a craftsman's journey and relationship with tools. As a union carpenter of 34 years I have my strong passionate favorites!

[@ninjabagel01]

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.

[@draggonhedd]

Genuinely, my cheap headphone of choice is the Philips SHE-3595 or 3590 (with and without mic respectively) series. Try those maybe? 6-12$ a pair and sound fantastic. Maybe try those?

[@sgtpepper1138]

Same thing seemed to happen to the Skullcandy Ink'd that I used to buy all the time. The last pair I got sounded terrible, like a cheap pair of Big Lots earbuds. Just tinny and flat sounding.

[@richardseymour7162]

And now you can't get earbud-only Skullcandys. You *have* to accept having a mike and mute switch... which causes many apps to "skip to next track" when you accidentally bump it. Grrrrr.

[@sgtpepper1138]

@richardseymour7162 I actually like having that control, but I understand some don't want or needed it.

[@Dee_Just_Dee]

About 20 years ago I bought a ~$25 pair of Sennheiser earbuds that came with a protective case that would take up the cord on a reel. Those things lasted 10 years and in fact they never did break - I somehow lost them. So I bought another pair of Sennheiser earbuds, a ~$15 pair this time, and I keep them in the same case. I think the case might actually make all the difference - what if most of the damage to our earphone wires happens when they're tumbling around in a pocket or bag, and not when we're actually using them?

[@roguekin]

I came across these same model pencils approximately 13 years ago at an old job, and I loved them so much, I took several boxes home myself. I haven't worked at that job in a decade, and yet these are still the only pencils I buy. Glad to know they have the approval of such a legend as Adam Savage, sad to hear they're changing.

[@MattParkent]

I've used hundreds (possibly thousands) of pencils in my decade as a carpenter. My father and I did finish carpentry and install together for a decade. He brought me on as his assistant after his previous one passed away of a sudden heart attack. Anywho, I've seen and used all kinds of pencils. I've thrown away a ton of broken ones. My father had a habit of putting a pencil in his back pocket and then sitting on them snapping them in twain. Eventually I came across a #4 pencil and delighted that it drew better on wood than #2's. Then I started wrapping them in painters blue tape. You can still sharpen them with a utility knife, but they don't break when you sit on them. I bought a ton of pencils with the intent to talk to our acquisitions guy so I could be reimbursed. But then my father got fired by the new owner. She fired me a month later. Now I've got about 7 twenty packs of these pencils...

[@bearsonwelles3407]

I love those pencils too. What I love is that there is just the slightest amount of springiness to the graphite, so you can actually make contact with what you are marking, confirm that you are on the right spot, and it won't leave a mark until you apply that slight amount of pressure. This really helps when using something like a speed square to mark off a cut, where your mark won't be exactly on the thing you are using to hold that right angle.

[@_Francis_York_Morgan]

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. 😂

[@cleetusmcyeetus1776]

Fellow pen/pencil nerd here, the Sharpwriter is legendary and I hope this is just a temporary thing and that they return to OG status. For me the Pentel Quicker-Clicker is the biggest advancement in writing tech since stone tablets and I hope it never gets messed with. It even has a cool little eraser cap thing that is enchanted to completely vanish as soon as you take your eyes off of the pencil for the first time after opening the package.

[@oneofthesteves]

I had a smooth, transparent turquoise quicker clicker back in the late 80's early 90's as a kid in school - awesome pencil except for the eraser cap which was always loose and falling off. That actually annoyed me a lot.. Anyway, the rubber barrel came out when I was in college, but it didn't bother me too much. I think I had a pink 0.9mm version that got me through many of my engineering classes. Later in life, however, I rediscovered the Pentel P205, which is now my absolute favorite: 4mm guide pipe, light weight, durable plastic... it's just the best. And I've tried rotrings, pilots (well the S20 is really nice), kuru togas... and the P205 is just it for me.

[@SternLX]

Pentel are the rockstars of writing Utensils. If you've ever used a Gelly Roll(the original Gel Pen) you'll know what I mean.

[@traewatkins931]

Ahh, but that exact pencil has had changes that made it worse. I remember when that pencil came out when I was in the 4th grade. I went with my mom to the office supply place that was right by the family business and I begged her to get me one and I promised that I wouldn't loose it. I had that original one until a about 15 years ago when it finally broke, it had lasted 20 years. The new ones then just were not as good and broke after just a couple years.

[@AmberStoneDraws]

Loved the quicker clicker but the button always ended up falling into the barrel on mine and I'd have to get a new one.

[@lewfec7336]

Might be a sign to ask them again if they can do a custom colour run

[@P-Mouse]

+

[@cbjewelz]

doubtful if they are trending in a worse direction with what appears to be a shittier, cheaper yellow tone

[@SianaGearz]

@@cbjewelz One yellow tone doesn't really cost more than another.

[@Skeif13]

@@SianaGearz i think the primary colors for paints are red, yellow, and blue. so making orange probably did cost them a tiny bit of extra money since they'd have to mix yellow and red, but i guess if you're mass producing them, the savings add up.

[@SianaGearz]

@@Skeif13 pigment primary colours would fundamentally be subtractive colours (cyan magenta yellow) except magenta and cyan aren't available as standard master batches and there is actually a lack of usable pigments for that. So anyway primary colours just aren't a thing in this area, and you simply get 8 different yellows from your supplier some of which are their own different pigment chemical and some might be mixtures I'm not sure and you can indeed just weigh up your own mixture to shift the colour a little but like you do this once per 15-25kg, which is already several thousand pens, that amount of plastic takes a while to go through, or you can premix more in advance and then just have a scoop of the right size of masterbatch mixture to pigment a given batch. You can get polymer specific master batches but many just use EVA, at moderate concentration that seems to be widely usable. As you add more pigments though the colour will shift towards greys, it will be less pure, since you don't really have access to perfect primary colours. So you want to start with about the right pigment and not try to shift it too much.

[@SHUTDOORproduction]

Maybe change is what you fear the most. I think you would feel the same way if it was reversed and it went from bright yellow to a darker yellow. You might say the old ones were bright and happy and the new ones are more dull. Just food for thought.