Whether for work, school, or just to doodle, you have used pencils; both mechanical and wooden. Both types of writing utensils are commonly used for a multitude of purposes, but their individual "talents" have been overlooked by many. In this comparison, the strengths and weaknesses of each will be shown in the paragraphs ahead:

Mechanical Pencils:

The sleek, (usually) plastic writing implements have both their advantages and their shortcomings.

One example of this is that the thin lead allows for the user to conveniently write in a small font, and add fine details to their drawings. However, the slender graphite breaks easily under pressure, which may cause the tip to become rough, and scratch up the paper he/she is using.

Another feature that the mechanical pencil has is that anyone using it can replace the lead, unlike wooden pencils. This makes this type of pencil more eco-friendly, since the barrel is not made by cutting down the world's trees, and it can be reused. But plastics are made of petroleum. So, by saving trees, they are also assisting in the depletion of the Earth's nonrenewable resources.

One more good aspect of the mechanical pencil is that you don't have to sharpen your pencil; just click the eraser, and you're done! But there is one downside to this - the lead runs out quickly, so once it is all used up, the pencil will have to be refilled. If you don't have any lead, this will be a major problem.

Wooden Pencils:

Although some of their flaws were shown in the last section, wooden pencils have their charms as well.

An advantage that comes with wooden pencils is being able to smoothly shade in drawings with the side of the graphite. This cannot be done very easily with mechanical pencils, as the lead is thin, sharp, and breakable. However, the tip is not very pointy, and it is not as suited for small details as a mechanical pencil.

One other good thing is that, as opposed to mechanical lead, you can find a sharpener in any office building or school, which is much more convenient than having to ask around for lead. (if you don't have any). But if the lead breaks inside of the barrel, sharpening it will be difficult.

The last upside to wooden pencils is that they cost less than mechanical pencils. This is especially good when stocking up on pencils.

Conclusion:

To close, neither type of pencil is better than the other, since it just depends on what you need from a writing utensil, and how you want to use it. I hope you have enjoyed this essay.