I was never one who was really into a specific writing tool. I would just grab what was nearby and start writing. Until one Christmas when my Mother-in-Law bought me a pack of her favorite mechanical pencils. (She’s a grade-school teacher) And I fell in love with the Pentel Side FX Automatic Pencil (PD257EBP2). I haven’t used any other pencil for writing assignments since. In fact, my students actually call them “John’s pencils” because it’s the only thing they see in my hand.