Tools
Are these in North America/Canada?
Listen, I know this is probably a ridiculous question and I'm most likely gonna get pwned in the comments until the point I delete it....but I'm not going back to sharpening a pencil with a knife 🙅
I've been living in Europe for 11 years and never saw these before I left Canada. Just wondering if this style is common back home or if I need to stock up before I leave lol.
Discussion
Everyone at my company here in the states has one. They also make a thin permanent marker
The permanent markers are rubbish, but the pencils I've been using for about a decade now. Always have on me. The newer micro pencil is handy, too, when sketching orders.
Holy those markers are rubbish. I was so hyped for it but the tip is so sensitive the first line I drew on a semi rough surface just ruined it
Totally agree on the markers being rubbish. Bought a set for marking on black painted steel. Ended up going back to a paint marker.
I've used Pentel N50 for years and swear by them for marking up galvanised steel. Probably not as good for black painted mind.
They also make a larger one that uses leads similar to a carpenters pencil, but the replacement leads cost more than the pencil itself
Yeah, I have one. I dont use it very often. In fact, I have no idea where it is.
I've got 2, one got rained on and the sharpener got rust, but the other I still use daily
You can buy the leads in bulk from Ali Express for a few dollars.
I keep seeing ads for them...what are they?
Ox tools has a version on Amazon $14~ CAD, pica dry is 28 CAD. Â Pica dry US Amazon $14 USD.
I personally dislike the ox one a lot. It’s too stiff in the holster and always pulls the whole thing out of my bags trying to get the pencil. But as a pencil it does work very well.
OTOH, some people like the OX holster better, saying the pica falls out too easy. I only have the ox so can't really compare. so far the ox holster stays put, with the clip engaged. (but I have it in my pocket, not a bag)
Found a Kline that has a holster after my first buy didn’t have one and holy shit it makes a difference but I end up pulling the cap off too often
My ox pencil degraded in about a month and won't stay in the holster. Wonder if they redesigned the system in some manner. I did really like it and like OX tools overall if only for the colour scheme.
Same w my ox
I found it snapped the lead when sharpening all the time and then the lead got stuck in the holder. Got the pica and never had the same issue.
That’s the issue I had with the pica. I threw two of the effing things away because they were so useless.
The Amazon prices are crazy, if you buy them in a real store they’re probably half that.
Definitely not half off. Maybe a few dollars cheaper for in store vs US Amazon, but not half. And for Canada, the only store I see that sells them is Lee Valley tools for $18 and a pack of lead refills is $11. ($29 together). For $35 you can get the same pencil with a refill pack on Amazon Canada. So not even close to half. Depends on whether saving that $6 is worth it to you given your time value of money.
The original comment was edited, it had higher prices when I commented.
Thanks!
How much are they where you are currently?
Hmmmmm I'm in Denmark so everything is expensive. I think around €20 so $30 CAD
The Pica pencils are made in Germany and are available in Europe
I buy rando Chinese ones for like $2 apiece in a 4 pack.Â
What's pica dry
Lee valley has them for $18 CAD great store too
Are they out west?
Yes.
Summit tools if you're in the lower mainland has them for cheaper
You'll find they are quite common now.
I've seen the Pica branded pencils at Home Hardware if you want to support a Canadian company and buy local! Otherwise there are lots of alternatives at other stores. Lee Valley, home Depot and Rona all carry similar.
I see similar ones on every supplier counter I go to now.
Good to hear!
Not common but, yeah, Lee Valley sells them.
I picked one up at my local Woodcraft store a few years ago.
Easily available in western Canada for sure. Both the Pica and several knockoff brands. I love them in the shop for their sharp lines and easy sharpening. Somehow, I still misplace it all the time though.
Yea once you get used to a precise line, carpenter pencils are a joke. I only lost one in 6 years!
Hands down the best mechanical pencil. I have several.
YES!
Love mine. Six months and I haven't lost or broken one, yet.
Have one in my bag, not common but available on Amazon.
Yes, I've had and lost 3 of them this year!
Amazon
Bunch of options and styles, I have the one you pictures as well as the 0.9MM and wouldn’t work a day without both.
And I always have multiple coloured leads for special purposes.
Yes I also keep a red and yellow lead in the bag! Although I rarely use them, it is handy when you do need it. Are yours more of a crayon type of texture, or harder like the pencil lead? Mine are quite soft. Maybe they're just old asf.....
I wouldn’t say they are quite as hard as the pencil leads, and they do break more easily, so probably the same as yours. Great for higher visibility on a variety of materials… I have the multi pack that also comes with green and white, as well as the red!
I buy them from Amazon. I have the pencils(green), markers(orange). etc.
I have one
I keep a box of the rectangular pencil sharpeners in my truck and sell them to the carpenters we hire. 😎
😂😂
Especially the Pica always fails on my after like three weeks, the little tabs that hold it on your belt/pants break and than you always pull the sheath out with the pencil. On Hultafors the whole assembly gets pushed out of the pen after some use , only " reliable" working are the Lyra and OX.
Never had that issue with the hultafors, for me the issue is they get loose in the sheath, i fix it with a wrap of electrical tape.
I had the Hultafora before this and much prefer the Pica. Metal blade on the sharpener was a huge difference, and they stay in the sheath way better. I found the H slides out. Never had that problem with it ungripping from my pocket and I've had this one over a year.
Those 2 are way better than some of the crap on Amazon that I wish I never bought.
Or some heat shrink tubing works great too
Southwest Montana metalworker here, we use a version of this for marking metals
South Central Montana screw-up DIYer here. I bought one and love the pencil lead. I ordered the colored leads as well thinking they'd work on metal but they were for shit. Any buying suggestions for colors to use on metal.
Very common. Sold on Amazon too.
Yeah they aren’t as nice as the Hultafors pencil though
Mostly online but one store in my town sells them. I have basically every pencil and marker they make.
There are numerous ones like that available on Amazon. I like the different color lead options and the built in sharpener but I still prefer a good old fashioned number 2 pencil
kctool dot com specializes in high quality German tools like this.
Yessir. I love all of my Pica Dry writing tools!
Tonnes of places have them. I have 3 of them. Lol I’m in Canada.
I have 2 of the 2.8mm in normal lead, and white (with a white cap), and my 3rd is 0.9mm.
I've been using these for about a year and I love them. I was a lifelong Dixon Ticonderoga pencil user in the job site but made the change and have no complaints.
I’ve been using the slightly hilariously named Dixon Reach after using Ticonderogas forever
lol
Love those pencils.
Klein Tools in US. Bought one the other day and it has a little built in sharpener and a few refills. Pretty handy.
Yeah, they are at the contract sales desk at my hardware store.Â
I'm in New England and most of my crew carry these specific picas
They are on Amazon
Pencil sharpeners? Yeah, they exist. I haven't seen ones shaped like a pen before though
They’re in my pocket right now.
Ope… never seen one in my life.
Pencils are one of those things I refuse to spend any money on in my workshop. There are probably enough pencils in different locations around my house to last me the rest of my life.
Amazon has em
Try AliExpress
IHL, atlas tools, Lee Valley carry them.
Is that only back east, or out west too?
IHL and Atlas or east. Lee Valley is across the country. All will do mail order.
Thanks!
Yes, I’ve got one, it sucks. Lead breaks too easily.
I got mine from Amazon
Yep, I have one.
Yeah you can get them at stores but I haven't seen very many people use them. I personally prefer a smaller lead so I don't need to sharpen it. So I bought a 2mm mechanical pencil. That said I do still prefer those over wooden pencils
Very common in British Columbia.
I really like the Thorvald version it has a removable sleeve that goes over the skinny tip that makes it more erganomic to hold but still able to do deep marks.
Pretty sure everything Pica makes is available
They're all over the tiktok shop
Mechanical drafting pencils right? Also known as lead holders?
Yup
Bro these are everywhere and I'm in Canada too.
I live in the States and just ordered one of those from Amazon. I haven't even used it yet.
Very common is US
Lee Valley Tools sells them in Canada. I’m sure there are other sources, but that’s where I got my set of pencils and markers.
Carry mine every day for work
I buy all mine on Amazon
We have them in Canada. Had it for 2yrs now and love it.
Picked it up from Markham Industrial
You can buy them on Amazon or at Lee Valley in Canada. No problem.
What's so special about this? There are plenty of them on Aliexpress for a quarter of the price
Pica sets the standard.
Yes.
Yeah there are stocking distributors in the US. Traver tools has almost their entire marking lineup in stock. I just ordered 10 different models this week. The best sellers are available on Amazon. Easy to get the kind you have pictured.
There are also knock offs on amazon that are the same exact design. But like most things you get what you pay for
Carpenter in Southern Ontario, I use the pica dry, big dry, and the permanent marker from them. I've used the pica dry for over a year now and wouldn't go back to a regular Carpenters pencil.
I have a Klein one. It was like $11.
They’re the new standard (at least in my field)
I picked mine up in Colorado, in a small lumber yard. Haven't seen him here in Utah in any of the larger stores, then again I haven't really been looking. I do like that one better with the sharpener down low there. Mine has a plastic one up high by the catch
For Canada use. https://www.atlas-machinery.com/shop/?search_query=pica
I have one. Use it everyday. I'm in America
Just looked. Lowe's and Home Depot both have them...
Out west they are pretty popular. KMS, Windsor Plywood, and a couple of wholesalers near me carry them
Yes, I like the markers but I've gotten both on amazon
Yes I have about 10 of these across my tool boxes
American here. I keep one in my pouch, one in my truck and one at home. Best pencil ever and it’s not even close.
Yes, I have several different brands
I've had mine for about 2 years. It's great. There aren't any retailer's for pica near me, but you get them on Amazon. Refill leads are relatively inexpensive on Amazon as well. I got 120 for like $12.
I live in Western Canada, OP. They're common enough now you can find similar pencils at KMS, Lee Valley and Busy Bee. Some Winsor Plywood locations even sell the Pica brand ones. I bought my Pica for $14.
I bought the Klein Tools version at Lowe’s a couple weeks ago.
I just bought one last week at the local Woodcraft store. I want to say it was $16. Works great!
Lee Valley sells them for a reasonable price.
Woodcraft sells them
Yes got one in my work backpack
Our Home Hardware in Abbotsford has everything Pica.
Amazon...
Lee Valley in Canada sells them. It's a great store if you're not already familiar
I prefer the Hultafors
https://ihlcanada.com/products/octostik-dry-automatic-pencil-refill-bundlered-black-yellow-3pack
I recently bought these.
What is the point of this? I just keep a mechanical pencil in my pocket. This seems needlessly complicated/large
I have one - was taken in by a YouTube 'influencer'. It's fine in the shop, but useless outdoors because the crayons melt. I use Milwaukee markers instead - $2 for two.
I've seen then at lowes
Home Hardware also carries the pica. Locally to me at least.
Lee Valley and Atlas tools also has em.
Been using for years, prob have 3 on the go at any one time.
Yup. Amazon.
Lots of mechanical pencils that work well too.
Yea, I’ve seen em at the local hardware store.
I have a bunch of similar ones. I also have red and yellow leads for them.
Yes I have several
I've got a pair of those style.
Thats the new version of penns in sweden aka 2015 ish
Difficult to tell from the photo.
Amazon my dude
Yup, Amazon has them, as does my local Fasteners Inc..
Seen them at dicks lumber, I know you can get them on amazon
I live in the freedom zone, I bought one from Amazon. It's nice, I gave it away and went back to the wooden carpenter pencils. I wear my pencil in my ear/hat, that clip is some bs, and the shape and weight of these didn't suit my ear as a holder. A shame, but alas
From Canada and get mine from Lee valley or any specialty wood working shops
I bought a pack of two on Amazon, in the US, a while back. They were great. I bought a whole bunch of extra graphite sticks to carry in my tool bag.
I eventually lost both after several years. I mean "lost" like the pencil would separate from the holder and I would search for it. Retrace my steps, look under everything, ask co-workers, it was gone. Twice.
I'm back to sharpening with my knife.
It was a tough loss, I just need more time before I go through that again.
Everywhere in my house but not when I need it.
i leave one on my workbench at all times. Pica brand is the best.
I have a couple similar to these that I got off Temu. Amazon.ca has some but they're twice the price of Temu last time I checked
I got some on Amazon. They sucked ass.
I’m based in Colorado and have over 5 of them.
See them everywhere now. I find the best deals are at trade shows or woodworking shows, they will usually bundle the pencil with an extra led refill, or the coloured led sometimes. Also I find the trade show booths have a lot more available selection
Love mine!
Lee Valley Tools has sold them for years. The pencils and a whole line of long neck marker pens
That particular brand I think I got off Amazon 🤔 Theirs a couple different brands available in stores here in Edmonton. Home Depot, KMS tools, National Concrete, and Edmonton Fasteners. I’ve seen Hultafors, Ox Tools, Pica and some greenish one I forget the name. All deep marking pencils that take drafting led. The deep marking markers are a little harder to find in stock
Both
Bunch of them in my shed currently in TN. Pretty sure you can get a ton of versions a bunch of places
Own the exact same pencil. Love it!
I'd recommend the Hultafors one, it works in its sheath and when you take it out it's a flat rectangle that fits behind an ear.
I'd use it more if they fix the sharpener. Can't get as fine a point as I'd like without the tip breaking off
Found the same one on Amazon in the US
Yep my old boss had these, I’m from canada
Home depot also has them
Lee Valley near me sells these I’m pretty sure
Ordered one off amazon last week
They are here. Funny enough people give them away. 3 different people have tried to give these to me. Idk what’s up, maybe we don’t like them???
They are available Lowe’s sells a different brand with the sharpener on the side of the pocket clip which is a far better placement
Leads too soft . Good for some applications but not all
I use these (but you can find them for less at other retailers)
What am I looking at?
Canada used to be in North America. It still is, but it used to too.
The hultafors pencil seems like the best one to me
Kctool Co I think sells them
I've obey seen them on amazon, but I also dont frequent supply houses or the big 3 consumer construction stores.
Got one for the FIL and he loved it so I got one myself.
IHL in Vaughan and Innisfil (Ontario) has them. Personally I prefer the marker version.
San Diego California here and yes I have 2
I buy on Amazon
tons at rona
Yes I have seen those or similar here. I have a Dixon Reach pencil which is a similar concept and I like it a lot.
I have one of this, Italy.
In Italy, in many dialects of the south of Italy, Pica actually means "dick".
I have a Katsu router too. Yeah, "cazzo" means dick too.
A friend of mine was very amused when he visited my little lab.
All I have used for a decade, I am SO OVER with those rectangular Carpenter pencils
Those suck and the leads suck even more.
I prefer the red one made by hultafors.
In canada they're available at slegg building supplies and KMS tool
I had the Hultafora one right before this and the Pica is far superior in my opinion. The H has a plastic sharpener 🥴 and these pump out the lead way better than the H that I always needed to pull out manually
You can get several different kind of leads for it, soft/hard, waterproof or not, colored, etc.Â
Canada is part of North America.
Oh, come on u/adorgu, it's easy to miss Canada, tucked away down there...
I assumed he’d meant northern USA / Canada
They weren't really available anywhere internationally 11 years ago. Pretty sure they're everywhere now
Yeah i never heard of them until maybe 5-6 years ago when a woodworker I follow did their annual Christmas gift ideas review.
Must have been bourbon moth.. he mentions these things every single year!