Misc: The Pencil Bug

I have always used pencils (who hasn't?) but the reviews on Pencil Revolution alerted me to their finer details.  I realized I had a couple decent pencils around the house and I tried out some others to see what all the fuss was about. I soon became pretty well addicted.  Here's what I have at my desk, as shown from left to right in the photo (larger version):

• Staedtler Topstar Dry highlighters in yellow and green. These were given to me a few years ago and are finally seeing regular use.
• Ticonderoga Checking pencils in carmine red.  These have quickly become a required item on my desk. They're great for marking up my notes, tasks, and printed documents.
• Mirado Black Warriors are my current favorite general purpose pencils. They write great, look great, and the cedar smells great too.
• PaperMate American Naturals are a nice alternative (as reviewed over at Pencil Revolution). I really like the feel of the unfinished, hexagonal wood and the overall understated style of this pencil.  The Maritime Hotel stocks a similar unfinished pencil that I'd like to add to my collection.
• Ticonderoga Tri-Writes are classic yellow and triangular in shape. I haven't given these enough of an audition to draw conclusions yet. They're marked "soft" which may have scared me away.
• Keith Haring Doubles from Acme Writing Tools. I received a nice metal tin containing a dozen of these fine pencils for Christmas several years ago.  They feature the colorful and energetic artwork of Keith Haring. For the longest time I shied away from using them often because they looked too nice to sharpen away. I finally got over that silliness and now use them regularly.
• Dixon Tri-Conderogas are oversized, triangular pencils (also reviewed on Pencil Revolution).  They look and feel really great with a matte black rubbery coating but I never got comfortable with the large size.
• Col-Erase Light Blue. I pulled this one out of the art supply bin after reading about Steve of Blue Pencil Unlimited and haven't given it my full attention yet.  It may be a nice complementary addition to the stable.