I suspect pencil and paper has not been entirely replaced by more recent technology in archives and record offices around the world, certainly not for me anyway. I usually have my netbook at my side, but it is used for reference rather than note-taking.
For note-taking I still use pencil and paper, I am not one of those people who have to have a copy of every record I find at an archive, I only bother with a copy if it is something that would take longer to transcribe than it would to get a copy of the original.
I favour the propelling pencil, purely for ease of use in not having to find a pencil sharpener, although I still need to make sure I have some spare leads. I normally use a blue Parker Jotter mechanical pencil that I have had since I was at school about twenty years ago. It has served me well all these years at a variety of record offices around the south-east of England.
In contrast the pencils below are rarely used, for no reason other than the fact that I usually have a propelling pencil closer to hand. Before you start worrying I haven’t been deliberately collecting genealogy pencils (although I might start now!), these have been gathered at past family history events.
John, I am coveting your pencil collection. You’ve given this bowerbird an idea for a new collection.
I think your collection of “genealogy pencils” is pretty cool. You might just start a whole new niche of collections.