The Mitsu-bishi 9850 is a mighty fine cedar pencil with, unusually for a Japanese pencil, an eraser. It’s purpose is printed proudly on one side: “Smooth writing pencil for office use.” Price: $1 each Lead grade options: HB Barrel colours: A rather lovely maroon Barrel shape: Hexagonal Eraser?: Yes The paint is thickly applied and […]
The Wopex and Eco are, as far as I can tell, identical except for the finish. They are made from a wood-plastic composite and shout out their environmentally friendly credentials. What are they like? Price: Lead grade options: HB (Wopex and Eco), 2B (Wopex), 2H (Wopex) Barrel colours: green/black (Eco), silvery blue/green/red (HB/2H/2B respectively) plus […]
I was very fortunate to be able to visit Italy again this year, for nine days at the end of August. I know I’m among friends here, so I can admit that I spent quite a long time before the trip trying to decide which pens to take. In fact, I was spending far too […]
The Palomino Prospector is a wooden pencil that costs just $1.95 a dozen ($2.25 for the green ones). It’s made from basswood, comes only as HB and is available in a ‘natural’ or a green finish. The Prospector looks good. There is minimal branding and the green in particular has a simple elegance, reminiscent of […]
The Staedtler Noris is a wooden pencil available with an eraser in HB or without an eraser in grades from 2B to 2H. It costs a little under 60p. These pencils can be found absolutely everywhere in the UK. Along with the slightly more expensive Tradition they are available in many high street shops and […]