I just saw these pencils at a new local stationer. The incredibly bright assortment of oversized hexagonal colour pencils was very eye catching.
The package identified them as “fluorescent pencils” from International Arrivals, and made in Taiwan. The pencils are marked “VERY BEST SUPPLY CO.” and the pencils are printed in the left-handed style. (The text readable when held in the left hand, unlike most pencils.)
I was told in the store that the pencils are for highlighting. This really pleased me, as I’ve wanted highlighting pencils for some time, but have never seen them for sale in a brick and mortar store.
They are oversized hexagonal pencils, with an immense core. The pencils are varnished in very bright flourescent colours. The assortment seems uneven – yellow, dark blue, green, and three in the red-orange spectrum.
As highlighters, I tested them on both bound books and laser printer output. The yellow, the traditional highlighter colour, was faint, and took a lot of pressure to leave any noticeable mark. The blue and green were slightly better, and the reds (which on paper turned out to be light pink, dark pink, and orange), were the most noticeable.
Needing a lot of pressure, and not leaving especially useful highlights, I’m not sure these really are “highlighting” pencils, like those from quality pencil companies. I think they’re just brightly painted, nicely packaged cheap pencil crayons. Which is is too bad, since they look so nice.
One important update – these pencils are so large that they don’t fit in any of the wide hole sharpeners I own.
I would need some 40 pcs of these, where can I get them…?
The distributor’s website is here.
I ordered 6 carpenter’s pencils from Bas Bleu. They have the same “very best supply co” logo on them with the same bright colors on the surface and colored leds to match inside. They also came with a special sharpener for the shape of a carpenter’s pencil. However, the colored core seems very brittle. The sharpener just keeps breaking the lead. When I tried to sharpen the pencils with a small knife as I usually do with carpenter’s pencils the same thing happened. I agree that these are not of high quality but look really nice.
JR, I also have a set, though they came without a sharpener. I haven’t yet used them. There are quality artist-oriented colour carpenter’s pencils made by Derwent – I’m sorry these aren’t at that level.
I have it
I love it
I shaepen it like old timers
with a good knife