Just a quick picture of some very nice pencils sent to me by blog reader Steve:
pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
Just a quick picture of some very nice pencils sent to me by blog reader Steve:
Wow Stephen, what a trove! Do they write as well as they look? Can’t wait to read your analysis of these pretties.
yes, I like this brand, here in Argentina I buy the nataraj violet and red copy pencils, if you want some examples I can send you.
Hindustan Pencil Co. pencils are sold in Argentina? I would never have guessed.
(Thanks dasmarians, I’ll send you an email later today.)
So far I’ve used the Nataraj 621 and the Aspara Beauty. The Nataraj is a good, school/office quality pencil, in my opinion, but the red and black striping on it is great. The Aspara Beauty is a really nice pencil. Sharpens well, very smooth writing, nice black line.
Wow!! This brings back memories from my school days. Nataraj pencils were the standard school kids in India use. The design has not changed in 30+ years. Apsara pencils were the higher end used for drawing and looks like they have expanded the line to other models. Need to get a stash when I vacation next in India.
After a chance finding of a single Nataraj 621, I became interested to try the Apsara range. I found an online retailer in India who would post to my home in Australia and purchased the Apsara Platinums. Each box of ten comes with a white plastic eraser and sharpener. The Platiunum sharpens superbly using the long point sharpener supplied. The standard of paintwork is not up to the Japanese premium standard but not too bad. Frankly, while the wood is very fine, it is unremarkable when compared to the exotically figured wood of the 621s. The lead is durable when sharpened so finely and I would certainly buy again. But overall, it was the cheap looking plastic sharpener that impressed the most!
Thank you for sharing this story. May I ask for the website of this online retrailer?
Oops – of course it should read “retailer”.
That is in fact the breakthrough. I contacted Hindustan pencils directly, but they were unable to advise a supplier in Australia. A quick online search revealed a number of Indian stationers – all ostensibly intended for the domestic market. I contacted one such company, but after a promising start, they went silent with no order accpeted. I’m not sure if Pencil Talk protocol permits me, but http://www.ithinkstore.com/ quoted me a price, including FedEx postage in AUD. I promptly ordered several items and they arrived well packaged in under a week. I was delighted and wrote to iThink store to thank them.
Ozquonk, thank you again for the details and the link!
I have since found a number of India-based eBay suppliers of Nataraj pencils at good prices. I recently purchased a packet of the Nataraj Bold pencils: not unlike the 621’s. They arrived promptly and were very well packaged. I still like the sharpeners. Their thoroughly ordinary appearance belies their superior blade.