Made by the FILA Group, these pencils from subsidiary brands appear to be roughly the same. They are made at FILA’s main plant in China, and sold under established national brand names. Very established brand names – LYRA (Germany) dates from 1806, and Dixon (USA) from 1795. FILA itself is a relative newcomer, established in 1920.
The Dixon Ticonderoga seems to be the model for the others. It looks just like predecessor versions, minus the “U.S.A.”
The FILA Temagraph is an established brand, but it has been redesigned to resemble the Ticonderoga. The version with an eraser is pretty much a Ticonderoga clone. The one without eraser has an interesting metal cap, with the grade in large letters. It carries on the Ticonderoga ferrule look in an alternate form.
The newest of the bunch is the LYRA Temagraph. The cap has a splash of colour, and is part of a scheme used by other LYRA pencils such as the Robinson. Though the box says the pencil is made in China, the pencil itself is stamped “Germany”.
Though they look roughly alike, the pencils seem to have different cores.
Are there others in this series? Do you like what FILA has achieved with this pencil line?
Update: November 18, 2010 There is indeed at least one more! Please see AMOS DIXON Ticonderoga at Bleistift.
The Fila Temagraph with the metal cap is no longer in production, replaced by the Fila temagraph with colored cap. You can browse the Fila catalogue here: http://www.filaservice.it/
A pity about all those scanner bar codes…They really spoil the barrels. I think the Lyra version is the most interesting of the FILA line. It is the one that I would pick up first, largely because of the red end-cap.
Sorry, I made a mistake in the previous post: Temagraph is no longer made by Fila. All Temagraph pencils are now made by Lyra
Enrico, Is that really true? I mean, can you confirm Lyra Temagraph is no longer a “China” pencil? Is it fully made in Germany?
Joan: My understanding of it may be wrong, but I believe all Fila brands — including Lyra — are now manufactured in China.
They more or less ruined the Ticonderoga so making a bunch more pencils look like it does nothing for me unfortunately
I am getting thru a box of Fila Temagraph B/1, which I acquired from somewhere a couple of years ago. I would like to replenish my stock before they run out, but I cannot find them for sale at any UK websites. Any ideas?
I am done with Dixon. Once they started dumping microban in the paint and making the pencils in China, I will never buy them again. I now buy either Wite Dudes – Made in the USA natural or General Brand pencils which is still a US owned company and Made in the USA.
I am sick of multi-nationals destroying US brands. I wish they would slap import taxes on them.
The old (pre Fila) Lyra pencils have the word Germany next to the CE symbol – but the new (since Fila and now made in China) have the word Germany after the Name Lyra (ie trademark is ‘Lyra Germany’ but not made in Germany)
Other differences: The made in Germany ones have the smooth pointed lead end
The made in China ones have a flat tip and grooves in the tip from whatever machine shaves off the ends (ATM THE FERBYS seem to be still made in Germany but GIANTS are made in China)