Bosco wood pencils

It is a true pleasure to present an outstanding modern pencil product. Previewed here, some of the creators of the original and renowned Colleen Woods series have reprised the series with an even more impressive rendition of a multi-wood species pencil set.

Some details of the set are recorded here (audio in Japanese):

The original set was two volumes of twelve, for a total of twenty-four pencils. The new set has a more modest ten pencils. Eight repeat wood species used in the original set. I photographed these eight (new and old) together for contrast. Some have different national origins or specific gravity. The rosewood pencil in particular seems to differ in tone.

The new set has better typeface rendering on the pencils, and are about 3mm shorter.

One end exposes the leads, and the other is sealed, an appropriately sophisticated finish.

Like the original, the packaging is modest cardboard, though the pencils come in a pleasing maple tray..

One of motivations for reviving pencil talk was the ability to discuss truly great pencil products, and this set meets that criteria. There are a few matters around the origins of this set that I don’t fully understand, and there seem to be presentation variations in different markets. I’ll mention a major difference from the original set that may be of interest to readers – these are currently for sale in multiple markets.

See also:

Colleen Woods Pencils, Vol. 1

Colleen Woods Pencils, Vol. 2