2015 was the 100th anniversary of famed pencil maker Caran d’Ache. We’re a little late noting this, but belatedly wish them congratulations! For the anniversary, a few commemorative items were offered, including a special version of their famed Fixpencil.
The Fixpencil, which we looked at in 2008, is arguably one of the most iconic writing instruments around, having been recognized in a Swiss stamp.
Some of the other items (e.g. fancy fountain pens) weren’t really my cup of tea, and the pencil commemoration (for the Technograph) just seemed to be four standard pencils in a cardboard box. Fortunately, this special Fixpencil seemed appealing, and came without an outrageous price.
The pencil is a standard 2mm Fixpencil, but with a special design – silver colouring, a 10cm ruler, and colour leads:
Of special interest is a multilingual brochure that outlines the stories of Caran d’Ache products. The text is light on facts, but the illustrations are great!
Did you buy any of the Caran d’Ache 100th anniversary products?
Thank you for showing this set! It is very appealing. – I have looked at Caran d’Ache’s anniversary offerings on the Paperworld 2015. At first I thought about getting the Techograph set but the lacquer is inferior to the one of the older versions – it’s comparatively matt and uneven, and for 22 Euro I found the set too expensive. (By the way, I have notice lacquer problems and off-centred leads at the GRAFIK pencils too and contacted Caran d’Ache but got no reply.)
I like Caran d’Ache a lot and would have gotten this one, too, but in the end I decided not to because it used 2mm lead. My (regular black matte) Fixpencil is 3mm and I just like the feel of it much better. This probably has something to do with the fact that the refills for the two are offered in different hardness grades – the 2mm from 3B to 4H, and the 3mm in just three, HB, 3B and 6B.
Gunther and Sola, thank you for the comments.
Gunther, I agree. I would like to have the anniversary Technograph set, but the price is so high for four regular pencils. I wonder if there is a special imprint of any sort on the pencils? (I have not heard so.) I’m sorry to hear they may also be off in quality.
Sola, if you like 3mm lead, have you tried the Lamy Scribble? It has a very satisfying design.
And I just learned from http://www.leadholder.com/lh-draft-cda-fixpencil.html that the 2mm version is the original, and was not created by Caran d’Ache.
No, unfortunately I haven’t noticed a special imprint on the Technograph pencils in the anniversary set.
Gunther, thank you for that detail.
I did look at all their anniversary offerings, and I was probably tempted the most by this 2 mm Fixpencil leadholder. Yet it the end I passed on all the commemorative merchandise, and decided to get more standard Caran D’Ache products instead.
Hi Alberto, I am glad to see your blog is still going strong! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Could I buy this fix pencil just now ?!
Is it still available??
Hi Manthan,
It seems possible – these products slowly enter retail markets, and a lot of stationery stores tend to stock them for years.
Is it available in dubai store