pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
A small curiosity: the Staedtler Mars 510 25 magnesium sharpener.
Why is it a curiosity? Because it appears to be a variant of the famous Möbius+Ruppert 602.
While magnesium weighs much less than brass, in appearance this doppelspitzer is a doppelgänger.
A small trip report. It was a privilege to visit Glasgow and London in September. I loved the trip, and felt very much at home. I was fortunate to meet a Scottish writer and actress who is creating a film project with a strong postal element, an English author and Savile Row tailor, and tour Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen post-dinner, but this report is about stationery.
My first pencil: After taking Virgin Trains from Glasgow to London, my wife and I decided to not plan, fearing we would be quite knackered. We were right. We randomly found Smith & Whistle, where we enjoyed a surprisingly pleasant dinner. To my amazement, there was a small post-cheque treat: a lollipop, a themed calling card, and a pencil! I’ve never heard of a restaurant pencil treat, but it set me up nicely!
Art galleries and museums were delightful. Gift shops typically had branded pencils and notebooks – but usually without attribution to the manufacturer, or recycled pencils, etc. Readers of this blog may imagine that over time – I have enough of this stuff, and declined to purchase these.
These shops excelled in their book selections – super interesting, curated, engaging. I am or have been a member of several museums and art galleries around Southern Ontario and Northern California – and the bookstores at the Tate Modern and Design Museum seem to be a level above.
The Design Museum had an exhibit focusing on the industrial designs of four companies – Apple, Braun, Olivetti, and Sony.
Here is some of the Braun collection:
They had the famous Sotsass Olivetti Valentine in red, but also blue and white:
As to specific stationers, we found time to visit three. I’ll mention the two worth special trips:
Present and Correct is an internet powerhouse. Their Instagram account may be the most popular stationery account in the world! I was really surprised that the store is the size of a postage stamp! It is chock full of stationery goodness (and also has a great book section). I met another stationery pilgrim who asked me if I knew of her favourite, The Regional Assembly of Text. (I do!)
Choosing Keeping has an exemplary pencil selection – the Bosco Woods side by side with the Lothar Faber anniversary pencils. And they know the field. I enjoyed hearing their perspective on the industry.
They are also an exceedingly tiny store.
Did I buy anything? Yes. I hope to feature some purchased items in the future.
It is not a vegetable peeler, nor a magnet. It is a curiosity, a design object created by Oriol Gener. It claims to be able to sharpen a pencil.
It is fun, and surprisingly miniature – from photos, I imagined a full-sized kitchen vegetable peeler – but it is comparable to the size and weight of a large coin.
The packaging has instructional photos that I don’t find helpful.
As one would imagine, you peel away at the pencil with the peeler’s blade.
(An MD pencil.)
I’m quite ambiguous in my reaction. It just can’t be as consistent as a quality regular sharpener. It costs roughly $USD25. It benefits from softer woods. But it is a lot of fun.
What do you think?
From Princeton Architectural Press, we have A notebook for visual thinkers and 12 pencils for visual thinkers in their “grids & guides” series.
The paper wrappers credit the editor, Jay Sacher, and designer, Benjamin English. The notebook is 144 pages, 146mm x 210mm, and features a black linen cover and an interior with a variety of “grids” and “guides”. It is made in China and retails for $USD16.95.
The pencil box features twelve unmarked hexagonal pencils, six in graphite, six in light blue. The box also contains a very thin plastic ruler with circular cutouts. The pencils are made in Taiwan and retail for $USD14.95.
Perhaps because they come from a book publisher, both products have ISBN numbers.
It took me a while to recall that I have other products in this series – both notepads and a red linen cover notebook. They were purchased separately and I no longer have the packaging material.
Overall, the products strike me as thoughtful and that they might be good gifts for the right person. If you actually are a designer or engineer who uses logarithmic or polar graph paper, etc. – I doubt you’d want it presented in the notebook’s semi-random layout. That’s where the novelty side becomes prominent.
The pencils are good basics. I didn’t test if the blue is a real non-photo blue. The ruler is a nice extra, but very flimsy.
The notebook and pencil set pair very nicely, and I’m glad to see that these products were produced.
Something more casual today. This pencil, the 1.3mm Staedtler 771, has bright Noris colouring. It is a large chunky triangular pencil, and has no trouble surviving and being found after a wind gust. It feels sturdy and solid, and at about $CDN10 ($USD8, 7 Euros), has an unexpected wealth of features – a clip, a retracting cylindrical guide, a rubbery grip area, and a twist-out eraser.
Today is a provincial holiday where I live, and some time in the backyard makes me realize that at least in certain circumstances – the visibility of a pencil is an asset.
A small sticker tells me the pencil is made in Japan. My only misgiving is that 1.3mm lead is not commonplace here.
[Update: August 8, 2017]
This blog is fortunate to have some very informed readers. One of them is Gunther, the author of the erudite Lexikaliker weblog. Gunther has shared some interesting history regarding the Staedtler 771:
The Staedtler 771 is made in Japan, and was first presented at Paperworld in January, 2008. The pencil commenced sales in Germany in May, 2008.
Early 2014 saw the pencil’s discontinuation in Germany. In Japan, the 771 continued, and was joined in Fall 2014 by a white and black version, the 771-0. Both versions continue to be offered in Japan.
Gunther mentions that “Staedtler Germany still offers 1.3 mm leads because they were also used for the graphite 760.” The 760 was discontinued, though the 925 appears to still be around.
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: