Category: manufacturers

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Caran d’Ache Technograph 777 pencil

Caran d'Ache Technograph 777 pencil

“Caran d’Ache” is a rendering of the Russian word for “pencil”. It is also a Swiss art supply and luxury writing company named after a 19th century satirist who took Caran d’Ache as his editorial name.

The Technograph 777 is one of three graphite pencils currently made by Caran d’Ache, and their only woodcase pencil aimed at writing or drafting. (They make several very nice mechanical pencils.)

I’ve ordered these pencils from both Japan and the U.S. They seem harder to find than Caran d’Ache’s $500 fountain pens! Warning: a photo below shows unexpurgated graphite dust on a box of these pencils.

The pencils are yellow. Fortunately, not office supply store yellow – they are a rich, highly finished and distinctive bright yellow.

Caran d'Ache Technograph 777 pencil

The caps are finished in black, and the pencils are pre-sharpened.

Using terminology we introduced last month in our review of the Castell 9000, the pencil is marked in gold lettering:

Side 1 (Obverse): TECHNOGRAPH [logo] CARAN d’ACHE SWISS MADE 777 HB
Side 2: blank
Side 3: blank
Side 4 (Reverse): HB
Side 5: blank
Side 6: blank

I like this sparse look much more than that of pencils with two or three sides filled with text. So where’s the ubiquitous barcode? Caran d’Ache has preserved the looks of the pencil by putting the barcode on a removable perforated plastic wrapper. It would be great if others would imitate them.

Caran d'Ache Technograph 777 pencil

The pencils felt light to me. I put them on the scale. They ranged from 3.5g to 4.4g, with the mean being 3.8g. That’s identical to the reference Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 mean weight, so I was wrong. My new theory is that the absence of markings on the pencil makes them easier to hold, with much less effort needed to get a comfortable grip, and that this may make them feel lighter.

As pencils – I note they come in a wide range, but I’ll just mention the HB here – I tried to compare them with the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 and Faber-Castell Castell 9000 on a variety of papers. Every time I thought that I might have found a difference, I found some variation in the testing conditions. Though I’d like to post “Pencil X makes lines like this” photos or scans, there seem to be a great number of variables that influence the line created, and the results can be faulty. Have you heard that in a stereo store, the loudest system will sound the “best” to most people, or that when the New Yorker blindfolded professional wine critics, simple distinctions like white vs. red couldn’t be discerned?

Caran d'Ache Technograph 777 pencil

What I can say is – the HB versions of these three highly regarded pencils make relatively similar lines, and that’s a high standard – this is all good news!

So if you get a chance, do try them out!

I’d like to thank two other pencil blogs that have reviewed this pencil:

Blyantsiden (In Norwegian)

and

Kent’s PencilLog (In Korean)

Though I can’t read either, I still feel I’ve benefited.

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The hunt for the EE grade pencil

EE grade pencil

While I thought the letter pencil grades (“HB”, etc.) were standard, I came across this lament about the end of the barely known EE grade.

The web’s best site for researching issues like this is the always entertaining and informative Leadholder.com, which has many vintage drafting equipment catalogs online.

It seems that in the 1930s, Staedtler’s line ended in 3B, ExB, ExExB.

By the 1950s, the line had extended to 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, ExB, ExExB.

It is as if these grades had relative meanings. I take the “Ex” to be “Extra”.

In the 1970s or eighties, the grades had become EB and EE. I know of a store that still has an old Staedtler display which shows these grades.

And finally, sometime between that time and the present, EB and EE disappeared, with 7B and 8B appearing.

The trail would appear to run cold – except that Staedtler is a huge global corporation. After my posts on the pencils of New Zealand and Australia, I found myself checking Staedtler’s many national sites, and noticed that they aren’t all just translations or localizations of the same content.

And there it was on the site of Staedtler Thailand – the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100, still produced in grade EE.

So if you’re looking for this pencil, it’s not yet extinct – though it is on the endangered pencil list. Quickly testing it out, I can find no difference between it and the 8B. Something might be revealed by longer term use. It also doesn’t say where it’s made – most likely it’s origin is in Thailand.

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Soft lead pencils

Soft lead pencils

Using pencils for writing, note taking, flowcharts, and diagrams, I’ve rarely explored their softest grades, those beyond 4B.

Though pencil making details are trade secrets, it is known that graphite and clay are the main ingredients in a pencil’s lead. There are also waxes and binding agents in pencils. At least one pencil has used rendered bovine fat! The ratio of the graphite and clay is what determines the pencil’s darkness and softness, with more graphite meaning darker and softer.

I thought I’d take a look at the softer Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencils, specifically the 5B, 6B, 7B, and 8B.

Soft lead pencils

The first observation is that the pencil cores get progressively larger. I’m not sure where in the line this starts (possibly 3B or 4B), but the 8B has a core of about 4mm in diameter, double that of a regular pencil core. This does result in heavier pencils, and a scale confirms this.

The second observation is also about the lead’s appearance. As well as being black, graphite has a shiny luminescence. And the 5B and 6B are indeed very shiny – but the 7B and 8B have only a slight shine, and border on being matte.

For writing and drawing, my expectation was that pencils get progressively softer in this range, with the softness and sharpening requirements being the tradeoff required for the rich lines drawn. This expectation was wrong – the pencils reach maximum softness at 6B, with 7B and 8B being much scratchier.

The finish of the lines is consistent with the appearance of the pencils – the 5B and 6B lay down shiny lines, while the 7B and 8B leave matte lines.

Soft lead pencils

One expectation is correct – each pencil grade increment does create a darker line.

My conclusion is that the Staedtler 7B and 8B pencils have significantly different formulations – and not just incremental variations in their graphite-to-clay ratios.

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Faber-Castell Castell 9000 pencil

Faber-Castell Castell 9000 pencil

The Castell 9000 is a famous and iconic pencil. A flagship product of Faber-Castell, the world’s largest pencil company, the 9000 has over a century of history as an important working tool of writers, artists and engineers.

The dark rich green (“forest green”) has varied in shade over the years, but the current version is excellent. It makes for a very handsome pencil. It seems similar to the palette used by both Mazda and Land Rover in the automotive field.

Most 9000 pencils are sold sharpened, without eraser. (There is a variant with eraser.) There is a wide range of hardnesses offered, but today we’ll restrict ourselves to the HB version.

Following the methods mentioned in the Staedtler Mars Lumograph post, I weighed several pencils. The range was 3.6 to 4.1 grams, with the mean 3.9 grams. So it may be a sliver heavier than the Lumograph, our reference pencil. The length is the standard 175mm. The distance between opposite sides in 7.3mm, making it slightly narrower than the Lumograph. Being thinner yet heavier than the Lumograph is presumably due to the wood.

There is only one noticeable physical difference – the hexagonal edges are slightly less rounded on the Castell 9000 than on the Lumograph. I like this, and think it may slightly improve the grip.

Let’s introduce some terminology to describe the six sides of a hexagonal pencil. We’ve already used the ‘obverse’ and ‘reverse’ terms (borrowed from the numismatic field) in previous reviews.

Side 1: The pencil’s obverse – the pencil’s main markings – usually the manufacturer and model names.
Side 2: The next side, viewed clockwise, from the perspective of the pencil’s cap.
Side 3: Again, the next side of the pencil.
Side 4: The pencil’s reverse, opposite the obverse – often the location of a bar code or secondary information. (e.g. The full model number rather than just the marketing name.)
Side 5: Again, the next side of the pencil.
Side 6: Again, the next side of the pencil.

So with this terminology, the pencil is marked (in gold colouring):

Side 1 (Obverse): Castell 9000 Faber-Castell HB
Side 2: blank
Side 3: 4 005401 190004 [bar code] HB
Side 4 (Reverse): blank
Side 5: Water-based varnish Wasserlack SV Made in Germany www.Faber-Castell.com HB
Side 6: blank

Faber-Castell Castell 9000 pencil

I like pencils with clean looks – and this is just too much writing – three different sides of the pencil, each half covered with text.

It’s a great writer. Side-by-side with the Lumograph, the Castell 9000 is just a touch harder and lighter. The point seems unusually good at staying sharp. In B, right up to 4B, the pencil becomes buttery smooth.

I’d like to be able to better describe a pencil’s marking capabilities, but this is a challenging problem for which I haven’t found a satisfactory solution – the pressure used, the angle of application, the shape of the lead prior to use, and the paper are all important contributing variables. Paper can be standardized, but the other factors probably require special equipment to reproduce. I presume pencil companies have this type of equipment (a pencil gripping robot?) for their testing.

Perhaps the best endorsement is the century of commercial success experienced by the Castell 9000.

If you’ve somehow avoided this pencil – pick up a few to try. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Some additional reading:

November 2005 post at pencil talk

Faber-Castell pages on the Castell 9000

Leadholder.com page on these pencils, including links to historic catalogs. An excellent source if you’re seeking to date a particular pencil or learn more.

Michael Leddy’s essay on the 9000.

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Lyra Ferby pencil extender

Lyra Ferby pencil extender

I’ve written before about the Lyra Ferby. I think it’s a great pencil that deserves more recognition. For a start, the artists who enjoy the Koh-I-Noor Triograph should give the Ferby a try.

But there has been a problem with the Ferby – as a short pencil, it won’t remain usable after a dozen sharpenings. Well, I just discovered that Lyra makes a pencil extender for the Ferby. (Shown above.)

The extender’s form is very simple – a wood cylinder.

While it was fun to discover this item, I’m afraid that I find this extender awkward and unwieldy. There also appears to be a better solution – Lyra makes a full length version of the Ferby, called the “Super Ferby”! Unfortunately, I’ve never seen them for sale. But I’ll keep my eye open!

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Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencil

Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencil

The Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 is an icon of a pencil. When a movie depicts an artist sketching, often as not it’s the familiar blue Mars Lumograph 100 the actor is holding.

It’s also a marketing success. It’s sold in art supply stores, it’s sold at Staples, and it’s sold at the last independent stationer in my neck of the woods. Art supply stores typically stock two or three pencil lines – and one of them is always the Staedtler Mars.

Staedtler is a non-profit corporation, whose mission is to fund “German polytechnics and universities, in particular the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg“. (A famous graduate is Hans Geiger, inventor of the Geiger counter.) The company has ancient roots. Members of the Staedtler family are known to have worked in the pencil trade in the 17th century, and J. S. Staedtler founded a pencil factory in Nuremberg in 1835.

The Mars brand was registered in 1900, making this truly a pencil with a history.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencil

The pencils we’re looking at today are the current (2006) version of the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100. We’ll look at the standard HB grade. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to move towards a more quantitative approach to discussing pencils. Well, I’ve already learned a few things that I’ll try and share.

First, and I don’t know why this surprised me, there is some difference in the weight of pencils from the same box. I’ll presume this is due to wood being a natural product, and different pieces of wood having slightly different densities. I tried to weigh each pencil with the same method, and label and re-weigh the pencils at different times to see if this was reproducible. It was. These pencils had a mean weight of 3.8 grams, and ranged from 3.6 to 4.1 grams. I tried other brands of pencils as well, and they had similar variations. (Incidentally, a few vintage pencils I weighed were all 5 to 6 grams. Pencils were more definitely more substantial some years ago.)

This amount of variation suggests that we had better be careful claiming that a particular pencil brand is heavier than another, unless a good number of samples have been tried. Since this may be the world’s most available quality pencil, I’m going to call 3.8g a reference pencil weight for comparison with other brands in the future.

The shape is hexagonal, the distance between opposite pencil sides is 7.45mm, and the pencil is a standard 175mm length. It is sold pre-sharpened.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencil

The exterior, blue with a white band and black cap, is marked:

Obverse (silver): MADE IN GERMANY STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph

Reverse (white): [bar code] EAN 40 07817 104156 Art. Nr. 100-HB

All six sides of the black cap have the grade, HB, written in silver.

The finish is a disappointment – the Mars is a classic, and the 2006 update weakens the depth of the blue finish, and narrows the white band. The famous white on black pencil grades on the cap have been replaced with smaller letters in silver. The bar code and long serial number on the reverse side also add design clutter. Compared with other top pencils, the lacquer seems just a bit thin.

(A Staedtler press release indicates that the pencil differs from the predecessor version in having improved break resistance.)

The micrometer and scale also reveal that the pencil is a fraction thinner and lighter than it was two years ago (approximately .1mm and .2g).

These particular pencils were C$1.69 each at an art supply store (a good price – they are typically $1.99 around here). Zellers, a discount chain just walking distance from the art supply store, offers 24 of their house brand for C$2.49 – that’s $0.10 each. I know they’re not by any means the same pencil, but that’s a huge price difference from a consumer perspective.

The pencil writes very nicely. I compared it with two other Staedtler offerings in HB – the Mars Ergosoft 150, and the Triplus Slim 118. It seemed similar to the Ergosoft in line darkness and writing smoothness, but much smoother than the Triplus, though similarly dark. Comparing it with a Tombow Mono 100, which many professionals would claim is the ultimate pencil, the lines are not nearly as rich or smooth. While rating good to excellent, it isn’t a real competitor to the Tombow.

Erasure testing led to the same ranking – a Mars plastic 528 50 eraser on Rhodia paper erased the Tombow lines most cleanly, and did the worst job on the Triplus.

Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencil

I tried to look at smudging, but didn’t discern a noticeable difference between these pencils.

Sharpening with a Dux sharpener was trouble free. Like most good pencils, the lead did not crumble or break while writing.

The wood – let me know if you have any information. Staedtler is a global company, and does state that they use cedar and jelutong, but I don’t find anything stated about specific products. The pencils do not seem to have the red/pink hue of cedar.

The wide availability, plus the range of hardnesses, is a major advantage of this pencil. The problem with a specialty pencil is that a fresh supply may not be there when you need it. With the Staedtler, this will not be a problem.

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