pencil talk | pencil reviews and discussion
exploring the art and science of pencils since 2005
Caran d’Ache has released the second edition of their pencilmaking masterwork. This edition features pencils made from Guyana Palm, Blue Zebrano, American Cedar, and Lati Grey. (That last pencil is a repeat from the first series. Why the double Lati?)
Both editions shown together:
The walnut, blue zebrano, and cedar pencils are the ones that catch my eye.
Get them while you can. Caran d’Ache says the series is tremendously successful.
See also: Edition No. 1
In a marketing surprise, Staedtler and Faber-Castell have launched new product lines with almost identical names – Staedtler the Initium, and Faber-Castell the Initio.
Cult Pens seems to have both lines in stock – here and here.
Staedtler has a brochure further describing their new line. Printing a personal photo on a pen barrel is among their interesting concepts.
Coincidence?
Leading pencil manufacturer Faber-Castell recently extended their popular Grip pencil line with the “Sparkle”.
While at first glance it might seem easy to dismiss the product as just a novelty, the pencils really do exude charm when seen in person. They come in a variety of colours – only a few are shown here, and the lead is a B grade.
I don’t really know what the small sparkling pieces are made of – perhaps plastic? Using a less expensive sharpener might be a wise precaution.
Faber-Castell has created an interesting and affordable product – these pencils are not premium priced, and have a remarkably nice finish.
Does anyone like them?
A note to readers
Early last year, posting at pencil talk started to trail off. There was no plan for a break. It just seemed to be harder and harder to create posts, until there came a point where it became a significant effort.
The interest in pencils and stationery hadn’t diminished, but family challenges and work duties have both called for greater attention. The blog was started in 2005, so there is little surprise that life has changed over these eight years.
A few recent posts have been an attempt to see if the energy and interest remain.
There is a great new article Why Is Hollywood Obsessed With This Pencil? by Seth Abramovitch at The Hollywood Reporter.
As well as the great writing and careful review of the Blackwing’s story, the article has the bonus of interviewing Sean from The Blackwing Pages!
One of the most referenced posts at this blog was on a pencil series made from multiple species of wood by the former Colleen Pencil Co. One of the regular subjects of direct queries to the blog, the top question is “Where can I buy a set?” Unfortunately, the pencils were never available for retail sale, and Colleen has been out of business for many years.
The appeal of the pencils has led me to some informal discussions with pencil companies about what would be involved in creating a new set. What I’ve heard is that using alternate species would be technically challenging, and possibly damaging to carefully tuned pencil manufacturing equipment. For a niche product, even an investigation might not be worthwhile.
Yet, one major manufacturer seems to have had a renewed interest in testing their ability to make truly beautiful and amazing pencils from exotic wood species. This year, Caran d’Ache unveiled Les crayons de la maison Caran d’Ache, a series of pencils made from Titanium Oak, Macassar Ebony, Lati Gray, and American Walnut.
A note about the photo – I had already used all four pencils before taking photos, so that isn’t the factory sharpening we see.
If you love beautiful pencils, I cannot imagine that you would not find these amazing. My personal favourite is the Walnut pencil. I enjoyed using it to take notes, and felt quite aware that it has a dual identity – an undeniable luxury, yet still, just a woodcase pencil.
A review at Lexikaliker pointed out some technical shortcomings such as off-centred lead. I didn’t observe this in my pencils, and in any case I believe the achievement in creating an Oak or Walnut pencil is such that I’ll forgive small flaws.
L. to R.: Ebony, Lati, Walnut, Oak
Yes, I have sharpened one (so far), the Macassar Ebony, using a handheld M+R:
Highly recommended for all pencil aficionados.