Comments on: Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil – 3

By: Seamus

Seamus — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:12:00 +0000

After much thought and use I have come to realize that I use the Perfect Pencil 9000 the most due to its light weight but my favorite Perfect Pencil so far is this silver plated version. Why? because it is so far the ultimate wood pencil users fiddlers delight. It has 4, count em’ 4 twisty bits and one springy bit. How can any true fiddler resist such an item? You twist the two part clutch to remove and replace the pencil. You twist off the cap to get at the sharpener. You twist the pencil in the sharpener to sharpen your pencil. And, to get at the eraser you get to twist off the eraser cap. Now don’t forget the springy clip which is perfect for mindless fingernail entertainments in the pocket or under the desk at meetings and while working. But best of all, and I don’t believe that anyone has mentioned this before, is that thanks to the two part clutch mechanism the silver plated Perfect Pencil can be used as a vertical pencil holder while seated at desk or table. The other versions while extremely beautiful and useful just don’t have the added allure of all the twisty bits, and none of them can be used as a vertical pencil holder, as the silver plate version can. And another added benefit of the two part clutch mechanism is that it is so far the only version of the Perfect Pencil that I have come across that doesn’t dent or damage the pencil’s finish as a result of friction fit as all the other versions have a tendency to do.

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:23:23 +0000

jackie, the precious metal versions all take the same refills.

By: jackieblue

jackieblue — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:03:48 +0000

Craniopath, can you say more about the sterling silver one? Is it hard to find refill pencils and erasers for it?

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:11:24 +0000

craniopath, thanks very much for your kind comments. I have corresponded with others, including the manufacturer, about the variant you have. Faber-Castell didn’t tell me too much, but acknowledge it as a discontinued predecessor version of the current offering.

By: craniopath

craniopath — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:20:46 +0000

I like to thank you a lot for writing such beautiful, detailed and personal reviews of perfect pencils. It was very helpful when I was seriously confused by different versions. I most certainly agree that a pencil should be cheap to maintain and this pen gets a rich patina with use.

Me and perfect pencil was love in first sight. I have spent many many hours on ebay to find one that I can afford. Well my effort paid and now I have four different versions; silver (without the sharpener, sterling silver, silver plated, platinum plated). It was pure luck I came into good deals, I will keep one and sell the other three. This is one I am most likely to keep.

Mine came in a small all wooden box. It says “verlangerer mit eingebauten Anspitzer 3 Taschenstifte Nr.IV”. Which I think roughly translates to; extender with inner sharpener 3 Nr.IV pencil. The pencils are different to yours; the bottom part where the eraser is placed can be unscrewed so, at least in theory, they should be cheaper to produce than the ones where that part is built in. I wish faber makes affordable spare pencils for these sets because they are a joy to use and I dont want to give up and sell them all at the end just because I can afford to use them. I am also very unhappy about the sharpeners. Such a shame. Hence I call them the “almost” perfect pencil :)

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:13:05 +0000

Thank you for the insights. This is obviously not an area I know too much about. “Patina” has a much nicer ring to it than “tarnish”!

By: Thom

Thom — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:59:14 +0000

If you keep this pencil in the bag shown, or in its box, then I’d recommend obtaining the sheets of anti-tarnish silver protector paper that one can buy to keep with silverware in cutlery canteens. They’re a dark grey colour, about 5cm x 15cm (can be cut, of course), and I believe they operate on the same principle as the magnesium flags that protect underground petrol tanks: as a sacrificial object that “tarnishes” or reacts in preference to the silver object. Silica gel has a role to play too. I have always kept these items in my flute cases over the years, and while the occasional wipe and clean (mild detergent+warm water) is still necessary, it makes a huge difference.

Actual use makes a difference too: the places where a flute *doesn’t* tarnish are the places where the hands or face are regular touching the surface. Be very very wary of silver polishing cloths, especially if you are dealing with silver plate. Those things can be horribly abrasive and you could end up losing your silver finish altogether. Similarly, avoid the mashed-banana-and-baking-soda recipes, as baking soda is enough to abrade the silver. Rubbing with scrunched aluminium foil will work for chrome tapes but is best avoided for silver as it will pit the surface. Chemical dips work but you risk removing the lovely patina you have happening there.

To be honest, it doesn’t actually look like you have a tarnish problem (i.e. no purple or black areas, although perhaps you hid those?). Rather, through your regular use, the pencil has acquired a lovely soft patina, which I think is actually more attractive than the bright and shiny of these things when photographed new. So all you need to do is (A) store with a protective paper esp. if not using for a time, (B) wash/wipe very occasionally with warm water and a mild detergent – a tricky process, I’ll admit, (C) polish it up with a soft, plain cloth, and (D) keep right on using it. (Oh, and don’t eat too many eggs!)

I don’t own one of these, but would dearly love to! Meanwhile I make do with the bottle green plastic one, which gives me great pleasure.