Dixon Ticonderoga Antimicrobial Pencils
On a recent trip to a department store, I found an unusual pencil offering - “Ticonderoga Antimicrobial Pencils with Microban antimicrobial product protection.” The package additionally says “Microban protection inhibits the growth of odor and stain causing bacteria.”
The colour is hard for me to describe, but a hospital influenced muted grey seems roughly correct. It is certainly a pencil colour I’ve never seen before. Not too appealing, I would say.
The pencils are simply marked “Dixon Ticonderoga 2 HB”. The package reveals that the pencils are made in Mexico.
A quick search reveals that Microban is a chemical treatment that will prohibit microbial growth. The health and safety benefits of antimicrobial products have been regularly questioned, and I note that Dixon was quite restrained in claiming any safety benefits on the package. Still, I think there is an unambiguous implicit message in such products: keep safe from those nasty germs!
I’m usually happy to find a new pencil, but learning of this product doesn’t produce any sort of joy for me.
Will this be a popular back-to-school pencil with worried parents? Do you welcome the antimicrobial Ticonderoga? Would you buy it yourself?
June 30th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
ROLF. talk about catering to American paranoia with dirt. or maybe this is for the Japan market would may actually be better for something like this. I guess more people are chewing on them, they I thought
June 30th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I’ve seen, of all things, an antimicrobial kitchen timer. I guess that’s for when your kid has strep and wants to bake a cake?
I am with J Godsey — it’s really creating paranoia to pander to; PaperMate has a line of antimicrobial pens. But then I’m one of those people whose immune systems are stronger for a little exposure to a microbe or two.
I’m not sure I want to chew on a chemical called “Microban.”
June 30th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
The pencils kind of look like a prop from “Logan’s Run”, or something.
I’m not a parent, but if I were, I think I’d have other things to be concerned about than the bacteria on my child’s pencil.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
[…] You all know how germ-infested pencils are. Protect yourself and your family now!! (This post is especially for Steve, who understands the dangers of germs from common objects.) Via Pencil Talk. […]
June 30th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Presuming that it works as advertised, not a bad idea at all, imho. My wife works at a doctor’s office and she usually tells patients with nasty communicable symptoms to just keep the pen. ;-)
June 30th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Microban is a nasty chemical.
Papermate instead use silver a natural antibacterial.
July 1st, 2008 at 4:34 am
I actually like the color—something retro about it. Unfortunately, this Mexican-made pencil is shoddily produced. I bought two packs. Several of the pencils had leads that broke constantly. A few of the shafts had something—gunk or pieces of cloth or clumps of dried glue, I don’t know—just locked in under the paint, creating unseemly and uncomfortable bumps. Not very hygenic, if you ask me! A pity. This could have been an interesting pencil.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:27 am
Ticonderoga’s used to be my favourite pencil, until they moved production to Mexico and China. Anyone else noticed that they now seem to smell quite bad? I used to love the smell of a freshly sharpened Ticonderoga; but now they seem to have a very strong new paint mingling with some kind of wood-rot type odour. And it wasn’t just a bad batch; I’ve bought several from several stores after fairly long intervals, and they just reek. As for this topic, these pencils might see some use in grade schools, though with most kids using mechanical pencils I can’t imagine sales will be that good.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:39 pm
These pencils are both funny and sad. Odor and stain? Are we talking about toothpaste?
As a teacher, I’d say that paper poses greater danger than pencils. When I ask students to do a fast quiz on a half-sheet of paper, I always remember to mention No Licking — if I don’t, someone always licks the folded edge of the paper before tearing it in half.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 am
I actually got the pencils because I thought the color was cool (kind of like a light sky blue instead of a muted gray).
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Boy, Dixon will do anything to turn attention away from the declining quality of their products.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
That’s true it seems like.