Comments on: Dixon Ticonderoga Noir pencil

By: 90spencilmachine

90spencilmachine — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:06:23 +0000

I guffawed at “America’s number one #2 pencil,” as well! It seems the folks at Dixon Ticonderoga have quite a sense of humor.

The first time I saw the Noir was at a family member’s house- it was alone, on a desk near a pencil cup full of bland pencils and pens. Naturally, it caught my eye, as it’s shiny and anything shiny pretty much pulls the eye to it. My initial thought was a reverence for its originality- not so much that a shiny, rainbow pencil is original, but in that very mature form, it is. I read the writing so I could get a pack for myself. Then I forgot the name, just new it was a Ticonderoga. That’s actually how I came upon this site, and I thank you for that! I bought 4 packs at Office Depot, very thankful that they were still in stock.

I think they are great- Out of all the pencils I have, they are one of my favorites to use. The lead is 100 times smoother than my older Black Miradoes, and the eraser is not quite as horrible as people have been saying. I find it only a little less effective than the pink pearl, and clean-up is better than the pink pearl (clean-up of eraser bits, that is.) The foil does scratch easily, and can tear in an unattractive way if you don’t sharpen it just so, but the wood is attractive and to me it feels like cedar. It may not be, as it doesn’t smell of incense cedar, but it isn’t that far off. I suppose it’s a pine, but at any rate, not bad quality.

I must say my favorite pencils to write with are the following (keep in mind I have not tried that many, and most are simple office pencils) the old Sanford Americans, Megabrands, Ticonderogas, Mirado Classic and Mirado Black Warrior. I also am a fan of Venus leads.

By: Tara

Tara — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:06:06 +0000

I bought these pencils once mostly because I thought that they were really pretty. Who really cares if the colors contrast slightly??? It’s not like Dixon’s going to stop making a popular pencil because a few people don’t like the eraser, or don’t like the color contrast, or don’t like the wood because it’s “not loyal to the Ticonderoga name brand cedar wood”. That’s a bunch of pointless poo-ey. :P

I do like that Ticonderoga is stretching its legs a bit with new designs like the Triconderoga and Renew, and Noir. I bet some people (me) were getting a bit tired with the traditional yellow pencil.

Here’s the dealio: if you don’t like the pencil, don’t buy it. It’s as simple as that. :P
But I like it.

P.S. I am also glad that more people are OCD-ish about pencils like I am! I thought I was crazy for a second there…and no, it’s not JUST a pencil…

By: Dan Lafond

Dan Lafond — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:06:57 +0000

I’m doing a project on Dixon Ticonderoga pencils and this discussion has really helped me out. It made me laugh for like an hour. I had no idea that normal people knew this much about pencils.

By: JayBird

JayBird — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:17:48 +0000

I purchased a box because of the Ticonderoga name, as it was the only name that my wife would use, when an office supply store was liquidating and they were the only Ticonderoga pencils remaining. While, in appearance-ferrule excluded, they don’t remind me of the classic Ticonderoga, they do uphold the quality tradition of their namesake. The writing is smooth and you can produce a thick and dark line without tearing through the newspaper. I don’t think this pencil will push people away from the brand if they either allow themselves to experience the product or can be made aware of its high quality. Since Dixon hasn’t taken away the yellow Ticonderoga adding the Noir to the lineup shouldn’t turn people away from the brand (it’s not inferior nor is it cheaper).

By: Evil

Evil — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:51:29 +0000

Noirs rule!

By: Austin Hamm

Austin Hamm — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:26:10 +0000

Best Pencils
1. Ticonderoga Noir
2. Ticonderoga Black
3. Black Warrior
4. Princess
5. Papermate
6. Roseart

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:44:58 +0000

Paul, thanks for your comment. Hope you don’t mind if I try to forget some of that imagery. :-)

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:37:10 +0000

I’m a huge Ticonderoga fan. My students use my Ticonderoga (yellow & green) pencils for their state testing because they are the best. I initially purchased the Noir pencils because I would quickly realize that one of my pencils was ‘borrowed’ by a student, but I very quickly realized that they were excellent pencils. I don’t even mind the eraser, though it isn’t the best part of the pencil. I’ve now purchased many dozens and plan to purchase many more. The cost is a bit high, but you can usually find a better price on-line.
I must admit that I also think it is funny that there is a website called ‘pencil talk’…I thought only I was this loopy. It is good to know that I’m not alone! I could lie and say that I purchased them for my students, but they aren’t allowed to touch them. These pencils are to remain tooth-mark and booger free, thank you. After all, we’re talking about Ticonderoga Noir pencils!

By: bakde

bakde — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:24:35 +0000

I love this pencil! My Scholastic Bowl team (6th & 7th graders) love to use this silver pencil at their meets. Good luck charm or something. They always grab these out of my pencil case first. My 5th graders took the ISAT tests with these pencils last week. (But an earlier comment about the erasers must be true, some of the erasers are gone already.) Nevertheless, Ticonderoga Noir – the best!

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:31:51 +0000

OK…new post to an old thread but on the whole examples of premium brands screwing up on putting their name on an inferior product I have but two words: Cadillac Cimarron

By: joe g

joe g — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:18:48 +0000

ok .. so I found fellow pencil geeks…. just to make you envious .. I went to an estate sale a few years back and bought a few hundred old pencils .. the best are made in USA Dixon “operators pencil – 300″ they are great.. the lead seems thicker than normal .. so the point is really extended when sharpened.

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:31:28 +0000

I just discovered that Dixon issued a press release (PDF format) regarding this pencil. Some key excerpts:

DIXON TICONDEROGA ANNOUNCES RETRO ELEGANCE PENCIL HEATHROW, FLA. (July 10, 2007) – The Dixon Ticonderoga Company, America’s number one #2 pencil company, introduces its latest innovation in pencil design, the chic Ticonderoga® Noir. This retro-looking pencil sports a unique, luxurious holograph design that appears crystal on the exterior while the pencil remains black when sharpened due to the premium stained black wood filling the center of the pencil’s barrel. The Ticonderoga Noir pencil also has a latex free eraser, guaranteeing smudge free correction.

and ...

“The Ticonderoga Noir is an elite writing instrument that exudes retro elegance,” said Donald Currie, EVP Sales & Marketing. “Handwriting has become somewhat of a lost craft, and Dixon Ticonderoga is excited to provide a pencil that adds a little pizzazz to penmanship with the Ticonderoga Noir’s polished design. It is a pencil with style.”

Even more than calling this "retro elegance", I like the "America’s number one #2 pencil company" phrase!