Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

A previous post took a look at paper wrapped pencils, specifically the ones known as grease markers or china markers.

Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

Did you know (and are you surprised?) that the Mitsubishi Pencil Company of Japan makes a grease pencil – and in a dozen, vibrant colours.

Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

The “Dermatograph” No. 7600, marked “For Glass, Metal, Plastics”, seems to be an upscale version of the grease pencil – nice colours and finish, no extruding staple, and a finished cap!

Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

The possibilities beckon.

Mitsubishi Dermatograph 7600 paper wrapped pencil

My father’s pencil, by Finn

Today, we have a special guest contribution from Finn of Copenhagen, Denmark:

This Criterium 2613 has a special story.

My late father worked as a maker of fine fur coats in a known fur house in Copenhagen as his day time job, and was a dedicated artist in his spare time.

Back then you could not buy the Criterium in any shop in Denmark, but a salesman from a pencil manufacturer visited major companies and tried to get business. The fur house did not place an order, but my father had spotted the Criterium 2613 and negotiated with the salesman to let him buy the salesman’s sample. He wanted it for private drawing use, but the Criterium 2613 was part of a presentation box the salesman used when he was visiting possible customers. It all ended up with my father getting the pencil and the salesman writing back to France to get a new one for the sample box.

So this Criterium 2613 was originally part of a presentation kit, carried by a salesman in the mid sixties.

My father kept it for the rest of his life and used it a lot untill his death about five years ago.

I am using this Criterium 2613 a lot together with my other mechanical pencils, and if I am out of the house with only one pencil and a sketch book, this is the one.

Thanks, Finn!

Text and photos by Finn.

Colleen Hi pierce pencil review

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

The Colleen Pencil Company probably isn’t well known as a major manufacturer by most readers of this blog. Ditto here. The company first came to my awareness via photos in the Pencils book from Marco Ferreri. Colleen’s Woods Pencils displayed a fantastic appreciation of the pencil, transforming a two century old manufacturing process with artistic interpretation.

That post elicited many reactions, including email from a pencil industry executive in Europe, who speculated about investigating alternate wood species for a new offering. I suggested a set of ten, based on the official trees of Canada’s ten provinces, to be offered for sale here in Canada. At least I can wish. There are no doubt many other possibilities. As one might guess, such an offering would not be easy to create or inexpensive.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

We’re already conflating two different companies. The original Colleen went bankrupt. But they left a legacy. Pencil and stationery aficionados are abundant in Japan. From the 11-story stationery store Ito-Ya to the television show that crowns a Stationery King, to the renowned super-specialty pencil store Gojuon, to innumerable websites and blogs mentioning pencils, including kero556’s Colleen-focused ?????????????, pencils have an audience. And these sources say – Colleen was a major company and innovator in the industry. I will take their word.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

Ten years ago, the brand was refounded with participation by a former manager, but relocated in Thailand. Initially focused on colour pencils, they re-established themselves in Japan in 2008, with a spectacular offering. Via an unprecented set of colour pencils made in exotic teak, Colleen announced their return.

While issuing an everyday set of woodcase pencils in the interim, Colleen has just released a major new line, the Hi pierce, which was the predecessor Colleen’s flagship line.

Packaging

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

The Hi pierce has a range of packaging options – single pencils, cellophane packages of three, standard cardboard boxes of twelve, corrugated cardboard sets of the whole grade range, and two different teak boxes. A larger box with removable lid that can hold two dozen pencils (though shipping with one dozen), and a smaller box with the Colleen logo and a sliding lid. The teak boxes come with a dozen pencils – the range of eleven grades, plus an extra HB pencil.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

Exterior

I knew some of the pencil’s lore, yet few of the details. I thought the Hi pierce might be a rival to the great Tombow Mono 100 or Mitsubishi Hi-Uni. But the finish and lacquer are not in the same league. The light paint finish and indistinct lettering suggest something more middling.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

The pencil is marked:

Super Quality Colleen Hi pierce

Side 5 is marked: Hi-D Lead

The markings are very similar to the originals, except for the absence of the JIS mark.

The pencils also have a band whose colour indicates the pencil grade:

5B: light pink
4B: pink
3B: red orange
B: orange mousse
HB: salmon
2B: brown
F: very light turquoise
H: grey blue
2H: powder blue
3H: turquoise blue
4H: green

The modern colours do not correspond to the originals as far as I can determine.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

Writing

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

The leads – I sharpened the whole range of eleven – are of good quality. The 4B and 5B are as smooth as one might hope. The opposite end – the firm 2H to 4H grades, are also smooth relative to their hardness. Comparing the HB to the Tombow Mono 100 and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni – turned out to be like an earnest recreational rink hockey team facing off against the Montreal Canadiens or Moscow Dynamo – the effort was noble, but they were simply outclassed by professionals.

Here is the range of leads on Holbein paper:

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

Erasure

Perhaps not unexpectedly, the 4B and 5B are a challenge to erase – but with a Pilot Foam, the other lines erase cleanly.

New vs. Old

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

So this is a relaunch of an old brand. How does the new Hi pierce compare with the clasic? Thanks to isu, I am able to test, in F grade, the new and old Colleens. It may be the age, but the new version appears to be nicer and more pleasant in appearance.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

On paper, the story changes. Myself and others agree – the classic version seems smoother and easier to handle.

Overall

As with this year’s possible re-introduction of the Blackwing, reviving an old favourite has risks. There will be differences, and some consumers will not be satisfied. That said, Colleen may not have duplicated the original Hi pierce, but they are to be congratulated on reviving interest in a classic brand.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

The packaging is fantastic. The teak wood pencil boxes add a strong appeal to the range, and should be reusable for years.

The pencils themselves are merely good, as opposed to the great offerings that Japan’s top manufacturers have spoiled us with. Still, we appreciate them, and look forward to more from Colleen.

Colleen Hi pierce pencils

My sincere thanks to isu of the uncomfortable chair for kindly sending me one of the teak boxes shown, as well as some original Colleen Hi-Pierce pencils used for comparison.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

As well as the Staedtler WOPEX, the 2009 Paperworld show saw another innovative pencil announced – the Lyra Colorstripe.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

This slightly oversized triangular colour pencil has a rounded rectangular core exposed on one side! The “stripe” (coated to preserve the pencil and your hands) is visible along the length of the pencil.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

The Colorstripe’s designer, Formidable, has won several high level awards for the product.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

About one year after the announcement, the product seems to be available in sets of eight and sixteen, as well as singles, in Europe, North America, and Asia. I would like to thank Gunther from Lexikaliker for kindly sending me this set of eight.

The pencils are visually amazing. They are triangular, weighing about 6.8 to 8.5g depending on the core colour – quite a variation.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

The black dyed wood is marked with silver lettering on one side with the bar code, EAN number, “Germany”, CE symbol, a model number depending on the pencil’s colour, and “COLORSTRIPE LYRA”. A bit busy, but I think the silver looks very nice on the black wood.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

On Strathmore Bristol 300 Series 260g/m2 vellum, the tones seems quite satisfying.

With black-dyed wood, a triangular shape, and having a cross section around 8mm, I was wondering about sharpening. Fortunately, Lyra provided a sharpener meant for this diameter. Thanks to an informative post at Bleistift, I recognize the “E” with crown symbol on the sharpener, indicating an Eisen product.

There were no problems, and the pencil sharpened easily.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

Well, there was one problem. When I started to use the pencil, it seems the lead core had been dislodged and unattached itself from the pencil. This is with the gold pencil. I haven’t had any issues with the other colours.

Has anyone out there had this problem? I hope the issue was just with this individual pencil.

Lyra Colorstripe pencils

See also: Lyra Colorstripe

Staedtler WOPEX pencil review

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

Almost a year ago, the 2009 Paperworld trade show saw industry giant Staedtler announce a new pencil technology called WOPEX (Wood Pencil Extrusion).

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

While neither extruded pencils nor reconstituted wood products are brand new, the combination certainly is, and being backed and promoted by Staedtler, the WOPEX may become a major development in pencil history.

Extruded pencils are of course not brand new.

In 1974, the former Empire Pencil Company of Shelbyville developed the EPCON plastic pencil.

In 1993, the former Conté created the Conté Evolution, an extruded plastic pencil that is popular in many markets today.

Last year, pencil talk took a look at the Conté Evolution Triangle pencil.

So let’s take a look at the WOPEX. My thanks to Gunther of Lexikaliker for sending me a few samples.

My experiments were done on a variety of commercial notebooks and with a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser.

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

Exterior

The pencil has what I’d call a light metallic purple-blue finish. It seems to be a colour more likely to be seen on a car, and perhaps was meant to emphasize the high tech aspect of the pencil. The cap is unfinished.

The obverse reads in silver lettering:

Made in Germany Staedtler WOPEX HB

The reverse reads in black lettering:

EAN 40 07817 180006 Art. Nr. 180-HB 329 PEFC

The PEFC marks attests to an environmental certification.

Apart from the colour choice, there are three other things that really stand out.

First, the weight. It is definitey heavier than a traditional woodcase pencil. While a Staedtler Mars Lumograph weighs about 3.8g, the WOPEX is about 8.4g – more than twice as heavy!

Second, the surface has some sort of slightly rubberized grip. It is a different formula than an Ergosoft pencil. One thing about this surface type – after some sharpening, and being among other pencils and graphite dust, the pencil surface seemed to become noticably dirtier. The rubber surface does seem to absorb and retain graphite.

Third, the hexagonal shape is extremely rounded. While this is no doubt an ongoing industry trend, the WOPEX pencil seems to take it a step further.

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

Writing

On paper, the lead seems waxier than that of a Mars Lumograph. Not nearly as waxy as a Blackwing (I tested), but enough that I’m sure it will receive a positive reception from many.

I had another sense that there was a “stay put”, non-smearing aspect to the lead. Apart from the case of using the pencil immediately after being sharpened, there appeared to be no graphite residue emitted by the pencil during use – the mark goes exactly where needed.

I’m not sure if the manufacturing process will eventually allow for a range of grades, but for home, school, and office use, it appears to be a very solid offering.

Sharpening

I did not test this pencil in my favourite sharpener (the CARL desktop models), but in a handheld sharpener, it appears to sharpen with not much more force than a woodcase pencil. The shavings of course are a bit different, having a rubbery feel. I also tried sandpaper, and had no problems.

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

Erasure

The WOPEX lead mirrored the performance of the Lumograph’s – excellent erasure with a Staedtler Mars plastic on Rhodia paper, and slightly less so on the Apica, for example. The erasure is not a problem.

Conclusion

It is a viable pencil offering, and the pencil’s texture, shape, colour, and weight all proclaim that it is something new. When many pencil manufacturers are still using decades old machinery, along comes this major investment in modern technology.

Staedtler was no doubt aware of the challenges of creating a product like this, and have made it work. I really didn’t expect the WOPEX to perform so well.

Staedtler WOPEX pencil

In the larger scheme, what does it mean? A few years ago, I would have thought that the WOPEX wasn’t really a pencil. But it looks and acts (though doesn’t smell) like a pencil, and is made by one of the world’s pre-eminent pencil manufacturers. Though made of wood, it doesn’t have that beautiful ‘clip-clop’ sound when dropped on the floor. And the manufacturing process conjures up images of scientists in lab coats rather than woodworkers.

Is it the future? The first woodcase pencils, before the Conté/Hardmuth graphite and clay blending process was invented, used raw graphite chunks. We don’t regret the advance that followed. Is the WOPEX the next leap forward?

On the web

Here are three items that caught my eye this weekend:

1. The Independent’s 50 best stationery items. I learned about some interesting UK businesses such as drafting supply manufacturer Blundell Harling and online store Pencils 4 Artists.

I saw the story via papernation’s tweet. Papernation itself looks like a very interesting store.

2. Death of a Brand – BOSTON Pencil Sharpener Company at Scription. An interesting discussion and some amazing photos of these old workhorses.

3. Lamy Design – From the Hammock at Dave’s Mechanical Pencils. This look at a Lamy catalogue caught my eye because I think I have that “white pen”. I had no idea that it was so noteworthy.

Lamy White Pen

Lamy White Pen

Lamy White Pen