Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil in black

Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil

A couple of years ago, I found some Grip 2001 pencils in red and blue finishes. There were two comments about a black version also existing. I guess the black version is even more unusual, as I’d not even seen it online, let alone in person. That recently changed, as I saw a package of these pencils with some accessories offered by an eBay seller.

Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil

The accessories are themselves interesting – a container sharpener, a sleeved eraser, and an eraser/sharpener combination. They look like they would make a great inexpensive gift for a young person.

Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil
Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil Black Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencil

Beautiful and simple stationery items. Alas, just one problem – none of the the sharpener blades can be replaced, the sleeve eraser can’t be refilled, and the eraser core in the combination sharpener/eraser has no refill for sale that I’m aware of. These accessories seem too nice to be disposable.

Papermate Mirado Classic pencil (2010)

The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

The closure of Sanford’s US pencil factory last year was perhaps the final chapter in the story of US pencil manufacturing’s demise.

Starting with the move of incense cedar pencil slat maker CalCedar’s manufacturing to China, and followed by Dixon’s departure to Mexico and China, Sanford’s exit was perhaps expected. Of course, the names and brands carry on.

The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

Papermate’s current website gives no indication of woodcase pencils being part of the product line. A weekend visit to a large office supply store revealed a hint of the future. The most expensive pencils in the large store, the box of 12 No. 2 Mirado pencils appears as they have for years, except for the statement “Made in Mexico”.

Appearance

The packaging still claims “The World’s Smoothest Writing Pencil – Guaranteed!” The cardbord box of twelve seems basically unaltered.

The back of the box states:

  • 100% Premium Cedar Pencils
  • Shapens to a Fine, Exact Point
  • Soft, Non-Smudge Eraser
  • Made in Mexico
  • The pencils themselves are yellow, just like their predecessors, except missing the “USA” lettering.

    The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

    The manufacturing details appear slightly improved – they’ve reverted to an unsharpened format. Some paint spills over the end, but the problem of imprecise clamping of the ferrule appears much better. The varnish seems okay, not the best, yet certainly better than the “no name” pencils that supermarkets sell.

    The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

    The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

    Sharpening

    I had no trouble sharpening the pencil in a manual sharpener, a desktop Carl, or a battery-operated Panasonic sharpener.

    Writing

    A real surprise. I’ve never been a huge fan of this pencil, possibly because of the bland, generic appearance. But it writes quite well. Perhaps not as smoothly as pencils costing five times more, but still quite nicely. It certainly seems as good as the US made predecessor, and I’m wondering if it may even be better?

    The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

    Erasure

    The erasers seem exactly like those of the predecessor, pink with powdery (latex?) coating. At least while new, they work reasonably well, especially compared with other “pink” erasers.

    The Papermate Mirado Classic pencil.

    Overall

    I am leaning towards a conclusion opposite to the one I thought I was going to make. Whether it is new equipment or some other factor, the new Mirados seem to be manufactured to a standard at least as high as their immediate predecessors.

    Have you tried them yet?

    Kunio Kato and the Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    The 2010 Academy Awards are just a couple of weeks away. Last year, we noticed that Japanese Animator Kunio Kato won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. A notable acceptance speech included giving thanks to his pencil.

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    It looks like Kato has not gone unappreciated by legendary pencil manufacturer Staedtler. To honour the 80th anniversary of the Mars Lumograph, Staedtler has issued a special set of pencils in a tin that features an illustration by the animator. As well as Staedtler, ROBOT (Kato’s firm) has a copyright notice on the package.

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    These Lumograph 100s are also special for pencil users because they are unsharpened versions!

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    The core widths vary considerably with the pencil’s degree.

    Staedtler Mars Lumograph 80th Anniversary edition, with illustration by Kunio Kato

    Felissimo 500 Color Pencils – 4th set

    Felissimo 500 Color Pencils

    Blue is the theme of Felissimo’s fourth set of colour pencils.

    I’m a bit behind in displaying these – I’ve already received the fifth set, and a Canada Post notice tells me I wasn’t in when they attempted delivery of the sixth set. Wow, 150 colour pencils here or nearby! The collection is starting to take shape.

    Felissimo 500 Color Pencils

    I’ve noticed that pencil blogs in Japan mention these pencils with different reference numbers. I’m afraid I only just figured this out – the boxes have a small circled identifier. I’ve been referring to the pencils as I’ve received them (calling this the “4th set”, for example), but depending on where you live and when you ordered them, you might receive them in a different order. For the record, this is volume 15.

    Quite a bit of feedback has been sent this way about the pencils. I’ll try to summarize.

  • The concept is unique and intriguing. Many mainstream media breakthroughs confirm this.
  • The subscription sales model (you buy 25 per month over 20 months) is quite controversial. A few love the idea of getting a colourful package of pencils each month. And many find the approach very hard to digest – taking almost two years to buy the set of pencils!
  • Professional artists are not onside. While many were attracted by the concept of so many colours, the lack of “open stock” replacements, the absence of comprehensive lightfastness testing, and the overall quality don’t meet professional needs.
  • The price is too high for many.
  • I’ll offer some feedback on these points:

    1. I am very happy to see mentions of these pencils in mainstream North American media, especially television and magazines. Felissimo has clearly made an impact in the public arena, a place other pencil manufacturers seem to have forsaken.

    2. A subscription may provide ongoing revenue, but it should be an option rather than the only purchase method.

    3. Artists – the message is clear, but as I’ve written before, high quality pencils that offer open stock, accompanied by laboratory tested lightfastness reports, are in a completely different price range. If Caran d’Ache offered a 500 pencil set, it might cost thousands. But it would be amazing!

    4. Cost. The Japan Post EMS (“registered air mail”) delivery multiplied by 20 is no doubt a large (majority?) part of the cost.

    Felissimo 500 Color Pencils

    Perhaps five shipments of 100 pencils, or just sending the 500 pencils together, might be a better offer. If you could buy the 500 pencils in a single package for $250, would you be tempted?

    The offer may soon end. Though all orders will of course be completely fulfilled, the acceptance of new subscriptions may soon be closing.

    Felissimo 500 Color Pencils

    Further reading: Felissimo pencils at pencil talk

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    Though erasable colour pencils may not be new, they remain a small specialty pencil category.

    This situation might soon change, as Faber-Castell has introduced a new product in this category.

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    Aimed at children, it is a set of twelve pencils, each with the lead colour matching the pencil finish and eraser.

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    The pencils have no model number, and are marked “Radierbar/Erasable”. As well as a space to write one’s name, they notably state “Made in Germany”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this full statement on the body of a Faber-Castell pencil.

    The box indicates some possible student uses, such as learning algebra or a foreign language, as well as drawing. The potential for erasable colour marks appears promising in the educational realm.

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    The box as well mentions FSC certification. I looked up the certificate (IC-COC-100002), and it unfortunately appears to be generic to Faber-Castell, with no interesting information about the species of wood, or even the part of the world it came from.

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    So how do they function? The colours seem bright, but somewhat on the pastel side. I like them.

    As to the pencil’s core claim – erasure – the marks seemed to hardly erase at all with the attached erasers! This was quite disappointing, given that erasability is supposed to be the set’s main feature. Yet I’ll admit to not being surprised – this seems like an almost impossible feature to offer in a low cost children’s product.

    Faber-Castell erasable colour pencils

    With a Tombow Mono block eraser, results were much better, though some colours erase better than others.

    I also compared them to colour pencils that don’t claim erasability – and these are definitely much better. So with a good block eraser (not the attached eraser), and reasonable expectations (much, but not complete erasure), they may be a fun item to try.

    And a bonus – inexplicably, the “black” pencil isn’t a black colour pencil, but rather a graphite pencil.

    My thanks to Gunther from Lexikaliker for sending me these pencils.