The X-Shock 286 is a surprise. It is yet another very well made pencil from a major European manufacturer that seems to be manufactured for southeast Asian markets.
The pencil’s box indicates Stabilo’s address in Germany and distributor in Malaysia, though not the country of origin.
The pencil is triangular, and finished in orange, with Stabilo’s trademark red cap and white cap ring. All markings are in white.
The wood is clearly pulai or jelutong. It sharpens very easily.
The lead is smooth, rich and dark. The pencils weigh about 3.9g, a standard modern weight, yet feel lighter – perhaps due to the shape – in my hand.
It is a very nice pencil, and a shocker at the price. There are some triangular shaped pencils on the market that should should be wary of this new competitor.
Though it seems to be inelegantly named (I imagine the name being appropriate for a new running shoe), it is still a great product, and highly recommended.
One thing I don’t like about triangular pencils, is that rotating them to keep a sharp point isn’t as easy as with round/hexagonal pensils.
Other than that I like this shape a lot, it comfy, it’s ergonomic and its a bit different.
One question that I have, how is the core, is it smooth, is it dark, is it scratchy?
Hi Alec – the pencil is labeled 2B, and it does leave a rich, dark mark. But, it is somewhat scratchy compared to top tier pencils. Keep in mind that it is meant to sell at a discount price point.
What are people’s views on triangular pencils in general?
I haven’t found much advantage if any even on marathon writing tasks.
I agree with Alec – finding that sharp corner isn’t easy.
well, you have three less sides than an hexagonal pencil to find the sharp corner
I love these pencils and my students like them too. Always give these pencils as small tokens to my students. Great color too.
The emblem looks like the Pelikan brand emblem from Germany. They make quite a few products that aren’t shown in their web catalog.
Hi Thomas, that is an interesting theory – the Pelikan and the Swan? :-) But Stabilo is a very established manufacturer, also from Germany. The symbol is derived from the name of founder Gustav Schwanhäußer.