A Gentleman of the Enlightenment

 This is the fattest pencil I own, or should that be the chunkiest? No... most robust? It's good right! I got this as a really quick outlining sort of pencil - for when I'm mind mapping or jotting down process flows or something. And to show off a little bit at the office. Sue me. Call the cops. Why don't I start with what I don't like? The finish on the wood. I went for a black finish and it was wearing off before I knew it. Now I do have a little bit of a sweaty paw so this may have been the issue... but still. Have a look at the pics.  The lead does need a little tickle up with a pointer (e+m do a really nice one which I have) You can see this as a pain in the backside or as part of the experience. There's something really therapeutic about pointing lead to me. What's to like about it? Well, that wooden barrel is just really nice to hold in the hand. The finish might be coming off but it gives great grip and a nice warmth. It's a heavy pencil with that ch

I got this pencil on a bit of a whim about a year or so back. Someone may have been talking about it on Reddit. Look at the colour and that big eraser - so cool! It's marketed as being rugged and as a real tool. The name might sort of give that away. The barrel says it's a 1.1mm lead but it's probably a 1.18 or a 1.2mm really. I believe those are compatible.  This is my only twist mechanism pencil and I actually really like it. The first thing I did was a test to see if that lead crept back down the barrel as you were writing and I am happy to report that it does not. I'm not sure if anyone has experience of old Parker pens with a twist mechanism, I swear you got three sentences out of them before you needed to twist it again. The pencil has an awesome looking chunky eraser that looks like the top of a wooden pencil with a mock ferule and stuff. The eraser itself is not much good - I mean it does in a pinch! Get yourself a dedicated one though. I'd also comment that

Thanks for checking out the latest in my series of wood case pencil reviews. Next up is the Mars Lumograph from Staedtler. Yes, that's right our friends over in Germany make a mean pencil. Or is it that mean? Let me get something off my chest first. I love the blue - it's so... Staedtler. One thing that bothers me though is the white print on the barrel. It wears off very quickly. The made in Germany bit has rubbed off. It's available in 20 grades of lead which is the most out of any pencils I've reviewed so far, which is great! You can find yourself forgiving the lack of a robust finish when the price is taken into account. I'd put this pencil at a mid-range tier as at the time of writing it's £1.54 over on Cult Pens - I'm not affiliated with them by the way I just think they are a great shop. Buy some stuff from them and you will find out why - So you can get two of these for one Tombow Mono or a Hi-Uni. To write with it doesn't feel like it's lay

This is an extremely quick review of the Tombow Mono 100 pencil. Love this thing - the lead feels better for me in comparison to the Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood I have also reviewed. It's softer and darker. The paint finish is sooo shiny. Take a look at the end of the pencil too - the barrel is hexagonal but the end is actually round. Same as a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni - is it a thing? Hexagonal barrel + round end = quality? Price-wise you're looking at £2.57 at the time of writing over at Cult Pens - that really puts it in the high end. It puts it in the snatch it away from your wife-that's-gonna-chew-it end. They are made in Vietnam, you might expect Japan but it's Vietnam as per the stamp on the barrel. Sorry, you can't actually see that detail in my images - my phone camera is a bit old and besides half of it's sharpened off. It's supposed to have a darker more contrasting lead than comparable pencils but I'd say it was just comparable really, the eye of

 This one may just be the best pencil I've ever tried. Not because of any cool finishes or materials. It's just that good. Having said it's not due to finishes just above I can say that the finish on this pencil is absolutely amazing. A real high gloss that's shown off by that maroon colour. It's the same maroon as the first high school I went to. You might describe it as a red wine red? Even though no wine I ever drink is this colour. What about red wine stain red? Yes, that'll do. The lead in this one just feels so soft. Lovely detail on the end of the barrel as with all of these high-end pencils. Hexagonal barrel with a round tip. Nice black and gold trim to contrast with the red-wine-stain-on-a-white-shirt coloured barrel. Despite my joking, I actually really love the colour - much better than dull old black. There are 15 lead grades available for this beauty over at Cult Pens if you like to have a selection. It's made in Japan too and has been since th

Welcome to another one of my extremely quick pencil reviews. The latest being the Faber-Castell 9000 - Woah, what a big number? must be a good pencil... read on. This pencil is an interesting one. Made in Germany since 1905 or some such - I think they may be the oldest surviving manufacturer of pencils in the world. You can catch a documentary about the factory over in Germany on the BBC or on the Smithsonian Channel.   It has a really nice painted finish and a joy to sharpen. As a comparison, I think the wood feels a little denser than a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni. Just in case you didn't realise, that paint finish has 7 layers... 2 primer, 4 paint, and 1 lacquer. One of the biggest points to get across here is that this pencil is priced below that of a Mars Lumograph but I think it writes better. Nipping at the heels of a pencil not far off three times the price. It doesn't have a sexy end design, not as glossy as other higher-end pencils. It's not dipped in shiny stuff or a diff