The Faber-Castell 9000 Pencil Review

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 different shape. There is a slight embossment on the text on the barrel which is welcome and may make it harder wearing than the Lumograph. Time will tell.

That price you ask? Well right now in the year of our lord 2021 it's just £1.22 over at Cult Pens. Of the pencils I've reviewed in my little blog, I would say this represents that spot where value comes in.

She might not be much of a looker... green and gold? Hmm, I've got issues with that combo and the contrast it provides. But hey, it's not black.

Comments

e+m Workman Long Clutch Pencil 5.6mm Review

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The Staedtler Tradition Pencil Review

Aha! We have it! A striped pencil! This is the first pencil I've reviewed at under £1. It's quality no doubt - who doesn't recognise this just from the pictures? It's pegged to be below the Mars Lumograph in the Staedtler range and comes in at £0.77 over at Cult Pens. I bought one just to see what it was like in comparison to my more fancy pencils. Check out my reviews of Tombow, Mitsubishi, Faber-Castell, and the like for info on those. Yes, that text on the barrel is not embossed, rest assured it will come off pretty sharpish through use. I'm cool with that though as we're comfortably sub-£1 here. It even comes in 14 degrees of lead from 6B to 4H. It doesn't really come much cheaper with major brand pencils. Okay, maybe the Staedtler Noris is a tiny bit cheaper. It's a nice pencil - I'd say the feel is nigh on identical to the Mars Lumograph and at a lower price. Your mates aren't going to look at the tradition and think... Woah cool! though

Staedtler Norris Eco Pencil Review

Cool little pencil this one. It's made from extruded wood fibers. It's actually only 70% wood which obviously means they can get a lot more pencils out of a tree. Hence that Eco name. They use wood flour which is a by-product of the forestry industry... read about WOPEX here. They are literally making pencils out of the "sweepings off the floor". I'm actually of the opinion that if it's sustainable forestry what's the issue? But when I held this in my hand I noticed something I love about it. The weight... that fancy WOPEX stuff is dense! The branding and text really pops out of that black colour as well and has a much better finish than the Mars Lumograph. Honestly, not sure why the text rubbing off on that pencil sticks in my craw so much. It feels great - has a similar weight to the Caran D'ache Swiss Wood but this one is more of a normal pencil thickness. The writing experience is pretty much the same as the Staedtler Tradition really. Not great

A Gentleman of the Enlightenment

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