The Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencil Review

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 laying down as much colour as the two aforementioned pencils but it's a little darker than the Swiss Wood which I reviewed. The finished thing really bothers me because even though it's a mid-range pencil the text on the barrel wears off as quick as a 25p pencil.

I'd love that blue in as thick and glossy a finish as a Tombow or Mitsubishi though!

If you're collecting I'd get this one but I'd skip it for using as the finish is a little sub-par and it doesn't feel as nice to write with. Unless you go through loads of pencils a month and economies are important to you I don't think the difference between ~£1.50 and ~£3 makes a lot of difference, does it?

Comments

e+m Workman Long Clutch Pencil 5.6mm Review

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

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

Search This Blog