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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?

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