Bottom to top (the order I used 'em):
- 1. Palomino Blackwing 602
- 2. California Republic Golden Bear (the original, non-Made in USA ones).
- 3. Musgrave Test Scoring 100
- 4. Staedtler Norica HB (really liking these for the task).
- 5. General's Semi-Hex HB
- 6. Palomino Golden Bear (new US made one: much softer, not sure I like 'em).
- 7. My first ever California Republic Golden Bear, and a past NaNo veteran: a gift from a fellow pencil blogger.
- 8. Ticonderoga Noir: hideously garish, but I like them anyway....
- 9. Reg'lar Ticonderoga (Chinese made)
- 10. Papermate Mirado Black Warrior
11 comments:
Neat group of pencils. I find it hard to beat a Ticonderoga pencil even though I use mostly technical (mechanical) pencils.
Indeed. I was pretty down on them for awhile: the last of the US made and all of the Mexican made Ticonderogas tend to be pale and scratchy. But the Chinese ones are superb. I use them a lot.
Once the Ticonderogas are out of their package, is there any easy ways to identify their origin? I have some with the older, busier "classic" text ("1388" and all that), and some with the newer, more minimal design; is that a meaningful distinction?
I think the Chinese versions have a more...vibrant yellow to them myself. They are usually finished better, too.
What Johnny said. I don't think there's a definitive way to tell them apart outside the packaging. The distinctions are subtle: at one point, the Chinese ones had glossier paint and the Mexican ones were often matte and a little rough, but some of my most recent Chinese ones are *almost* matte (albeit still brighter and cleaner looking). Clear as mud?
The main difference is in the lead, though. If it's scratchy and not very dark and just a pain to write with, it's not one of the good ones. ;)
That makes sense. Other than several stubs that have somehow managed to survive from high school (25+ years ago), all my Ticonderogas are either from a large batch I bought perhaps 8-10 years ago, or another from within the last 2-3 years.
I can see some cosmetic differences between them, but despite this, they all have very creamy dark leads, so maybe I've just been lucky in my buying patterns.
Is the Ticonderoga Noir smoother and darker than a regular Chinese-made Ticonderoga? I seem to recall reading the Noir uses a different lead which is blacker than the Tike's, i.e. it's not just a gussied up Ticonderoga #1 Ex-Soft.
Good question, though I'm not quite sure of the answer. The Noirs are marked as HB/2, but they certainly seem softer and darker than the regular Ticonderogas, maybe a little waxier. I've wondered in the past how much of that is real and how much of it is in my head, or much is batch variance and how much is a real difference between the models, but there really does seem to be a difference. Overall, I think I prefer the regular Ticonderogas for most writing (better point retention, while still soft enough to be dark and pleasant), but the Noirs are kinda fun.
Is the halogram a sticker, or is it the paint, if you don't mind me asking? :)
Is it a sticker or is it the paint? I think the answer to that is...yes. ;) Honestly, I've been sitting here picking at it, and I'm not completely certain. I *think* it's a very thin layer of something like foil wrapped around the wood, but there may possibly be a layer of something like clear coat over the top of that. I can't really get a grip on anything to tell for sure.
I just know it makes silvery rainbowy things when I turn it.
Thanks, Elizabeth! I think I might pick up a dozen. My three year old will probably LOVE them! (She's hoarding on her own now.) :)
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