Posts filed under Pencil Reviews

Staedtler Wopex Pencil Review

Ok, fine. The Staedtler Wopex is not the worst pencil of all time.

Sure, I like to make that joke frequently, and the pencil itself has become a bit of a meme in our community, but it’s not that bad. Right?

I question myself, because it’s not great to write with. It’s just not the worst. What’s the worst pencil on the market? I’m not sure, but ones with cores that crumble when writing would top the list. The Wopex at least writes. And, depending on your expectations, writes well.

With the Wopex, Staedtler has built more eco-friendly pencil using wood waste (70%) in combination with plastic (30%) to form material than can then be extruded to make this pencil. Assumedly, Staedtler takes the waste from the production of their more traditional wooden slat pencils and uses it to make more pencils. Honestly, that sounds smart, and I appreciate that Staedtler has committed to this process for one of their products.

While I can appreciate the environmentally friendly bonafides the Wopex brings to the market, what I don’t get along with is the core. There is less information on that formulation than with the barrel, but the graphite, if it can be called that, has a waxy, plastic-like feel. I’m guessing the core needed to be modified to fit the expectation of the pencil. And also to match the weight of the pencil - the extruded barrel is heavier and denser than a traditional wooden barrel, so it likely needed a stronger core to match.

Marked on the barrel as HB #2, the Wopex writes nothing like any HB #2 pencil I have ever used. It is so firm, and so light, that in comparison to traditional wooden pencil cores, I’d put it all the way up in the 2H-4H range. My handwriting looks fantastic with it, but it is very light. Too light for heavy usage.

On performance alone, I wonder where the Staedtler Wopex sits for hobbyist pencil users. Special conditions only, maybe? Under no circumstances is it better than any traditional pencil I own, for any use case. If I wanted output on the page like the Wopex, I’d just grab a 4H pencil whose graphite is much more enjoyable.

There are some good things to mention about the Wopex. I appreciate Staedtler’s focus on recycling and using the waste products they create during production of their other pencils. The color and style is fantastic. The feel is nice too, despite the relatively heavy weight. The eraser is decent, which is high praise compared to most. They are inexpensive, coming in at less than 30 cents in bulk (Amazon affiliate link.) Finally, the Wopex might actually survive nuclear fallout, along with cockroaches.

*On the left, sharpened with the Uni KH-20. On the right, with a KUM handheld. Even with a good blade in the KUM, you can see how both the graphite and barrel are sharpened inconsistently.*

The downsides? The lead isn’t good for me, but others may enjoy it. And sharpening the Wopex with a handheld sharpener is an exercise in frustration. I used my Uni KH-20 desktop sharpener for this review and it worked well. I’ve used handhelds with the Wopex in the past and it doesn’t sharpen the barrel cleanly, sometimes leaving a ragged edge. The barrel material makes it difficult.

So there is my look at the Staedtler Wopex, a pencil I have come to love because of how weird it is. If you want to become a part of the weirdness, it is at least inexpensive to try. And who knows, maybe it will become your new favorite pencil.

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Posted on October 28, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pencil Reviews, Staedtler.

What Is In Your Perfect Pencil Kit?

As my pencil month experiment winds down, I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite products I’ve had in use. And, if I took some of these products and put them together as a kit, what would it include, and how would I set it up? Here are the options I settled on for my personal pencil kit:

A writing pencil. This should be the core of your setup, and your most-used pencil. What pencil do you want to use the majority of the time? For me, that means a dark, firm core with solid point retention. Bonus points for looks. The Mitsubishi 9850 comes to mind here, as does the Blackwing Eras - two of my favorite pencils to just pick up and write. There are no questions here, only solid performance every time I pick it up.

A sketching pencil. This could go a few different ways depending on your needs, but for me, it means something on the soft side, or B side, of the graphite scale. For example, the Tombow Mono KM-KKS 4B, which features a much softer core than the writing options above, but one that is rock solid for such a soft, dark pencil.

A detail pencil. This is my H side option. I’ve toned it down over the years from the 4H range to 2H, which is still plenty aggressive for what I need. This Tombow-made Tajima 2H - for hi-precision drafting, it says - is a perfect choice.

A fun pencil. Do you like a certain character that you can buy pencils for? A wild color? A unique material, either for the wood barrel or core? I always want to have some fun in any kit, whether it is my favorite Aggretsuko pencil, or the Caran d’Ache Stinkwood, which is always a good time.

A color pencil. Or three. Honestly, you can never have too many color options. A magic pencil works wonderfully here, as do the two-sided pencils, like the classic Mitsubishi Vermillion/Prussian Blue, or my favorite, The Editor, a collaboration between Caran d’Ache and the artist formally known as CW Pencil Enterprise.

A self-contained sharpener. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to make a mess unless I am prepared to make a mess. That means that unless I have a trash can handy to sharpen over, I want the pencil shavings to be stored inside the sharpener until I can empty them safely. The KUM Long Point is my favorite option for this. If you don’t care about containing the shavings, then you could opt for the open-blade KUM Masterpiece. The Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener does do a fantastic job of sharpening and containing the shavings, as long as you get a good blade on order.

An eraser. This is a do as I say, not as I do moment. I don’t use erasers, even the ones attached to the pencil. I scratch out and move on, as if I were using a pen. That said, I do like having one on hand just in case. Tombow makes the best in this category, or you can toss in something cool like this Seed Clear Radar eraser, which comes in two sizes: small, and smaller.

A pencil cap. I mean, we are nerds about this stuff, right? I don’t put pencil caps on all of the pencils I carry (that’s why I carry a sharpener,) but I will usually put it on my writing pencil because it is likely the most used pencil. I feel better knowing that if I am banging it around the most that it is protected when I need to pick it up and write quickly.

Pencil paper. What is pencil paper? Take what you like for fountain pens, and choose the exact opposite. Ok, maybe that’s a bit much, but you don’t necessarily want a smooth, slow-drying paper for graphite. The paper doesn’t have to be toothy, but you want some grab from the pencil tip so that it leaves a solid and consistent mark. Field Notes fit the kit size perfectly.

A pouch. Is this the toughest part of the pencil kit? I think so. I made my perfect pencil pouch when Nock Co. was going (R.I.P.) which was exceedingly simple. It didn’t need to hold too much, but it needed to be long enough to hold an unsharpened Blackwing. That was the measurement we used because Blackwing’s are the longest pencil on the market, and longer than most standard pencils off the shelf. Rickshaw makes a nice option for this.

What else? I think I’ve covered my bases here - what else do you put in your pencil kit? Let me know in the comments below.

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Posted on October 21, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pencil Reviews, Pencil Sharpener.

Musgrave Pencil Co. Tennessee Red Review

Why has the Musgrave Pencil Co. Tennessee Red become one of the must-have pencils for the more graphite-inclined among us? For starters, have you seen it?

This is one of the most beautiful pencils on the market, without question. The natural look isn’t everyone’s favorite - I do love a colorful paint job myself - but the way this one is executed sets it apart. The way the cedar slats are produced and assembled gives each barrel a unique look, which is then topped with a clear matte coat to really bring out the color. To seal the deal, the gold ferrule, white eraser, and red imprints bring the entire package together.

Eastern Red Cedar was originally used by Musgrave up until the 1970’s, when the company transitioned to the more common California Incense Cedar. Only in 2020 were they able to bring Eastern Red Cedar back into the lineup in small batches for the Tennessee Red.

I think the Tennessee Red is the softest, but the Blackwing Soft and Balanced cores may be darker. It’s close. I will say that the HB of the Mitsubishi 9850 is nothing like the Tennessee Red “HB.”

As awesome as this cedar is, and as good as this pencil looks, the graphite core and writing experience is really the only thing that matters with any pencil. The Tennessee Red is sold as a #2/HB pencil, but almost anyone who uses them will tell you that these cores are soft and dark, making them feel like at least a B, if not softer. And honestly, that’s what kept me from using them for the longest time.

*Below: Before, and after. Decent point retention for such a soft core.*

Tastes change, and like how my reliance on Extra-Extra Fine fountain pen nibs has morphed into a comfort zone more in the Fine range, my pencil choices have moved from the H side of the ledger to B. It’s not because I am old and have bad eyes (allegedly,) but that I get more enjoyment from seeing the marks, colors, and shapes that wider and darker lines provide.

That said, if I were taking pages of notes with a pencil, the Tennessee Red would not be my first choice. It’s a bit too soft for me in that scenario, but for notes, lists, and doodles? Absolutely.

*Some cores are slightly off, but not too far to prevent their usefulness.*

One interesting thing about the Tennessee Red is the challenges Musgrave has making them into the perfect, consistent pencil that we all expect. To their credit, they own those challenges up front:

Most of our reviews of this pencil have been overwhelmingly positive, but it hasn’t been immune to production challenges. Getting the pencil slats uniform is ideal for running them through the machines, but this was difficult as our supplier wasn’t used to prepping slats for pencils. For perfectly aligned cores, it’s crucial that each slat is cut perfectly symmetrically. As such, you may notice in your packs some slightly off-center cores. This won’t affect the ability of these pencils to write beautifully or to sharpen. But we do note that if perfectly aligned cores are of the utmost importance to you, this pencil may not be your best choice.

I appreciate this so much.

*Quality blades, like in the KUM Masterpiece, had no trouble with the Red.*

The other interesting fact they mention is that the preferred method of sharpening a Tennessee Red is with an electric sharpener. The what now? Am I some kind of heathen over here? To their point, Eastern Red Cedar is a denser wood, so you might have more of a challenge with smaller hand-held sharpeners. I use desktop hand-crank sharpeners, like the Uni KH-20, and have no issues putting a good point on the pencil.

At $14 per dozen directly from Musgrave, the Tennessee Red is almost in the instabuy category for those who love classic pencils. Your boy here loves them so much, he travelled to England and paid over twice that price for some of that good stuff. And I’d do it again.

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