Posts filed under Pencil Reviews

Kitaboshi 9606 HB Pencil Review

Is the Kitaboshi 9606 HB Pencil good enough to replace the hugely popular Blackwing 602, for half the price?

This is going to be a fun exercise today. And the least interesting part of it is that Kitaboshi manufactures Palomino and Blackwing pencils. More on that in a bit. Until then, what is the Kitaboshi 9606?

Kitaboshi is a well-respected Japanese manufacturer, making pencils in Tokyo since 1951. Pencils.com gives more insight into their history, including their providing of Incense Cedar wood slats from Cal Cedar.

The 9606 is Kitaboshi’s take on the traditional Japanese office pencil category, as seen in products like the Mitsubishi 9850 and Tombow 2558. The barrel is a classic burgundy shade, with gold foil stamping on one side-with name, model, graphite grade, and “General Use” imprints-and silver foil stamping on the opposite-stating “Academic Writing,” and a second HB stamp. I haven’t seen this type of dual-color, opposite-side, stamping before, but I guess Kitaboshi wanted to have their bases covered.

From a performance side, they certainly do. This is a smooth, dark core with good point retention, all while not being too firm. That’s a good stock definition of HB, but there is often core grading variance between brands. I’m surprised with most Japanese HB pencils at how soft they pretend to be, while not having to sharpen them constantly, as if you were using a 4B core to write a novel with. The excellent point retention disguises the softness.

The 9606 is a great all around pencil. Clearly, it is ideal for academic writing or general use-the barrel says so-but yes, it’s great for every day writing, and has enough range to be used for drawing, sketching, and more.

As with many standard Japanese pencils, the Kitaboshi 9606 is priced right at $1 per pencil when bought as a dozen. For a pencil of this quality, it is a fantastic value, and an easy recommendation.

So, that whole manufacturing thing-are Kitaboshi cores the same as found in Blackwings? I made this comment in my Muji 2B Pencil Review:

“Surprisingly, the Blackwing Pearl was a close match for the Muji. The core felt similar, and the color and smoothness on the page was similar.”

Turns out, the Muji pencils are made by Kitaboshi, too! Three grades of the standard Kitaboshi Cedar Pencil are available. Hmmmmmmm …

So, the final question: Is the 9606 going to replace the Blackwing 602 for me? No. The Blackwing design is turned up to 11, and I’m happy to pay the premium that requires. This question is similar to the one I asked last week about the Zebra Sarasa Nano. Two great pens, and in that case I chose the cheaper of the two. This time, it’s the opposite. And that is no knock on either selection I didn’t make. It’s merely an aesthetic choice. If the insides are the same, I’ll pick the outside I prefer most of the time.

In the broader sense, the Kitaboshi 9606 deserves to be selected more times than not. The performance dictates that, and the price seals the deal. It’s a great pencil.

(St. Louis Art Supply provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on October 24, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kitaboshi, Pencil Reviews.

Makers Cabinet Ferrule Pencil Extender Review

It has been difficult to get my review of the Makers Cabinet Ferrule started. What do I think of it? Who is it made for? Is it good, bad, or somewhere in between? What’s the hook?

When I don’t know where to start, the easiest place to begin is with a fact: The Ferrule is a $96 pencil extender. What I’ll try to decide the rest of this article is the opinion portion of the proceedings. Is it worth it?

There is no doubt that the Ferrule is expensive. In the grand scheme of Makers Cabinet products, that is the norm.

The job of the Ferrule is to extend the life of a pencil stub, aka the shortest remnant of the pencil barrel when it has been used past an easily grippable state. There’s a lot of good graphite left in there, so let’s try to get all of it out!

To do that, the Ferrule twists apart in the center of the barrel, opening a clutch mechanism to allow you to slide a 7-to-8 mm diameter pencil into the opening. A twist back the other direction locks the pencil in place for use. To sharpen, or extended the stub further, simply repeat the process to remove or adjust until the pencil is no more.

As you may have surmised at this point, pencils with erasers can be an issue. Standard ferrules and round erasers squeeze in there, but Blackwing’s rectangular setup need not apply.

(Note: Round ferrules are definitely an issue. I got one stuck when I was setting up the pictures for this post. After a moment of panic, I figured out a way to stick a long, skinny metal rod (thank you meat thermometer!) through the top of the barrel down far enough to push it out. Whew.)

Since the pencil is down to its final form as-is, I have no problem hacking the ferrule off to fit the Ferrule. That’s then entire reason for its existence anyway. It does ship with six Kitaboshi-core short pencils for use if you don’t want to use your own pencils.

Historically, pencil extenders are thin and lightweight, designed to mimic the traditional wooden pencil writing experience. The Ferrule is none of that. The brass barrel is heavy at 45 grams, and around 12 mm (I had to eyeball it, my digital caliper battery is dead,) at its widest part of the grip section. For me, these measurements are the biggest hangup. It turns a classic pencil into something completely different.

Different is ok, but the Ferrule is not additive to my writing experience. At this price, it needs to be. As I was using it over the last few weeks, I was hard pressed to find a situation where it would be my preferred writing choice. It’s too wide and heavy for much more than a quick note. Plus, I’m never short on pencil inventory, so if I get one down to the stub, it’s an easy choice to grab a fresh one out of the box. And who doesn’t love that?

This is primarily a drawing/sketching lead holder, similar to the 2 mm ones I enjoy. I think for extended drawing use you would have to grip it further back on the barrel and use broader strokes and movements. Another option would be for it to be a utility pencil; wood marking, for example. Any type of standard writing will tire your hand out quickly.

In the end, it’s a great design that turns a wooden pencil into something I don’t want it to be. I can also see where others could find good utility in the Ferrule, such as the person I borrowed it from. They like it so much they bought two!

(The Makers Cabinet Ferrule was loaned to me by a friend for purposes of this review.)

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Posted on September 26, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Makers Cabinet, Pencil Reviews.

Craft Design Technology 038W Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's been several months since I've tried a new pencil of any kind, so I was happy to sit down and switch gears for a while with the new Craft Design Technology 038W mechanical pencil. Immediately after opening the box, I knew I had seen the pencil before, but couldn't place where. Then I remembered seeing one on my dad's drafting table from decades ago. And then I remembered that the pencil I remembered was made by Pentel. Interesting. After investigating the box and small card that came with the packaging, it even gives manufacturing credit to Pentel for the pencil. At any rate, the 038W is a re-branded Pentel Sharp Kerry pencil in a unique colorway, and it's still the great mechanical pencil that Pentel has offered for decades.

If you've never tried a Kerry, you really ought to pick one up and give it a go. It's one of only a few mechanical pencils I can think of that features a capping design. All of the mechanical pencils I own are one piece, and you can easily retract the lead into the pipe when not in use. In some cases, the pipe and cone of the pencil retract into the body for safe keeping. But with the Kerry (or 038W), The cap completely covers the front half of the pencil from the grip section to the lead that protrudes out of the pipe. In this case, you can cap the pencil and stow it without remembering to retract the lead first. The lead won't get broken off in your back, pocket, etc. while not in use! This can be a big perk if you like the lead to stay at the same length in between uses.

The design of this pencil reminds me of fountain pens like the Pilot Murex or M90. While those fountain pens are of a higher quality (and price), there's something about the shapes that my brain can't help but compare. Sure, the Fisher Bullet pen or Kaweco Sport is similar in that the posted pen is a normal length while the capped pen is much smaller, but the Kerry just has a similar vibe as the M90 and Murex.

The pencil is fairly lightweight despite the use of metal in most of the parts. The cap is fairly long, but that gives the pencil a perfect balance when posted. You can also use the pencil without the cap, but it's a little too short for my taste.

The middle part of the body between the grip section and the back of the body is a textured metal that offers a subtle grip. For a standard grip, you won't use this metal piece when writing, but it does provide good handling feel when moving the pencil around when not writing.

The section and back part of the pencil body are made of a white plastic. Aside from these two pieces, everything else is metal. But the metal pieces all feature unique finishes that make them stand out. My favorite look is the cone and tip — it has a satin finish that I really enjoy. There are reflective chrome-like finishes on the nock buttons, and some reflective bits on either side of the middle decorative section. Honestly, I think the overall aesthetic could be improved by reducing the various finishes down to one or two.

Let's talk about the clicker, because that's one of the more interesting things about this pencil. The lead advancement button is on the butt of the pencil, just like most mechanical pencils. But, since this is a capped design, the button is covered when the cap is posted. No good! But Pentel provided an elegant fix for this. There's a "dumb" button on the cap as well that sits on top of the real button when the cap is posted. When posted, the lead advance button feels just like any pencil. It's solid and responsive and you'd never guess that it was detachable. I love it.

When writing with the pencil, the plastic grip does a great job of providing solid grip and control. The nose is tapered heavily and the lead pipe is about 2 mm long, giving you great visibility around the area you're focused on drawing or making marks with a straight edge. It feels great in the hand, and I've really enjoyed using it.

In short, I'm a big fan of the Pentel Sharp pencils, Kerry included. It's cool to see companies like Craft Design Technology put their spin on this classic pencil, and I hope it introduces more people to this great product. It is currently sold out at Yoseka Stationery, so if you want to pick up your own, you can find it on the Craft Design Technology website. According to current currency conversions, it costs about $20 before any shipping or other fees for international customs. If you're already in Japan, this is probably an easy thing to grab. Unless you really want the unique colorway featured here, you can pick up a standard Pentel Sharp Kerry in a number of other colors from your local stationery store or preferred online retailer. For the US, JetPens has several color variations for $16. The great thing about this pencil is that it feels like something that costs more than the price tag. It's a great pencil, and one you should try out if it looks even remotely interesting to you!

(This pencil was purchased from Yoseka Stationery at retail price.)

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