tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47287750679850762982024-01-19T02:44:07.822-08:00Pencil ReviewerAn independent guy who loves pencils, writing about them, reviewing them, promoting the use of them, sharpening them... He loves the smell of them, the feel of sharpening and using a vintage pencil... You get the idea.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-6446379847199366572017-01-24T13:39:00.001-08:002017-01-24T13:39:07.206-08:00It has been far too long since I posted here - I am not dead yet!I have been working in a job that has allowed little time for blogging (not to mention anything else) but now I have a new position that leaves a little better work/life balance. I'll be posting some backlogged reviews soon. I have a number of new pencil related stuff to get out here and such. Anyhow, if you have been to my blog lately and wondered whether I fell off the face of the earth. Nope I am here. Drop me a note. Say hi.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-21966193934575798292013-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:002013-10-18T09:04:35.589-07:00Review: The Classroom Friendly Pencil SharpenerTroy at <a href="http://classroomfriendlysupplies.com/" target="_blank">Classroom Friendly Supplies</a> sent me a new pencil sharpener to review and my first impressions are very, very good. It has the feel of a metal napkin holder that you'd find in a 50's diner. It is also a bit heavier than I expected it to be. The first thing that I noticed when I tried sharpening a pencil in it was just how perfectly shaped the lead is. It struck me that this did a better job in seconds at sharpening than I can do with my KUM Automatic Long Point sharpener. So, I decided that this review would start off with the results of what happened when I put the two up against each other. The KUM sharpener I bought locally, at my <a href="http://www.meininger.com/" target="_blank">favorite art supply store</a>.<br />
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Here is how I setup the competition. Each pencil sharpener will be used to sharpen one of my NOS (New Old Stock) Dixon Ticonderoga pencils in the Extra-Hard (2H) variety. These come from my own private reserve of these Made in the USA beauties.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KqvPIrxzo1h2KhuGRvlXw61olD9FSqiSmwvc7ZNpwv3AbyVamDnlR78RrRQexgcjySQO89UbQNiXiJCRMirdCTi0k8HVmIAy3UlGrW3qnXyPrRGLPt0qhWCb8pKeBDazN-mhcP7wheg/s1600/photo.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KqvPIrxzo1h2KhuGRvlXw61olD9FSqiSmwvc7ZNpwv3AbyVamDnlR78RrRQexgcjySQO89UbQNiXiJCRMirdCTi0k8HVmIAy3UlGrW3qnXyPrRGLPt0qhWCb8pKeBDazN-mhcP7wheg/s400/photo.JPG.jpeg" width="346" /></a></div>
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I am going to mark each pencil for which sharpener I am using on it and I will spending the next several hours working on an instructional design project. So I will need to use some serious pencils for that. I use pencils for all of my content sketches and object layout. I am thinking that this post will cover roughly1/3 of the use for each pencil. I plan to rotate each pencil in turn and sharpen them only once they are too dull for my tastes. I like sharpening a pencil cause it gives me a moment to think between ideas. I'll be writing each segment of the post as rounds. Note: several hours of use happened between the rounds. Here are our contenders labeled and ready to go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVETn27hQ5BKDUC2Tgv28eFKruGU4VZ8CCbdwA4bDKisWQreElSJkFt6wYg37kdg2hWK9ha0Ydfr0KGvMVo5WGjlquHeo8Okhnkpzrqw-w3wjOtiNPWdBaWydgH_fXI35mFzSuzfXykSw/s1600/photo.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVETn27hQ5BKDUC2Tgv28eFKruGU4VZ8CCbdwA4bDKisWQreElSJkFt6wYg37kdg2hWK9ha0Ydfr0KGvMVo5WGjlquHeo8Okhnkpzrqw-w3wjOtiNPWdBaWydgH_fXI35mFzSuzfXykSw/s320/photo.JPG.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Round 1 </b></h2>
<b>Sharpening:</b><br />
CF - 20 seconds (seriously I think I turned the crank six times total.)<br />
KUM - 3 minutes and 38 seconds (in this time I sharpened twice because the lead broke during the second stage of the sharpener the first time).<br />
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<b>Notes: </b><br />
At first when the lead broke in the KUM on this first try I thought oh crap, I need to start over, then I realized that following through may show that the other sharpener breaks the occasional lead as well. Before I started this did occur to me as being possible and with that in mind I put a brand new blade in the phase two opening on the KUM. If you have ever used one of these guys you know that it is easy to break a lead from time to time. In addition, this is a 2H pencil so the lead is much firmer and (in my experience) more susceptible to breakage. The lead shown at the top in the image below is the Classroom Friendly one and the lower one is the KUM. The Classroom Friendly sharpened one has a smooth almost polished surface on the lead and I noticed that the point is actually slightly longer. The KUM also makes the wood on the pencil slightly dirty. <br />
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Round 2 (several sharpenings later)</h2>
<b>Sharpening</b><br />
CF - 20 Seconds each<br />
<b>KUM - Still over a minute each time</b><br />
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<b>Notes:</b> I had been using the CF sharpened pencil for a little bit when I noticed that the sharpening seems to have a concave line to it. This is what gives it the very long point. I really like this and I think most "drafting" users would as well. The sharp narrow point reminded me of the lead for a mechanical pencil (yes I do own some mechanical pencils). Over the course of using this pencil sharpener it occurred to me that this pencil was going to last forever. The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener does not seem to remove any length from the pencil at all, the mechanism inside makes it to that the very end of the pencil tip as you dull it down becomes the very end of the pencil tip after it is sharpened. This is a great feature if you love premium pencils. No waste. Here you can see in the photo that after the same number of sharpenings and quite a bit of use it is clear that There is more of the CF pencil left. I know this is one of those subjective things so I grabbed a couple of my Palomino Blackwing 602's out of my drawer, sharpened one and left the other full length. Guess what? I found that they were exactly the same length still. The CF had not shortened the pencil whatsoever. Take a look at the comparison below.<br />
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I do love the portability of the KUM sharpener and I think the ability to get the lead to a needle sharp point is great but the consistent tip that the CF sharpener leaves is unbeatable. It leaves a line about the same as a .05 mechanical pencil lead. Once it gets to about the .07 thickness is where I would sharpen it.<br />
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Conclusions. This is not just a Classroom Friendly Sharpener it is a budget friendly one. The one thing that I do not like about it is the "teeth marks" it leaves on pencils. They are not quite like actual teeth marks as they are very small but they do build up as you use the CF more and more. They are not a deal-breaker for me. The first picture below is part of the picture above and you can see an example of the tooth marks on the Blackwing. The second shows the final state of both pencils along with an up close view of the teeth marks that build up over time.<br />
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I think this is a great sharpener. Thank you Troy for sending this my way. I love that this thing was designed by a teacher for classroom use, small business and creativity is one of my favorite things. I will be buying one of these from him for a friend who is a 5th grade teacher, I am not going to give up this one on my desk. <br />
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There are a number of other reviews out there on the internet, notably <a href="http://woodclinched.com/2011/09/27/classroom-friendly/" target="_blank">an older post by my friend Andy Welfle</a> reviewing these and it seems we agree on pretty much everything except for the length of the point between the KUM and the CF (Andy, I did not read your review prior to writing my own as I did not want it to influence mine at all - I did not realize that you also had pitted the CF against the KUM Longpoint (identical to the Palomino Longpoint unless I am mistaken.)<br />
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<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-22196549270646409592013-10-09T16:42:00.001-07:002013-10-09T16:42:20.782-07:00Edukit MeetingI had a fascinating meeting with Audie from edukit.com on Monday. She contacted me via the blog and come to find out it is a small world and we are both based out of Colorado Springs! <div><br></div><div>If you are not familiar with them they are a company that builds school supply packs for parents that meet teacher specs. They are distinctive in their vertical in that they source premium products and meet some very demanding requests.</div><div><br></div><div>It was interesting speaking with Audie who is responsible for buying lots and lots of pencils. Gained some new insights on what it means to buy small items in large quantities. Audie contacted me via the new request form on the site, see I don't ignore anyone!</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for the iced coffee Audie!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-76247970261377497792013-10-09T16:33:00.001-07:002013-10-12T11:19:42.290-07:0011k Milestone Reached Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I passed the 11k mark! I looked into it and this little blog has been averaging over 600 visits per month! Pretty amazing for a little site that I don't even post on very regularly.</div>
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Thank you for reading my rambles about pencil stuff.</div>
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I have some exciting new posts in the hopper! I am doing a side by side comparison of the Thailand made Golden Bears and the made in USA Golden Bears. Also I'm running the new Prospectors through their paces. Let me say this, so far I am impressed with these entry-level offerings from pencils.com. Thanks to Alex for the review pencils!</div>
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Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-59519830442823247392013-09-05T10:20:00.001-07:002013-09-05T10:20:29.417-07:00Vintage Dixon Ticonderoga ShrineMost of what you see here is vintage Dixon Ticonderoga. The large box is a complete unused half gross box. I have the original cello wrapper as well.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/05/871.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/05/s_871.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This is my collection of more recent Dixon Ticonderoga pencils from the 80s and 90s made in USA. Also in this shot are the Mephisto pencils I reviewed previously.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/09/05/872.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/09/05/s_872.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I'd really like to see more companies bring high-quality pencil making back to the US the way that Cal Cedar has.<br /><br />Note: a few of these boxes I will not tap into, I use most of these pencils. <br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-69997059388474340322013-08-21T21:20:00.001-07:002013-08-21T21:20:03.184-07:00Elmore Leonard passed awayHe will be missed.<br /><br /><br /><br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-51249524182883539582013-05-09T22:06:00.001-07:002013-05-10T07:08:14.634-07:00Kickstarter Help Please!Have you ever had a friend with a really great idea, run a Kickstarter and you just don't want to see it fail cause it is just that good? My friend Ryan has an awesome idea like that. <br />
The game is called Sum Wars and I think it's a fun game, great for math skills and will make the earth a better place. It could even lead to a cure for cancer (indirectly of course, maybe some kid will grow up playing sum wars, will get smart, become a scientist and invent a cancer antidote).<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5876212674749800626"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilthoJz4hFLw60dNfZjorQR89oVnSWyLIdz1pHVlJwsmDyarl7ZfmZrEe4otrv5MBAPSGYlJam9zw1TZI_r36m61LfrQPiS1N2xAUYce7BnEIdbjt1TLETlEQaT_pDne_0QNvf0BF7KQI/s288/1.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a><br />
What does Sum Wars have to do with pencils? <br />
1. Pencils get used for lots of math.<br />
2. Pencils were used in the design of this game.<br />
3. I like pencils, I like this game.<br />
4. You could wear a pencil above your ear while playing this game and it would keep you looking uber smart during game play.<br />
5. You have trusted my perspective on pencils, you can trust me about cool new math games.<br />
So here is the deal, Ryan has just 14 days to go to get this funded. If you have ever enjoyed a pencil... For the love of Mike (or Ryan) if you can't spare a little bit of money, share this post with your friends. Better yet post it on your blog!<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/665695128/sum-wars-tabletop-math-crossword-battle-for-all" target="_blank"> Sum Wars!</a><br />
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Thanks!<br />
Pencil Reviewer <br />
(aka Ryan's friend)<br />
<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-87735434187688896832013-05-09T13:40:00.002-07:002013-05-09T13:41:14.234-07:00More Dilbert - Pencil order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-83812755539028468612013-05-07T06:18:00.001-07:002013-09-05T10:59:53.554-07:00Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review Part 2I spent a little time last night writing with the Pearl and I kept on being distracted by the finish on the pencil. It feels amazing! It reminds me of the feel of a Tombow Mono. It has the barrel width that is pleasing to hold and the smooth surface of the paint is nice. <br />
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I did my standard comparison with the Turquoise 4B (supposedly the same lead formulation as the original Blackwing). You can see above that the Pearl has a darker line. The paper used for this testing is from a plain Moleskine Cahier. It is inside my new buffalo hide Journey Notebook (off eBay). They posed together for this shot. Yes I am a paper freak too. ;)<br />
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Ill be using the Pearl for notes during a meeting this morning and I thought of one thing, you may recall that I prefer the pink erasers. I think that maybe the Pearl is a little bit feminine with the pink eraser. What do you think?<br />
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I do like the look of it peeking out of the notebook though with the black eraser.<br />
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I haven't said all there is to say about the Blackwing Pearl.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-59124690278043869352013-05-06T16:47:00.001-07:002013-05-07T06:02:10.175-07:00Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review Part 1<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5875017147697507938"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkzqF5wciTQdC2fezu_abeOlcyKO9ThXrVXwd3FBraLbKNMkNocS07X1nqfVyTGLGIq3AmrH04rHcvDMZSUWkApzFkQ7kZL6i5_jtdGdefaIMa5knFwDz4nmUrvq3OywM9I0mF7NGfhI/s288/1.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
I just received my package of Palomino Blackwing Pearls for review. (thanks to Alex at pencils.com) <br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5875037614478887634"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv4kUg_KxeNVXtirEo7y-WAmZhPK_qU3ZAFjOKgkEk_a1pDzZ2Q1FFoG3oC_csoRzNtITRbRwSMYLqlXEEC4GzPyQ0PmlEUo5fvywcD35h9J5vjUX3YQlMavUC7yNwRtdGxLUHoITGYc/s288/1.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a></center>
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As I unboxed them I was immediately enamored by the paint on these things. It has a pearlescent glow to it. It is also smooth to the touch.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5875017193211977586"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMVIuT_AdDRO5hqc4RreGtPA5znVCWE1U3hsqwPKwsUOdx8AcsF_oOzTKnD65RUOthMcAQuPO8Q534SqRO6oR9A4jIy-v9tFWJceeXj5BdWVl-Ou8fqNdGuCYAB8DRHou0ppU4gFmyzY/s288/2.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
The photo probably does not do it justice. I also noticed that the imprint on the pencil is crisp and clear. The lettering is thin and clean. I sharpened the first pencil with my favorite hand sharpener (shown) and it took a point nicely.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5875017289260002578"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD_MmmGJXqMRUY7VD45MmeQk2ZTYljfHUPZQJNwKFqb08dzi0obxsem-UAqlGYT0syYrPVvOuYbB1yV0Jcng97Hua36qFIvCPVSlUGuXst3gSIqvNcFhiPGlveUFfqzvx38eUBpqpcZg/s288/3.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="210" /></a><br />
The smell of the incense cedar is faint. <br />
You can see in the photo at the top of this post that this pencil does write a slightly darker line than the Palomino Blackwing 602. Also you may notice I experienced a small bit of lead crumble on the 602 when I got to the "L" on Blackwing. This was also with a freshly sharpened 602. My initial thoughts on this pencil are positive. I will run the pencil through full paces tomorrow at work, and possibly tonight in my journal. <br />
Stay tuned for part 2!Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-65947133931193075692013-05-03T12:53:00.001-07:002013-05-03T13:08:13.090-07:00Dilbert Pencil Humor<center>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5613704382470816978"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-m5K5kL4w-6JjgE1J_zdo7em5wPtyPfHecyEE2UULfnCOsh9KajXmb4vq73x0ZYYKf3PbpLQhC-slg5uXHR6cxXwJM5R4oMx37HoRK4tMparcTImh13EtbEds7BI4NOGMPIlqE8RPdk/s400/1.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center>
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All comics property of Scott Adams www.dilbert.comMatthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-75841665952516867372013-04-30T12:01:00.001-07:002013-04-30T12:01:27.418-07:00The Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review is Forthcoming!I just heard from the folks at Pencils.com and they are sending me a Pearl to review! The best news is I won't have to apologize to my wife for buying more pencils!Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-66648318988978208502013-04-30T06:06:00.001-07:002013-04-30T06:07:42.888-07:00Blackwing Pearl PreorderI got the email announcement from Pencils.com this morning. No response as of today on my offer to review a prerelease pencil. ;( Oh well, I'm sure Charles and the gang are busy getting this new guy ready to ship Thursday.<br /><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/MyBlogPhotos02#5872625509713365954'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNHpuA-w3nRHn9Nrzqp01OVLLuDL6BWm64Afw7K0IgmJbYL1sMm9SeVo9z7yzzLM3soMaRD380D7Thy5MsVyitiFaY4qrzFeYbYHrMF80L-KOgB0Fs3lD7r2PHMS1672CQC7ASpJRxIM/s288/1.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='159' style='margin:5px'></a><br />Today is payday. I'm going to probably have to apologize to my wife for spending money on "MORE PENCILS!"<br />Review of the Blackwing Pearl coming soon!<br /><br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-5994337265180968672013-04-18T10:28:00.002-07:002013-04-18T10:28:44.631-07:00Blackwing Pearl Coming Next Month!It is not very often that a new pencil is put on the market, especially one that gets anybody but a few select pencileers excited. This pencil has my attention.<br />
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<a href="https://www.pencils.com/blog/palomino-introduces-blackwing-pearl-pencil/" target="_blank">The Blackwing Pearl</a><br />
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I don't have any information yet as to whether this is a new paint scheme or what but the marketing blast I got a couple of days ago says that it is "balanced and smooth" and that it is graphite.<br />
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I already see the existing 602 pencils as balanced and smooth and quite frankly it is now my favorite pencil on the market today. I cannot imagine an improvement. But anything is possible.<br />
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I emailed pencils.com asking if I could get my hands on an early release. We will see....Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-29201930683931923922012-07-03T09:33:00.000-07:002012-07-03T09:33:32.601-07:00Two Little Dimples: Palomino Blackwing 602 ChangesSo I really like my Palomino Blackwing 602s. I actually got to the last one in the package which is saying alot because although I use pencils alot I love to have many different kinds of pencils laying around. Well I ordered my second box of them and they just arrived in the mail today. I ordered the <a href="http://pencilreviewer.blogspot.com/2011/06/palomino-blackwing-602-eraser-shootout.html">pink replacement erasers </a>of course and as I went through the box replacing the black erasers with pink erasers I noticed a minor change to the design of the Palomino Blackwing 602. <br />
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The only annoyance I had with the Palomino Blackwing 602s that came out last year (as well as with the <a href="http://pencilreviewer.blogspot.com/2011/05/palomino-blackwing.html">Palomino Blackwing</a>) is something that I did not really stumble into until I had used several of the pencils down to the nubs, and used the erasers more than usual. The little clip that holds the eraser in did not have any sort of grip the way the Original Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 did. When you tried to extend the eraser so that more of it was usable it would just slide back into the ferrule. This in my opinion is the reason for the unique ferrule in the first place so it was an annoyance but only if you actually used the eraser down that far. I of course had several extra erasers and was able to avoid being frustrated by simply replacing the worn out eraser.<br />
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Pencils.com has come through by tweaking this issue and saying nothing about it. I love it when a company makes improvements to their products! <br />
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<li>You can see in the photo that the pencil on the top is the last of my Palomino Blackwing 602s from the box I purchased last year. It has a smooth surface on the eraser clip.</li>
<li>Next to it is an Original Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602, it has two little dimples pressed into each side of the eraser clip.</li>
<li>In the box you can see that the Palomino Blackwing 602 now sports two similar dimples in each side of the eraser clip.</li>
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The dimples make it much easier to adjust the eraser so that it sticks out at any length you need. This post is just a heartfelt thank you to the makers of Palomino pencils for making an improvement to the product.</div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-30797379541834025062012-01-25T12:48:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:50:15.429-08:00Mitsubishi - Vermilion/Prussian BlueToday I am reviewing a pencil that has made its way to the head of the line. It is a specialty pencil. I have been doing so much editing work lately at my job that I have found these things to be a wonderful desk companion. It is a pencil that is meant to be sharpened at both ends.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBnFsBfAI3Qs62gq8IqoE42KRnxO2voldSUb_sBqZ3X1xN1F091qFAJPna4PJ86w37NVBljeh67wkDixFotWg0bJ5clUHWSp8WvcnJu8KNlQv2kf3iWPtAd43DJFpYRs10eO3PYWZwfI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBnFsBfAI3Qs62gq8IqoE42KRnxO2voldSUb_sBqZ3X1xN1F091qFAJPna4PJ86w37NVBljeh67wkDixFotWg0bJ5clUHWSp8WvcnJu8KNlQv2kf3iWPtAd43DJFpYRs10eO3PYWZwfI/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Normally the idea of sharpening both ends of a pencil just seems plain wrong to me. I have had one too many pencils break my skin when I put my hand in my pocket for that to be practical. A couple of pencil caps from General pencil solve that issue for me.<br />
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This pencil writes smooth without the waxy feel of the typical colored pencil. The lead is surprisingly strong and long lasting. I do find myself using the red more than the blue but it is nice being able to write feedback and correct grammar all with the same pencil. Highly recommended. Cost about a buck a piece and they are available online and at local art stores.<br />
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<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-21761764052976807672012-01-25T12:45:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:45:49.118-08:00Graphite is key to green technologyI was reading some <a href="http://oakshirefinancial.com/2012/01/25/graphite-applications-are-expanding-what-does-that-mean-for-investors/">financial news</a> and discovered something I was not aware of regarding the good stuff at the heart of my beloved pencils. <b><u>Did you know</u></b> that a key component of lithium ion batteries as well as fuel cell technology is graphite? The demand for graphite globally is expected to grow at at alarming rate. Amazing stuff.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-10685897567321983982011-11-10T14:53:00.001-08:002011-11-10T14:53:07.595-08:00Pencil ThanksgivingSitting here working from home on my todo list with a pile of freshly sharpened pencils beside me got me thinking about a major todo that I simply haven't todone. Writing for this blog. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/111981319222175579522/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5673503987611733394'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VMOIpvaoqpcRXA-RFZCJnwxcpybvr4eA8eMcgYcJj5kaUTFoC9fg2obBE8yI88mr_1T9DrIT1DdOpCZV_wkEl1WNVfNdiwaguVmhmkeBlQ9_3DGCQruN3IdCCL7xQic3SOcsOgeQeY8/s288/1.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />So in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday that is upon us, thought I'd post a list of pencil related things I am thankful for:<br /><br />A - A. W. Faber<br />B - Bloggers (like Andy Welfle)<br />C - California Republic<br />D - Dixon Ticonderoga's<br />E - Eberhard Faber - Blackwing 602 (because they are doing better than my 401k)<br />F - Faber Castell 9000 <br />G - Graphite<br />H - Holding a freshly sharpened pencil<br />I - Incense Cedar<br />J - J. S. Staedtler<br />K - Kid's Pencils (like the Spangle in front of me)<br />L - Lyra Pencil Company<br />M - Mephisto Writing by KOH-I-NOOR<br />N - New Pencil Shavings, love em<br />O - O'Bon Pencils - cause the planet matters<br />P - Palomino HB (Blue paint)<br />Q - Quality<br />R - Rubber, cause we all make mistakes that we wish we could erase<br />S - Steve Jobs - lets face it, love him or hate him he changed the world, I am writing this post on an Apple product, Steve the world misses you already! (I know kind of a stretch pencil wise.)<br />T - Tombow - a great Japanese pencil company - my favorite is the MONO HB and 2B<br />U - United States Pencil Manufacturers<br />V - Vintage pencils on eBay<br />W - World Wide Internet, cause where else can the pencil obsessed gather?<br />X- Xerox, what is this, Scrabble?<br />Y - You, if you are reading this post it means I am not alone in my pencil obsession.<br />Z - Zebra Mechanical pencils<br /><br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-58197344713914527922011-08-30T13:03:00.000-07:002011-08-30T13:03:19.699-07:00URTAK Pencil ObsessionOk, I know it has been some time since I posted a pencil review. I have a couple nearly ready to go but remember I got to use them to review them and this has been a light writing couple of months with my job changing.<br />
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Great new tool I found online called Urtak. Have fun answering the questions about pencil obsessions, or add your own pencil obsession question.<br />
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You will find the urtak on the right hand side of the blog.Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-18562926364484000692011-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:002011-06-30T20:29:38.457-07:00“The yellow pencil basically became a Chinese commodity,”T<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his is a quote by "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jim Weissenborn the CEO and owner of General Pencil company in an article posted on <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-28/new-jersey-pencil-maker-cedes-no-2-s-to-china-even-on-tariffs.html">Bloomberg</a> this week. I am sitting here with a box of made in the USA General's SEMI-HEX Pencils sitting in front of me on the desk and I am wondering if these gems will go the way of the Ticonderoga?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5624219525268291906"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdst5pbIiW2EyCVhjUi8OhhPJX3qVZtl-cdTYY-Fylyaj1cLD-iQ3OM0xkTGmFdMIikb_DdzbTUhSJObzBkZWUxPMuI04kEWSgi6To9MQHx784lbDIhvenbOBtwg0XJm74HEcZDjEwEJ8/s288/1.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></span> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If that is the future of the SEMI-HEX pencil I may need to stock up on a rather large supply of them before this happens. After all, if nothing else I'd like my grandkids to know the pleasure of a quality Made in USA classic. What do you think? Should I buy a few gross of them and set them aside? You can still get Made in USA pencils from a couple of other companies out there.</span></span>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-61951238839640843482011-06-20T18:35:00.000-07:002011-06-20T18:36:01.263-07:00Palomino Blackwing 602 Eraser ShootoutI started out with 3 pristine examples of the Palomino Blackwing replacement erasers. One of each color respectively.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620477829725311906" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBAWrozz38SqQUiYKEPV6GvM_zFirwXt3XlNgwQSRNwAFr_J6uMFggAEJ7s10zh6h7layNPjic-ccTFupGvsD_xDlC_8hGZzPSZlpkcGwAI0C0bZ3AEwmlAXOU5LE0nI8wMHsxU07opM/s288/1.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gentlemen, start your engines...</td></tr>
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I began by setting up a test page on Stenographer's paper. The first test I ran for each eraser was on the heavily shaded block. The shaded block was created with a Palomino Blackwing 602. Each eraser first did an up-down (on left) then an up-down twice (in the middle) followed by an up-down three times (on right).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620477854563378194" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg66qlAaR3MmVfebEWHGm99KocLt1KyQv8hMe2msKwW3bQfll1CcoBTwGfGZ8M8jucxe6qozEZvXfcSL7lASWUS-u7ed65W9MtPnJVBIPixJwKIuq6qCYPZV36F30ET0MGkFfXEHchE68/s288/2.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after the e-race.</td></tr>
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Then each eraser was challenged by erasing completely the words Palomino Blackwing. This did not require a set amount of passes, I simply erased it as completely as I could. The erasers were mounted in a new 602.<br />
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My reasoning behind the two separate tests was to see which eraser performed the best with the fewest swipes and which was the best at getting the paper the cleanest overall regardless of the number of passes.<br />
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The black eraser was the best performer in the quick use test. Three passes left the paper very clean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620477862331568658" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtcOs7AUvGoBmIiE-20PzM93ydnl6FeN2I3JZRVZUr-S__6285xWSisQ41Bm-3W3VRH4Qf5eOUiZPln2Ub4bMWdHERlbRHRODKtr5mwTEXB01aZ7Nhu6jh-x7xVgKEyBuiqcOvzr8HfI/s288/3.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black eraser does quite well.</td></tr>
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The white and pink erasers seemed comparable to each other. The white eraser seemed more prone to smearing than either sibling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620477874191484850" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrRZts1E-KqVrgac5rzrstYDBU9H5Ye6h-0E9Lqgxymgck-Hrne7_GB7Cf9IMT0hOP_2ZLUcp7CqY0kCVC86lXOzkQ5slUmqqx6GBSoT6-i6gGeDBHJugqVJSOyhMtrgj9RPtsqLXInI/s288/4.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the white erasers tendency to smear.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The pink eraser did not do as well as the white in this test yet it did not have the smearing issue that the white one did.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620478185319064338" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGP1ORuCD0uAJe16bbYCMrJQ7wYSOObHEi9o9d3yu9ipXxfqTgfgkW72siziC2g_fHr6tKbIF2uxHnfZDcBvsCUecd2hDN25hWUikseBKFVkoofT8E0VMPgsA_uDBY0asp2Aewdclr8oE/s288/5.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see that the pink eraser leaves quite a bit of graphite in it's path on the quick use test.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Under a magnifying glass the black and pink erasers appear to have a high amount of what I believe to be diatomaceous earth. (Can anybody confirm this for me?) If the white has any of this it is not visible. The white eraser is very similar to the Pentel high polymer erasers.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620478196921780946"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2i0idsE7_8gRX0IAB9J4XODKCNeT-jdUjMaJLTZVvAekoRXLiaVcp5EybdKk21Fsii_xun37-wPFjwG-aIX29YPtQe2rS3mvGXX04e5krL4W7membTMUGSbcKYI8JhQfowE52zWWyhE/s288/6.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
Hard to see but this picture does show the semi-reflective specks that I found in the pink and black erasers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620478227557417522" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7njWmxvGzXmhyphenhyphenTGsg_e-5S2p4SEnAlLnw2SmGJsXzcZWwJVNBurunyMwmCxDIZN1VsCG8CGPN82ruyaxfj_LDosBzehUXFMXmo-Ca0M_9H4epUIWr6r9iJE3FXTg0RndWhg-vN9qN2Ww/s288/7.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Semi reflective specks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It is hard to be a fair judge when you clearly have a favorite. I am happy to say that the pink eraser seemed to be the best performer in the second test. It cleaned up the paper very well in comparison to the others. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620478262892178370" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxuwXcvch6tRt06liVCQiv09l3TBRXI9y6LCagOnxeAYLHBr6ILc_Oj0fdYSkMfh53XeYbp3W6UAzf5orPOoRM8K5ma0WBXWymCJHsnyp98z31bp-PKsQzQNLXDi2xAABq_t9G0Xj6l0/s288/8.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink eraser seemed to leave the least behind overall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The final verdict? I think the black and pink erasers are winners each with their respective strength, the white eraser is still a nice eraser it just didn't perform as well as the other two. <br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5620478269621201250"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAfV5EE1TsrbynGWAEezzFbcjai6B6lU0yMwUVJ3GMgFRk2XT7nQUTtxpOoLplN9FyJG-Hw2yeIY2O7xUYKSTVjr6HMT39VWYDys8owIGNzaEf2II6cnrL48uX7aBOgEqA2v-ZEg5dXE/s288/10.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
I know that pencils.com would be glad to send you a pack of each color replacement eraser if you'd like to hold your own grand prix. If you decide to have such an event let me know how it goes and <a href="http://pencilreviewer.blogspot.com/2011/06/go-speed-eraser-go.html">watch out for Amy</a>!Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-59582948750835121282011-06-17T11:35:00.000-07:002011-06-17T12:29:53.863-07:00Go speed eraser go...<br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5619273185096874034'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71f6aYVRsj8LLCDy6hIuBfgm_OhUqTK39JyhW0SekPb8qQh0TFvzg70rgOXm1Mv80yB64TatQ_0ByKUoBI2mlDH-oAR8NoxBX-ccfJsLKMbC9mfjuocfhwZ37tnEp4ROdzCRIu-cBxdI/s288/1.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />When I was in first grade, the teacher rewarded my entire class with Pink Pearl erasers. I cannot remember what merited these precious gifts but I can still remember that day. I sat in the desk behind Amy. The reason I remember that I sat behind Amy is she stole my eraser. I was playing with my Pink Pearl on my desk. I imagined it was a very fast and sleek race car. As you may be aware, Pink Pearl erasers don't have wheels so my little "car" put the brakes on and rolled when i took one corner too fast. The accident was horrible and I never got a chance to see if the driver (picture speed racer in pink) made it out alive. Just as the bouncing and flipping stopped on the classroom floor under my desk, Amy (with her snarled, twine like, blonde braids) swooped down and grabbed my Pink Pearl. I could hear the driver screaming for help and I immediately shouted at Amy, upsetting the teacher. Instead of coming to my aid, the teacher hollered at me and asked Amy what had happened. <br /><br />I could not get my protests out soon enough. Amy told the teacher that I had taken her eraser and that she had just taken it back. <br /><br />To this day, whenever I see a pink pearl eraser I think of Amy with two of them. I imagine she still carries mine around with her. If you see her, could you check on my driver? Tell him I haven't forgotten that day and I hope he is well.<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-10377184994490187102011-06-16T12:41:00.000-07:002011-06-16T12:41:17.404-07:00Palomino Blackwing 602 Review - Part 2 of 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872830546127842" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifssirRj7DfagzcCM0RsIkM_MMZ6po6Cc9jekta3tNFtDEvU9yIuMsBDA7uvNQrHGg1v35PQuRKGKFhyPtqyVxBfN1HvIVSKc2Y2lu12mfJbbEAFeBGR3miwokkPuaCko60SDGr2CDClo/s288/1.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872830546127842" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>So begins part 2 of this pencil review. You can see in the image above that I have run my normal test comparison with the Turquoise 4B. Darkness on the Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil is nearly identical in tone to my test pencil. For lead performance excels in retaining it's point. In the next photo you can see that the tip is not nearly as worn on the pencil on the right (the PBW) as on the pencil on the left (the Turquoise 4B) I know it is not a great photo but in somewhat illustrates the point (no pun) I am trying to make. Each of the pencils was tested with a brand new point on them that was created by a Helix Metal sharpener. I used this pencil for some sketching last night and was very impressed with how easily it works the gradients. I can ease up on it and really get a smooth lighter line or get a nearly black grey when I really work it.</div><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618873758028065634" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN46S5jKXLaqH4960QoHCPDWvKLJlNaK9cE1LHXPPp64Lndlnyh_6l32bF3XJ4nvSzqtO6RKVKghdhyU9iVoBhYBLw9it4payPoJazQBGVtu41wIiafDDXK5UbSKQSo_FOM-mgTks8_dA/s288/1.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></a><br />
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<center style="text-align: left;">The one gripe I have about this pencil and rest assured <b>this is a small gripe</b> is with the gold-foil lettering. I really want this to be the very best pencil I have ever used. I want this pencil to be the pencil that replaces all others for me (ok that would be a bit drastic) I want this to be the pencil that I buy everybody I know for Christmas... but it isn't. The gold lettering wipes off so easily I startled myself with a single rub along the side of the pencil almost the entire logo came off leaving gold flecks all over my finger. I noticed that the stamping on the original Eberhard Faber 602 was much deeper into the pencil and that seems to form a valley of protection for the lettering. I know it is a small gripe, not a big deal. But I am the sort of guy who blogs about pencils and I cannot ignore this fault. Some may see it as a positive attribute.</center><center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872834052991570"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAhYs6ASe-8UjH43Vecmxxwd8UGyHS9NeIGDFkGcdvcfrLogBn2AJ_RcJ5sAe3tzPbj_HKpD73mNlmLCBd3LgOfi6mWx1gtHaIu_mLjbF3Pwn4KUtFNB7a2SEVTZtvQ2ISMbasVP_FVI/s288/2.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center>The slogan on the back has thus far held up better but I am convinced that one swipe of the thumb would remove it from the pencil entirely as well. This always bothered me with my Tombow's and Faber Castell 9000's when the markings wipe off with my finger. I was thinking it is actually kind of funny that the markings wipe off with <i>"half the pressure and twice the speed"</i> of other markings from CalCedar. I would be curious to know if it has anything to do with how glossy the paint is.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872838563099410"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJ8y7SbvNC92IXWTfgouBw5L7e9mkAYq7nyRaRCfhk1Y01QPNzYfgYDOINnDWORohciazAMMHieYzRv5IwroUwaa0-ThT4lI4m3L3PtJYQyOLUNiwkoySj6hqwUqy962IcHMv4vjYEu0/s288/3.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
The wood portion of the pencil is nearly perfect. The lead is absolutely centered, the grain is smooth and uniform in color and the further I got down sharpening this pencil I find that the cedar is much more aromatic than I experienced the first few times sharpening it.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872845751689602"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT29MPjet5jvo1d0I8JeVNpjQmBgkOzWnqIIImnv4I4kTBvcFmZmqVCxxKcim14agKBQltfku3tfXB3QjhQI6ZKZVmDAtiznOiMI56sohHmVsS5uETmVlTEjgIYiRhIqGd9o3UVKW_Hdw/s288/4.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
This review covers the replacement pink eraser. Yes I am glad I bought the upgraded pink erasers of course that added about 30 cents to the per pencil price but I can live with that. I have decided that at a later data I will write a comparison of all 3 eraser colors, white, black and pink. I will have an eraser showdown. I am hearing from other pencil folks that the black eraser out performs the pink or white.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872849763209250"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdeqincz-B_ZDX1JlW76Dx2BT5U42K0dohWHsaNC7uG_ocgZp2PVHuM9MXm-jROUbldtFmNvkBj0fnhH-RKa5r79snUC3mzNIQ_zrvyp-5IaQQKKu-OSVzXG5oV-gMaKcFt1HBuqA0jU/s288/5.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
I am not disappointed at all with the pink eraser's performance, it is about what I expected. Like I said I will give the eraser a separate workup against it's siblings in a later post.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872855812933698"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D_Ma7lkYkNsWkO8o4JzI6teAh6VyEjWTattMdD3HbfIN-p_Mf3l1DaGcuV_2MYSHwGnxJDBw3oy8JHiXGdtRdDebn6EwxF8E4sXKzoc3URdfOk8SUZZNhUEg24dzuRomzrIZ5-HvD6I/s288/6.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
The wood has a really nice smooth grain. The shavings are more likely to stay intact that fall apart. I am saving them for the compost bin.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872858139240018"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9_kczXJbUeJcKKu5v8K8caTcD-t7YemESAs93sIfk-sMS9tw_Lz84wG57CwkOThZZu4CGk7VJPoZXejet3kLRIUxOOLkS5c0CGraQetE1D3l91fTmkZts3agV7Ws6YaHDRMV9slV6Zs/s288/7.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
Here are some more photos of the ferrule that is identical to the original Palomino Blackwing with the minor exception that this one is slightly crooked and the gold lettering does not line up with the ferrule flats. I am not bothered one way or the other I just noticed that the original is lined up and always perfectly straight.<br />
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<center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618872865777493410"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1860yBZWWe3z_864HsjwrB6rdNZmo8iUzQNUeMDks91zymm_SHG4klT8362dTtyZSBkk6kFuOoolkE3IaGSpTaTvKk4FrYrMC4G38lYMGsZwdeRp5uyGpLYLzB6FlCCAXffbfxMpP5Eo/s288/8.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />
If I were to use some sort of a rating system, I'd give this a very high score. Like a 95% or something like that. The crooked ferrule and the gold lettering are the only marks against this pencil. It is a pleasure to write and draw with and it is a very good looking pencil.<br />
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</center>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-28713763034903501172011-06-15T14:41:00.001-07:002011-06-15T16:44:57.543-07:00Palomino Blackwing 602 Review - Part 1 of 2This part of the review will focus on the user experience of using the new Palomino Blackwing 602. The second half (I plan to post that tomorrow) will focus on the technical and performance aspects with line samples etc.<br /><br /><b>Social Pencil</b><br />I have been using this new Blackwing for a full 24 hours now. Several meetings taking notes, some journal writing last night and even had it out for a study early this morning. I have actually had people who never seem to notice anything notice my pencil was different. The funny thing is I always have pencils that look different than your standard yellow no2.<br /><br /><b>Graphite</b><br />I am really impressed with how it writes. It is very smooth but a little scratchier than the original Palomino BW. I am impressed with how dark it writes. the lead seems to last like a xx but the darkness is like a 2B or 4B. Of course that experience proves to be very similar to what other pencil bloggers are saying.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618596731282358498'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b0yLZcWRqk-d_x_pwMacQs028CwobOnaFH_bGZgNkuGi5uW8wp8m_fFTHbNKGURrhD9zuEpQ_K0WGr5_fXcNrkhjcAOFRSVAGTYqQ6hCHJ0GC2gmswPec1WLYrFUsbaZjOMG8Ey7-oQ/s288/1.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><b>Paint</b><br />I mentioned yesterday that I was immediately impressed with the paint on the pencil. It goes from being steel colored to grayish to blue then even sometimes having a purple tint to it. It is a really beautiful paint. Placing it beside my Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 (circa 1960's) the paint has a similar tone but the luster of the new pencil is brilliant and more metallic. My EF 602 has an almost green lettering on it and the lettering on this one is gold. I have noticed that the lettering is very weak, it takes almost no effort whatsoever to scratch the lettering off. Minor disappointment there but that is probably the OCD perfectionist in me.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618596741144103666'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SS2G145zrVgjK8lgc8v30Zepqn-k_oAPDF8FK5FsDp6p9b66yvO5nh-40jXWEHcziHYZE8ohwcPZZoaz3_xLvDHbGh6iPf46NbywI3Oyw1aiM15VwB7t0-7d-dgbI60g7EJSp21xhvo/s288/2.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><b>Eraser</b><br />So there has been a lot of discussion going back and forth about wether this pencil should have the pink or the black eraser. I have mostly stood on the side of it being a pink eraser and I immediately swapped out the black eraser for one of the pink replacements I purchased. Afterwards, I felt a tinge of guilt over wasting the brand new black one by sitting it in the pouch with the other replacements. In tomorrow's Post I will definitely stage a comparison of the eraser performance. The pink replacement eraser was very powdery feeling and dry. I am guessing there is some sort of baby powder in there with them. The pink eraser erases nicely and I am guessing that many connoisseurs of the EF 602 may find that they can replace the dried out erasers on their pencils with new ones from CalCedar. That would feel like using a brand new EF 602. I know it is not nice to mess with vintage but maybe you had a similar thought. Would that be like refinishing an antique dresser that you should have left as is?<br /><br /><b>Wood</b><br />The platinum grade incense cedar in this is very nice. it has a light aromatic quality that is not overpowering and frankly a little weaker that I prefer. I believe that the cedar of the pencil is like the flavor of a cigar. This one is good but very mild. There is no explosion of aroma when sharpened and that could simply be this pencil. Alas I have 11 more!<br /><br />This pencil is quite an achievement. In all likelihood it will become a go to pencil for me. It is the sort of pencil that despite any flaws it could be used to evangelize pencil converts.<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728775067985076298.post-63739249512693193102011-06-14T13:13:00.000-07:002011-06-14T13:22:42.280-07:00Finally! The package came... First Impressions of the new 602So, through a bit of a mixup the post office mis-delivered my package. It just got to me a few minutes ago considering I ordered them on June 8th at about 4 am this has been a long wait (154 hours of waiting for new pencils, sick I know, but you are the one reading this blog post so I am guessing I am not the only one with problems).<br /><br />My first impression is the paint is amazing on them. It feels smooth like the Tombow Mono. I want a car with this paint on it. I pulled out my Helix handheld metal sharpener and sharpened the first one leaving a single shaving on the desk. It only broke into two when I picked it up to move it for the photo.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/nimmesota/PencilReviewer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqGueWblf2BRg#5618173471973623954'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JUH3H7ml-Qj8PoXVXJbHFQ9xT6XSWWs5anagsXVmSSauiL2Ptq13EFz3inHXEJM5VYRjbV6BFmOrxOS2Frd2-z2qNM4JUH6n4ozipvSRwjctczPYSD618sVPhOealWqg71zBRPDkyq4/s288/1.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I noticed on this pencil that the ferrule is not square with the lettering the way that Palomino's other Blackwing offering is. It is off center like the EF 602. One minor flaw, the ferrule on my first pencil is slightly crooked too. I have not put the pencil through all the paces yet and will get back to you but I am excited to take this one with me to my next meeting for note-taking. I will be sure to outfit it with a pink eraser before I head that way.<br />Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229972657833295952noreply@blogger.com2