Long time readers might remember my blog post about the Reynolds 432 and the Nataraj 621, both of which look pretty much like a Staedtler Tradition. There are also countless Staedtler Noris copies – previously I’ve mentioned the Fox Essentials. Recently, I’ve come across a quite cheeky copy of the Noris, when one of my students was using it in class. I call it a cheeky copy, because it features a red cap, just like the original Noris …but the copied pencil’s cap is rather ugly in compared to the original.
A few weeks later I also finally got my hand on a Noris eco. I planned to get one from Cult Pens when I order from them again, but then I saw the Noris eco in WH Smith, where they sell for 85p (~$1.40; €1.05) each. I also had a look at my local Ryman, but they didn’t sell them there, even though they sell them in their official eBay outlet [1]It’s difficult to find there, though – they spell Staedtler wrong, even though they do sometimes get the spelling right, e.g. for the Staedtler Traditional [sic] pencil..
The lovely Noris eco is now my daily pen in my diary’s loop.
One thing I noticed: the green colour of the Noris eco seems virtually identical to the Wopex in 2H.
While the Noris has a more complicated pattern [2]The six sides of the hexagonal Noris are painted like this:
black, yellow (thin black strip) yellow, black, yellow (thin black strip) yellow., the Noris eco has a simpler pattern [3]The six sides of the Noris eco are painted like this:
black, green, black, green, black, green.. I assume this is because it’s not so easy to extrude a thin black strip precisely over a corner.
Now, if the Noris eco is just a green Wopex with black strips and if there are fake Noris (plural: Norises?) anyway, why not make your own (fake?) version from a yellow Wopex?
To increase my chances of getting acceptable looking black strips on the pencil I decided to cover the areas not to be painted with a tape.
I then used a permanent marker to paint the Wopex. As you can see it all went belly up. Somehow the tape didn’t stick well and the lines from the black marker were not very straight …so I didn’t bother to do the thin strips carefully either. If you want to try it and are successful: Try to do the red cap using nail polish. Pencil Revolution has further instructions.
Price and exchange rates: January 2014
I’d like to thank Kamil Musial for showing me the “Stationery” Staedtler Noris copy.
References
| ↑1 | It’s difficult to find there, though – they spell Staedtler wrong, even though they do sometimes get the spelling right, e.g. for the Staedtler Traditional [sic] pencil. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The six sides of the hexagonal Noris are painted like this: black, yellow (thin black strip) yellow, black, yellow (thin black strip) yellow. |
| ↑3 | The six sides of the Noris eco are painted like this: black, green, black, green, black, green. |
That’s still a great idea. Would “frog tape” work? http://frogtape.com/ 🙂
I didn’t know they put erasers on any of the Wopex pencils in Europe — excellent! We’ve finally got the HB with erasers in the US. They are the same green as the 2H in Europe, with silver ferrules and white erasers. Very attractive, though I thought we’d get the yellow ones to “match” what so many people use in these parts.
Johnny, I never heard of frog tape before, but it looks promising. I guess it would be nice to use it on a yellow Wopex, then use some black matt Revell paint for the strips and maybe round of the end of the pencil, before painting a red cap on. 8^) Something to keep in mind for a less busy time.
The Noris eco is quite new. I assume it’s the first Wopex with eraser in Europe, but who knows – there might be special Wopexes in other countries – like the yellow Wopex, which (in the UK only) seems to be available in Asda. When I was in Staedtler’s shop in Nuremberg there wasn’t any Wopex with an eraser either.
Regarding a yellow Wopex with eraser for the USA, Lexikaliker once showed one ( http://www.lexikaliker.de/2012/06/gelb-20/ ). It was supposed to be for the American and British market, but I have never seen this version with an eraser in the UK. Have you seen it in shops in the USA?
A valiant effort – I rather like the rustic, handcrafted look you’ve achieved 🙂
The yellow Wopex with the pink eraser is gorgeous! I’ve never seen one ever, except for on Gunther’s blog. I would be very happy to send you some of the eraser-topped Wopexen, Matthias. The green is a little…brighter than previous models. The eraser plays nicely with the weight of the pencil. 🙂
John the Monkey, I guess the rustic, handcrafted look might be good looking if the lines are drawn slowly, to get a line that’s evenly wiggly.. Unfortunately that’s not the case here 8^(
Johnny, I’d love to try the American Wopex 8^) It would be great to do a Wopex swap 8^)
Matthias, it shall be done, sir. 🙂
Johnny, great! 8^)