It’s nice to know that the humble pencil always seems to find its place and that even the big boys (highly priced fountain pens) can’t be without the pencil.
(..but I don’t think this specific pencil has seen a lot of use. If you open the image link in a new tab you will see that the pencil is still factory sharpened.)
The image in this blog post has been taken from the Parker website, specifically http://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB/world-of-parker-the-art-of-pen-making. I believe that the use of the image shown in this blog post falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.
On a recent trip to Manchester, I walked by a Pull & Bear shop. As far as I know, this chain is from Spain. I was quite surprised to see that all video screens in the shop and most printed posters displayed Faber-Castell pencils, specifically their Albrecht Dürer series in scharlachrot. Red = discounted prices, so it seems like a good choice. It’s nice to come across pencils in unexpected places.
There was also a German sharpener, but I am not sure which make it is so will not comment further.
Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer in scharlachrot
I came across even more pencils when my employer, a university, had a graduate show next to my canteen. There’s just something about pencils that represents so many different concepts, like creativity, ideas, … you get the (happy) feeling that pencils are here to stay for a bit longer, despite the ‘digitalisation’.
This blog had quite a few Wopex related blog posts over the years – and here’s the latest one: about the new generation of Wopex pencils. This is the third generation I know of, but there might have been more.
Previously… on Bleistift.blog
I got the sheet from the 2010 blog post out and added the new 2017 grades.
Just a quick reminder. Staedtler introduced the Wopex (pencil) in 2009 – it’s an extruded pencil and its body is made from a wood-plastic-composite (which consists of more wood than plastic). In 2010 Staedtler introduced the Wopex in 2B and 2H. I had a closer look at the 2B and 2H version in a 2010 blog post and couldn’t find much difference between the 2B, HB and 2H version. Fast forward to 2016. By now Staedtler is using the term Wopex only to describe the material used to make these pencils. Wopex is not used anymore as a name for the pencil itself – at least not by Staedtler. At the Insights X 2016, they had a few prototypes of the new ‘Wopex material’ Noris eco in 2H, H, HB, B and 2B. At the Insights X 2017, they showed the final product.
Close up of the 2010 vs. 2017 comparison
The new 2017 Noris eco
Looks
The design of the Noris eco is clearly inspired by Staedtler’s European staple pencil, the Noris, but like other Wopex material pencils, the surface of the extruded Noris eco feels rubberised. It is also eco-green, but has the same black stripe pattern as the yellow Noris or the red Tradition: The two opposing, labelled sides (let’s call them top and bottom) of this hexagonal pencil are black. The four sides (let’s call them the two right and the two left sides) are green with a think black stripe in between. I am mentioning this because some of the prototypes had a different pattern.
Unlike previous Wopex material pencils, the new Noris eco has a cap. It’s cool, man.
Great news. There’s a proper difference between the different grades in the new 2017 version. In terms of darkness and in terms of point retention. Compared to the Mars Lumograph in 2B, which is a very easy to erase pencil, the new Noris eco in 2B is more difficult to erase.
Eraser test – the bottom right square has been erased
If you see them in a shop I urge you to give them a try.
The image in this blog post has been taken from iGameMom. I believe that the use of the images shown in this blog post falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.
..people seem to get tortured with pencils. In the TV series Bosch this pencil is referred to as the Black Guardian Pencil.
You might think the torture is down to the pencil being so scratchy – or so overpriced and doesn’t keep it’s point …but the fictional world is far more physical when it comes to stationery torture.
Last chance to look away…
Bosch: The Black Guardian Pencil
The images in this blog post have been taken from Sky News and from the second episode of the fourth season of the TV series Bosch. I believe that the use of the images shown in this blog post falls under “fair dealing” as described by the UK Copyright service.
