The pleasures of running a pencil blog are many. One of them is that you receive gifts of pencils, not only from manufacturers/dealers, but also from individuals. We have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of many such generous gifts. Some of these come from off-line and long-time friends of mine, running in the same vein as most of the pencil gifts I personally make to other people. My good Comrade Zack, a cabinet maker in Baltimore, found these very old and very interesting pencils at a steamshow this weekend. They smell strongly of cedar, despite their age, and I am trying very hard to resist the urge to sharpen one and try it.
What sorts of pencil gifts do other folks get?
I wonder how old they are… “Greetings from your teacher”, I like that. The best pencils I have given to my students are Faber-Castell Bonanzas (they are great value for money), but I know somehow who is kind enough to give his students Palominos :)
“I know somehow who is kind enough to give his students Palominos”
Geez, the nuns I had in school gave us junk with lead in it and threats to boot! :)
I generally try to learn what my students (adults) use before I give them anything, though recently I just gave away a box of Tombow 8900 HBs on a whim because I didn’t really want them.
Most of the time, I don’t give wooden pencils, since very few people I know like to use them. I gave away a few Kuru Togas and some of the more popular gel pens (Slicci, Hi-Tec-C, Signo DX) not too long ago, and I occasionally give away notebooks like Rhodia pads and good Tombow Mono erasers if I have extras.
However, I discovered one of my coworkers liked using wooden pencils, so I gave her a mixed dozen of Hi-Unis, Palominos, Mars Lumographs, and Item 17s in a Hi-Uni box. That’s a little pricey to do on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t have any issues giving away sets of Mitsubishi 9800 or Ohto 9000. I’m not sentimental enough to opt for more novelty gift pencils…I’d rather they get used.
I want to be one of Robert’s co-workers!
Me, too.
anybody knows where to buy a set of ohto 9000, it seems almost impossible to find!! I would appreciate some help…
Fred, the Ohto 9000 is a product that, as far as I know, is limited to the Taiwanese market. I don’t know any sellers that ship it internationally, as I generally just get them from local bookstores as singles (boxed dozens are not as common).
[...] appreciate them also!). These are from my friend Dan, a fireman in Baltimore City and, like Zack and myself, an Eagle Scout. The carpenter pencil is my first such pencil. We were chatting [...]
[...] mentioned before (from Zack and from Dan) that I have a lot of very nice and generous friends who gift me with pencils — [...]
I should mention that I broke down and sharpened one. It’s smooth and dark and wonderful. I wish they weren’t antique — I want more!
Hi, I am a pencil fan for writing in my journal and personal letters. I think so far that the Papermate Classic, is about the best writing so far but I am always on the hunt for others. What is the best in everyone’s opinion for it?
Thanks,
Tim