Panasonic Pencil Sharpeners

For a while, I’ve been enjoying sharpening pencils in plug in the wall electric pencil sharpeners. The gateway was pencils, and then the mountable pencil sharpeners that were in common use in most classrooms. The following are some of these sharpeners. Some, like the KP-110 and KP-33s are on loan and unavailable for the family picture.

From left to right,

KP5 — This is the oldest of the models that I have and unfortunately makes the dullest point. I still use it but finish off in one of the other ones. The DNA of the models to come is already here: the light, the auto stop, the disk that looks like a dial but is really a guide for the pencil, and the receptacle.

KP33A — I don’t know how the 33A is special. I know the 33S makes a short point. The 33A…I have a 33N coming soon and should give me something else to compare it to.

KP8 — Here, the design that was to get so much play with the KP33s, was already fully baked. You have to love the light. And the feet — the feet on mine are suple and soft, floppy and not stiff like what came after with the KP33s. And I think it’s the softness is that makes them problematic. In many of the other KP8s that I’ve seen, the feet are flattened and thoroughly destroyed. At first glance, the KP8 looks like the KP33s, which are the most common online. The major difference for me is the less squarish face (the top is a little narrower than the bottom, compared to the KP33s).

KP100W — This, to me, is the purest version of this design. By this time, the light is gone, the dial’s been removed. Not, for me the prototypical Panasonic KP sharpener, but the one stripped down to its essentials. The case is all plastic, no more metal base (as with the KP5, KP8, KP33A) and the base feet are set closer together, which gives them less stability . The point from this guy is insanely sharp, though, and I’ve stabbed myself a few times with pencil points from it. This one makes the sharpest points of all the sharpeners I own.

KP99 — Nice point but the most boring in terms of looks. Nothing playful, very bland. The most distinguishing feature is the very broad silver plate surrounding the sharpening hole.

KP100N — this I bought new in the box and maybe because of that has the quietest motor/gears and gives me dangerously sharp points — just a hair less sharp than the KP100W. Has no doubt stabbed me a few times. All plastic body. Narrowly spaced rubber feet.

KP33S (not shown)- This is a short point version of the 33. Ideal for colored pencils or soft leads where a long sharp point is too britttle. All plastic body.

KP110 (not shown)– the latest model that I have and I think the cutest, by virtue of its small size. The receptacle is super small. And so is the motor so pencil shaperining is slower. Still, a quality pencil sharpener and a good addition to a small table, It has a sharp point, too.

After the KP110, new designs were made outside of Japan and just don’t look as good, as interesting, or as desireable. The KP330, which I don’t own, looks generic, like there was nowhere else to go. Over time, the compromises and trade offs are clear. Plastic replaces metal, plate bottoms in the KP100s replace the one part bottom, the light goes away, the motor becomes smaller and less powerful. Through it all, though, there was still a commitment to quality, which is why I find these machines so fascinating. And they’re also inexpensive, averaging about 20 to 60 dollars, depending on model and condition. You can frequently find very fine units with box and manuals or with very light use. If you have the opportunity, I recommend you pick up a few…

On Buying Pencils (Online)

What I recommend:

Given what you know about pencils —and you should develop that knowledge – look for a variety of pencils, search using specific terms, or use general terms, and item numbers. You never know how someone has chosen to identify their pencils for sale.

Search by brands, and by color, and buy in lots, make offers, and explore pencils in your general area of interest. Develop a general area of interest. I generally only do American pencils. I don’t go looking for German Staedtlers or Japanese Hi-Unis or German Faber-Castells, although I own them and respect their quality. I don’t go looking for artist pencils, although I’m an artist – I know all true artist pencils are going to be good. But I’m good there. Trust me, I don’t need anymore. No matter how broad your specialty, specialize.

Know what you’re bidding on – There’s no getting around it. Unless you grew up around a variety of pencils and you just know your pencils (lucky you), you will have to pay to become familiar with the products out there. You will get burned. That’s okay. Learning costs money.

You have to know the history of pencils. Pick up a book, or two or three. Pick up Petroski’s Pencil book and refer to it when you have a question about what you’re looking at online. Understand that markings on a pencil change over time. The brand by itself is not enough. Brands change hands, manufacturing companies change hands,  factories and countries of manufacture change, quality changes (sometimes it gets better, sometimes worse). Again, be ready to eat some bad purchases. Look at the pictures, read the descriptions. And don’t buy from sellers with a history of poor reviews.

Here’s a formula that I wish I would always use when buying pencils. It can probably be improved upon.

I’ll define some terms:

General use – I’m a user of pencils so I consider how much use I can make of a pencil, even knowing that I will never use more than a fraction of what I have. My general use art pencils range between 2Bs and a 2H. For writing, I can use anything between a 2 and a 3. A number 1 is too soft for writing for me.

Special use – these are your specialty pencils. These are special use because they may not be pencils that you use on a regular basis. For me, these are 3Bs. I’ll use them when I want to get a very raw line and anything between between a 3H and a 5H.

Very limited use – How many yellow pencils can you use. How much are you willing to spend on pencils that you won’t use very much? Maybe you can change these to special use by switching the paper. I didn’t have much use for my Berol made Eagle yellow ochre Verithins until I needed to draw, a lot, on rolls of black paper; I didn’t have much use for my Venus yellows until I started using them alongside other colors. I’ll play around with a 6H.

No use – Don’t count these when making a purchase. I really don’t need a white pencil ( I think). I don’t need pencils with plastic leads for writing on film– these are the filmograph pencils. I can count with two hands how often I’ve used 9Hs, 8Bs, etc.

Use Total Cost: Seller price + taxes + shipping

Use a per pencil cost calculation: Total Cost/count of pencils

In general, I heed the per pencil cost, to keep me grounded. I don’t want to regret my purchases. I’ll pay more for sealed, boxed, or cased (boxes inside of boxes) — cellophane is so awesome — or what is otherwise in new-in-box quality. It’s amazing to me that quality pencils have survived 60, 70 years in exceptional condition. Condition matters. I don’t mind dusty pencils – a good wiping restores them. But a pencil can be damaged. The wood can be split. Poor storage or just normal oxidation can wreck a pencil’s ferule. I hate pencils with used erasers. I don’t mind a few sharpened pencils. I was going to sharpen them anyway. I don’t like them all sharpened, unless they’re sharpened by the manufacturer. I know that Dixon ferules are susceptible to splitting from age and oxidation – the metal is so thin. I don’t hold that against them.

If a pencil has general use appeal – for example, if it’s a pencil that can be used in everyday writing or drawing – then it’s a straight bulk price sliding scale.

The sliding scale:

Sometimes you just want to have a particular pencil, so you’re willing to pay a higher per dollar amount. For me, that’s a dollar a pencil for special situations – like, I really want this Vermilion Green old timey Colorbrite – fine, I’ll pay 15 bucks total for a dozen. You should pay less on a per pencil basis if buying in bulk, though. So, if you’re willing to pay a dollar a pencil per dozen, maybe you should be willing to pay no more than 50 cents per pencil at volumes of 3 dozen; 25 cents at 6 dozen; 15 cents at 10 dozen, 10 cents at 15 dozen. Now, I’ve purchased in bulk single color, single make pencils, because I just had to have them — this is the case with the Venus Postal Reds for which I paid 70 cents per pencil for six dozen. But in general, if what you’re getting is a whole bunch of the same or very similar (all reds) then you should price the pencils down if more doesn’t mean better for you . Consider the quantity and lower what you’re willing to spend for the same type of pencil in bulk. Am I willing to pay 30 cents for all reds at quantities of 200? This is actually something that I’m contemplating and so far I’m saying no. Twenty cents? Sure. Put me down for that.

Venus Col-Erase Carmine Red

The Venus Col-Erase is another one of those no longer made pencils from yesteryear (as in half a century ago or something) . The Col-Erase brand continues on, but it has nothing on the original Venus from decades ago. Not even the Faber Castell Col-Erase pencils, which I’ve discussed before, can compare.

[Pictures coming later]

What sets the Venus Col-Erase apart is the absolutely lubricated lead. Seriously, these things glide on the paper and they wear down very slowly, and maintain a point. They were popular with animators and designers/architects, and I can imagine that the lot that I bought came from draftsman — who else would have the myriad of reds, blues, and yellows. There were many brands in there:

• General’s Quality — nice name. 😐 Good pencil.
• General’s Color-Tex — now, that’s better. Good pencil.
• Eberhard Faber Colorbrite (these were amazing — super  saturated reds)
• Superflex — a little lite colored
• Eagle Verithin — Good pencil.
• Ruwe Woodhue — Not good. The lightest of all of them.
• Venus Unique (which seem very much like the Col-Erase and they erase, too, and use the same part number for the Carmine Red — they are too much the same. I don’t know what’s going on here)
• Dixon Thinex — Good

But what did this connoiseur have the most of? Col-Erase Carmine Reds. Above all else. It’s like the world is trying to tell me something. Previously, I had purchased dozens of yellow Venus Col-Erase pencils, but I could never use them on anything. The yellow doesn’t stand out well enough on the white paper I tend to use for drawing. I had a project to draw and make black life-size cutouts a few years back and these pencils didn’t apply very well, didn’t make a good mark. It happens. The Verithin yellow ochres were excellent though. Anyway…

Having so many reds, makes me want to start marking up some kind of text, crossing out words and…do people still mark up paper with colored pencils?

Here’s a piece from the Pencil Neck Geek (opens in a new tab). The writer refers to how popular these were with artists and emphasizes the differences between Venus and later companies/brands/whatever that inherited the Col-Erase name.

The Venus Col-Erase (and the Venus Unique) are very special pencils. Strong, very lubed, and go on in layers so you can develop intensities.

To finish it off, here’s advertising fragments from old ads (found using Google Book search, but only in clips):

[…] And the right pencil to be wrong with is the Venus col-erase. If you or your secretary makes a mistake you simply rub it out and re-do it correctly. You don’t have to start all over again. The Venus col-erase’s smooth break- resistant lead erases…

Finally! Color lead that Venus’ remarkable new lead formula gives you colors that are smoother, sharper, more brilliant yet erase without a trace. Quick. Clean. Complete. And Col-Erase pencils have all the strength of black lead pencils.

See how beautifully our color pencils erase? As you can see, you can’t see. And if you think this blank page is just an empty promise, we’d like to send you a VENUS Col-Erase*test kit. Then you’ll be able to not see for yourself. Gentlemen: …

This is the new Col-erase pencil from Venus -the first ever coloured pencil whose mark can be erased as cleanly as a black lead pencil. Venus have made this possible by producing an entirely new coloured lead formula which offers the …

THE VENUS PEN and Pencil Corporation is introducing to business and industry, color … color lead formulation are called Venus “ColErase” and are being enthusiastically received by engineering and law firms, …

And you think I was overselling it.

A couple of staplers

Staplers are an important office tool for gathering paper. Bindler clips and paper clips have their place, but whenever you need an inexpensive and secure solution, nothing beats the stapler. I have four staplers, myself. They are:

The ACCO 50

The Acco is my favorite because it’s so flashy — has a beautiful orange plastic top. Metal construction, full rubber base, and a stapler compartment that shoots out by pushing a button on the back. The compartment is attached to the stapler, so you won’t drop or lose a part. Here’s a video of someone showing an ACCO 40 with the same mechanism.

The ACCO 50 opens wide for tacking, by pulling the top part up and back — it took me a while to realize this because the stapler is kept in its normal position by strong friction (bent metal strip).

I also own two no-nonsense Swingline 711s — smaller versions of the classic 747.

Like its bigger brother, the 711s are the prototypical stapler: all metal construction with rubber pads, they’re the most ubiquitous (I’ve seen them all my life), and probably the design you think about when you picture a stapler. These staplers get the most use due to their sturdy, all metal construction. Like the ACCO 50, they have a decorative plastic trim. Compared to the ACCO, though, there’s less plastic to get damaged/scratched. The Swinglines opens up for tacking, with a press of a lever underneath. I had a 747 but it went missing, something I hope to remedy in the future.

Finally, I own a Bates 213HD, for when the stapling job gets real serious.

This one is designed to handle ridiculous amounts of paper. I use this to join my short stories when they get into the 20 some pages. The other staplers I’ve mentioned are iffy to unusable at this range. I have the 1/2 inch staples, which are supposed to be able to handle the 60+ pages, but I doubt I’ll ever need to staple that many sheets, but if I do… The Bates stapler is made in Japan, and is a beautiful chrome with rubber ends that also serve as a base at both ends. Mine was made in Sept 1998, which I like to tell myself was not over 20 years ago.

All of these staplers, like many other tools, have slightly different use profiles. They all do their job very well, though.

In terms of condition, staplers tend to fall into one of two categories: they are either workhorses, because they were used on a regular frequent basis, for example at a school, or they enjoyed a life of leisure and light use because they were used in a home or a person’s desk. I probably use a stapler once a week, myself;  the Bates 213HD, I’ve only used a handful of times. On eBay, you can find incredible deals on like-new vintage staplers for the price that you’d spend on a modern (read: not very good) stapler.

Cretacolor Nero Medium (#3)

The Nero is an Austrian made, Cretacolor branded,  oil based charcoal pencil. I didn’t know they were oil based until I looked them up, just now…I knew they weren’t graphite, though. A graphite pencil has a very limited value range….a light pencil can only get so dark, regardless of how hard and how much you lay down. Eventually, you develop a graphite shine that will prevent you from laying down any more graphite. You basically have to plan or adapt to the choices you’ve made and a graphite drawing with varying intensities is the result of a suitable range of pencils (light, dark). The Nero is different.

With the same Nero pencil, you can have very dark over very light and many shades in between. I’ve used this to good effect. I can, for example, do a preliminary sketch with more refined layers on top and I can color over the earlier work and get a fuller range of values all from one pencil. Now that I think of it, I was doing the same with the oil based Cretacolor Sanguine 5.6 mm leads. The drawing builds on earlier layers. The Nero pencil is well made and I haven’t had any problems with core breakage like I used to have with charcoal pencils, which means Cretacolor has a good formulation going on. They also sharpen well. Highly recommended.

Skilcraft 1.1 mm Mechanical Pencil

I picked up the Skilcraft 1.1 mm Mechanical Pencil to use with some old (very old) IBM Electrographic leads. The mechanical pencil is designed to take 4 inch leads — most (all?) 1.1mm lead out there is stubby stuff, anywhere from 1-3 inches in length. Don’t recommend getting into the 1.1 mm lead space if you can at all help it. Not enough choices in the ecosystem.

I bought the Skilcraft mechanical pencils in a pack of 12 for about $24. You may end up spending more. At 2-3 bucks a piece, they’re a good deal. A great price for a well functioning mechanical pencil. The alternatives started at about $11 per pencil. I have no problem spending a few dollars on a quality pencil, but none of the other pencils I surveyed looked capaable of handling 4 inch leads and no way I wanted to snap my leads.

The Skilcraft pencils are made of a sturdy black plastic and use a knocker at the top to advance the lead — typical functionality. I’ve been using them for several weeks and they work fine.

The pencil can take 6 total leads, one in the mechanism and 5 more in the chamber. If you have 1.1 mm leads, this is the pencil to get. There’s an Autopoint and a Rite in the Rain …but both of those are stubby, not full-sized pencils. Cost wise, the Skilcrafts have those other ones beat.

Black n’ Red casebound notebooks

I mostly use Black n’ Red casebound notebooks for work notes. For my other writing, I use Moleskines or Rhodia webnotebooks.  Black n’ Reds are excellent general purpose notebooks, with a good look, smooth, opaque acid-free paper. They don’t hold up too well with repeated rough handling, and I’ve seen quite a few lose their spine. For the price, however, there’s nothing better. Amazon sells these notebooks for about 7 bucks in multiple sizes. The 8.25 x 5.875 notebook has sold for as little as 2.99 but event at the 6 dollars that it averages, when available, is a great price. The larger 11.75 X 8.25 size sells for about 7. I have several of each. They work well with all the writing instruments I use, ballpoints, fountain pens, pencils, etc. Highly recommended.

IBM Electrographic Pencil Leads

I bought this box of leads on eBay and then spent many weeks locating and then considering lead holders. The size of the leads is 1.1 mm, which is a, now, no longer well supported lead. If you go to an office supply store, you’ll find the more common .5, .7, and .9 mm leads. 1.1 mm leads dropped from the mainstream at some point.

The reason I bought the leads was that I wanted to try out the IBM Electrographic lead, but could never find a decent, well-priced, well-cared for pencil collection on eBay.  The Electrographic is one of the fondly remembered and admired pencil from yesterday.

A few more words on lead holders. A couple of companies sell 1.1 mm lead holders, like Rite in the Rain , but these are stubby pencils meant to be carried in a pocket. The leads these guys come with are 3 inches long. The Electrographic leads are 4 inches. I didn’t want to risk having to snap off an inch to make the leads I got fit an $11 pencil. I eventually found a modern box of 12 Skilcraft mechanical pencils for 24 dollars, online. I filled up all 12 mechanical pencils with the Electrographic leads and stashed away the original leads (doubt I’ll ever use them).

The leads are very soft and very dark and very smooth. In terms of darkness, it’s as dark as a 7B Mars Lumograph, a German art pencil, but it’s much, much smoother than that. The Lumograph is unbearably squeaky at 7B.  Unfortunately, I can’t readily see my set of Hi-uni pencils to compare the smoothness of a dark one of those with the Electrographic. It’s also a very smudgy pencil (smudgier than the Lumograph, which is formulated not to smudge as much). Can it be used for art? Sure and I should try that on a finished piece. I’ve done some quick drawings but that’s about it in terms of art. I’ve primarily used these for writing notes on notecards. I’ve developed a practice of taking notes for work and these leads stand out very well. Would I use them for writing long form, like for my story writing on notebooks? No. Too smudgy.

Advice, if you need a super dark and smooth pencil line, get these leads on eBay when they turn up. In general, you’ll get a better deal on eBay for old leads, like the 2mm leads that artists use, than what you’ll find anywhere else. Grab what other people overlook!

Okay, why am I getting so much Facebook traffic?

If someone could clue me in, I’d appreciate it.

The American made Dixon Ticonderoga Medium 2 5/10 pencil

I recently acquired a half gross of Dixon Ticonderogas in a medium grade, the 2 5/10. These came in a case of six one-dozen boxes. The case made it extra interesting for me, and so I was willing to go a little further with cost. Ended up costing me 41 dollars, which isn’t bad, considering the cost of good pencils nowadays. The American made Dixons are extra special for me, anyway.

The medium is a harder grade than the more common Soft-No. 2. The harder grade is more appropriate for writing, where the hardness translates into longer sessions in between sharpening. I compared the pencil to all my No. 3s, which are my idea of a writing pencil, and the Dixon medium was softer than any of them. It was very similar in performance to the Ben Franklin 500 Medium.

The overall quality of the medium was consistent with other Dixons – a good pencil, not in the same league as my Berol or Blaisdell made Ben Franklins or Black Warriors. The paint job on the Ticonderogas consists of fewer layers, the grain sometimes breaks through the paint, there’s less luster. Still, a good pencil, just shy of greatness. Everything has a cost. Oh, what might have been.

Finally, I looked at my post for the Dixon and noticed that it was, in fact the Medium that was such a favorite of Roald Dahl.

From Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock