The Well-Appointed Desk

I confess that when I saw the Dixon Reach DEEP HOLE pencils I laughed uncontrollably. My reaction to these pencils (or at least the branding and packaging) was similar to the reaction a lot of people had to Bic for Her pens. I understand that there is a use-case for these within the construction industry but the HOLE (pun intended) thing is just so BIC for HIM. Especially considering that, on first glance, its just a bridge pencil repainted in “manly” black paint.

I provided a clear photo of the packaging for full entertainment purposes. My other response was that “doesn’t graphite mark on most surfaces anyway?” to the second point that indicates “special lead marks on most surfaces”.  The final bullet indicates that the lead is PMA certified which is also vague. It could either be certified by the FAA Parts Manufacturer Approval, Pilates Method Alliance or… maybe… the Pencil Makers Association! Probably should have been a bit more specific since it looks like its pretty hard to get that particular certification.

I got out my trusty Hester & Cook trusty Bridge Pencil to compare to the Dixon Reach and it turns out that the Reach is actually thinner than a traditional Bridge pencil. It’s also a good deal longer even without a ferrule and eraser. While I find a Bridge pencil pretty comfortable to handle the Dixon is too thin to really handle for much more than the occasional mark making as its been indicated for use. The long, paintbrush length gives it a strange balance too. It’s slim dimensions will mean sharpening will require either a knife or some experimentation to fit into a standard sharpener.

The graphite is pretty dark and a bit waxy. I suspect that is what makes it more “write on any surface”. I does erase pretty easily with my favorite Staedtler Mars Plastic. It doesn’t smudge too much but is susceptible to water solubility so the waxiness is a water soluble wax. If you are using this to mark on surfaces, you should be able to get most marks off with soap and water (think Stabilo All pencils and other grease pencils).

So there you have it. Next time you are at the hardware store (Bob found these for me at Lowe’s), don’t forget to skim the end caps and pencil aisle. You never know what you might find.