Review by Tina Koyama First, I must begin by admitting that I am not a huge user of mechanical pencils. Though I use clutches with certain art materials, I’ve always preferred woodcased pencils to write with. Call me fussy, but many mechanicals I’ve tried are either too heavy, too light, too cold, or just too…
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Notebook Review: Geistnotes Pencilog
Review by Tina Koyama Every stationery-related collection goes through these stages: At first you have a few, or several, or even a dozen, and they look beautiful displayed on your desktop. Very soon, you have too many to keep on your desk at one time, so a few select ones stay there, and the rest…
Tool Review: Kutsuwa Round and Triangular Pencil Caps
Review by Tina Koyama My daily-carry bag contains many pencils, both colored and graphite. To prevent broken points and inadvertent stabs, I keep them and myself protected with pencil caps. Although I’ve tried some fancy ones made of leather or metal, my favorites are inexpensive, lightweight, colorful plastic ones. Kutsuwa makes several, including round ones…
Sharpener Showdown: Handheld
Review by Tina Koyama A few months ago, I conducted a satisfying sharpener showdown between two hand cranks to beat my old Carl Angel-5. It was satisfying because both contenders came out equally good. Since I spend just as much time using pencils on the sidewalk as I do at my desk, it’s crucial to…
Pencil Review: A Taste of Blackwing Sampler Set
Review by Tina Koyama Maybe you’ve been wanting to dip one toe into the Blackwing pencil pool without diving into the deep end of the mixed metaphorical rabbit hole. Or perhaps you are already a Blackwing aficionado, and you want to show your uninitiated friend (the one who insists that pencils are for school kids)…
Mechanical Pencil Lead Review: Caran d’Ache 2mm Colored Leads
Review by Tina Koyama Mechanical pencils and lead holders are not a large part of my (otherwise vast) stationery stash. I have a few clutches for art materials, and I keep a couple of mechanicals on principle, but I love woodcased pencils so much more for tactical and esthetic reasons that I don’t reach for…
Ten Favorite Pencils
Like all the previous 10th Anniversary posts, these pencils are not in any particular order but when anyone asks what my favorite pencils are, these are what I usually recommend. My pencil tastes lean towards pencils I can both write and draw with. As a lefty, smudging is a big concern for me as well…