Mini-Collections: Fancy Pencils are a (Relatively) Inexpensive Guilty Pleasure

We’re inching towards the close of 2022, and soon I will have to take stock of my progress on a major personal goal from this year: thinning out my stationery accumulation. And I’m not talking about adopting a “one-in, one-out” stance, where I have to get rid of something to buy something new. I started this year with the intention of significantly reducing the footprint my collection/accumulation occupies in my home. As I worked my way back through “the stash,” it wasn’t so much the fountain pens that shocked me, but rather the paper and the pencils.

View fullsize

Why So Many Pencils?

For starters, they’re easy to accumulate. I got back into pencils shortly before the Blackwing relaunch back in the early 2010s, when I picked up a dozen blue Palomino HB pencils based off the recommendation of Johnny over at Pencil Revolution (which is, by the way, no longer a blog but now a publisher and bookbinding company - check them out). To be fair, I do use a lot of pencils - just not at the pace at which I purchased them, especially before prices started to rise. I had a Blackwing Volumes and/or a Baron Fig subscription for a couple of years, and between the quarterly subscription deliveries and regular visits to C.W. Pencil Enterprise, it started to add up. Remodeling my office this past summer forced me to pull everything out of storage, get it into the open, and see how bad the problem was.

I have a “healthy” stash of jumbo pencils, but honestly probably not as many as I could use. Good ones are rare and hard to find.

So What Pencils Do I Actually Use?

• Highlighter and Annotation Pencils. By far the type of pencil I use the most is the highlighter pencil (or “drylighter” or “dryliner”), either as a stand-alone pencil or as a double-ended highlighter/graphite combo. I also use a lot of the red/black double-ended annotation pencils and go through these at a fairly good clip while I’m working or reading. I prefer highlighter pencils over the liquid-ink version because they smear less, don’t bleed through thin paper, and you don’t have to wait for them to dry.

• Capped Pencils with No Erasers. I’ll discuss this a bit more below, but I’ve come to appreciate the lighter weight and balance of “capped” pencils without erasers, and I especially love the aesthetics of a finished pencil cap. Of course, I still use pencils with integrated erasers, but at the end of the day I think I enjoy the classic round ferrule over the Blackwing.

• Jumbo Pencils. They’re not just for kids. Like an oversized fountain pen, a quality jumbo pencil offers increased comfort and control over your writing. If you find a good one, there’s nothing quite like a smooth jumbo graphite core.

• Natural Wood Pencils. Probably the most “elemental” writing experience you can get, a natural wood pencil (finished or unfinished) puts little more in your hand than wood, graphite, and sometimes a little varnish. When I want to get back to basics and write with something that’s not distracting, I’ll pick up one of these.

Do you know what I don’t find myself writing with frequently? Blackwings. This is not a knock on the quality - they’re very good pencils, but so many of the special editions I have include the “Pearl” that’s too waxy for my taste. The Blackwings I prefer are either the original extra dark or the extra-firm. Plus I’ve come to feel that the larger ferrule throws the balance off on the pencil, but again it’s all personal preference. For that reason I’ve sold off the bulk of my stash over the course of the past year.

View fullsize

Highlighter pencils are just as legible, in my experience, as their liquid-ink counterparts.

Why I Probably Won’t Stop Buying Pencils

Even though I have more pencils than I personally could ever use in a lifetime, I probably won’t stop buying them. Why? Well, for at least the next few years I have an elementary school-aged child, who churns through them at the pace of two or three a week (either from use or loss). If I need to thin the herd, I’ll simply give them to her, or alternatively donate a bunch of pencils to local school-supply drives. The second reason I won’t stop buying woodcase pencils is that they tend to be a relatively inexpensive luxury, that doesn’t take up space forever. Even the most expensive pencils, such as Blackwings, Caran d’Ache Swiss Woods, or the Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache, cost $3 to $10, and due to the quality of the wood and graphite they will give you a lot of mileage for your money. When you use them up, they’re gone, and they don’t leave behind waste to go to the landfill. Therefore, if I see a well-done pencil that’s either of high quality or seems super unique or creative, I’m probably going to buy it without thinking much of it if the package costs $50 or less. (Of course, I’m talking new pencils. Some people pay crazy per-pencil prices for vintage stock, and that’s an entirely different calculation.)

View fullsize

Back before prices started rising, I was not immune to stocking up on some relatively rare vintage pencils.

Pencils Should Not Be Thought of as a Cheap Commodity

Sustainably sourced wood, quality graphite, consistently good construction and an attractive finish (often in small-batch production) cost money, which is why today the price of good pencils is inching upwards, and due to the added impact of inflation and supply chain constraints, in some cases skyrocketing. That said, I don’t necessarily understand why the some people will pay $30-50 for a single bottle of fountain pen ink yet balk noisily at paying similar prices for a pack of good pencils. Both are luxury items, both are consumables, yet the pencils are more apt to be derided as an “overpriced” “cash grab” than the ink, despite the fact that the manufacturer’s profit margin on the 30-50ml bottle of liquid is almost certainly higher. Today’s consumers have been trained to think of pencils as an inexpensive commodity item that shouldn’t cost more than $0.25 per pencil, which is a key reason why so many of the school pencils readily available in stores are so cheap - and offer such a terrible writing experience.

Two favorite jumbo pencils that sadly aren’t made anymore: the Caran d’Ache “Black Wood” and the “Klein Blue” Maxi. While Caran d’Ache has released a jumbo pencil set in their current “Colour Treasure” limited edition series, they’ve sold out and I’m scrambling to get more.

Takeaways and Where to Start

As for me, I plan to keep buying and selling quality pencils. If I stopped purchasing today, I would have more than enough good pencils to last me for the rest of my life, but we all know that’s not going to happen ;) For those of you looking to experience a good pencil for the first time, you can absolutely do so with out spending a lot of money. We stock a range of woodcase pencils, mechanical pencils, and lead holders in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, ranging from classic yellow Tombow office pencils that cost around $1.50, to higher-end Caran d’Ache Swiss Woods and house specialty pencils geared towards enthusiasts and collectors.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links.

Caran d'Ache 849 Overview: Go Back To School or Work with a Classic

Over the years, one of my favorite everyday ballpoints, for both desk and “on the go” writing, has been the Caran d’Ache 849. Not only does it feature a smooth ballpoint refill that lasts pretty much forever (they don’t call it “Goliath” for nothing), but the hexagonal sides of the pen remind me of gripping a woodcase pencil. I’ll always have a soft spot for the 849, as it was one of the first products I decided to carry myself, and I keep the pens in stock in multiple finishes, ranging from the standard $20 849 all the way up to special and limited edition finishes such as the Claim Your Style pens and Nespresso collaborations. Best of all, if you prefer a .7mm mechanical pencil, a clutch pencil, a fountain pen, or (coming soon) a rollerball, you have an option in the same classic 849 format!

1. Caran d’Ache 849 “Black Code” Ballpoint. If I had to pick a signature pen for the shop (well, apart from my own signature pen that I did with Sunderland), it would be this masterpiece in matte black. Whenever anyone recommends a subtle write-anywhere “work pen,” or just a writing instrument that’s more understated, it’s this one.

2. Caran d’Ache Claim Your Style 2021 (Edition 3). In the past, the Claim Your Style pens have been kind of loud, with their multicolor mixing and matching in offbeat shades. This year’s releases takes it down a notch, maybe targeting a different group of enthusiasts? The “Night Blue” and “Moss Green” versions are subtle designs on par with the Black Code.

3. Caran d’Ache 849 Original, Brut Rosé, and Gold Bar. From the same 849 “Pop Line” series as the Black Code, these finishes are a bit more fun, yet still sophisticated. Brut Rosé has a hard time staying in stock, and the Original adds an industrial feel. “Gold Bar” is one of the sleeper hits of the lineup, IMHO.

4. Caran d’Ache 849 “Totally Swiss” Edition. If you want the full Caran d’Ache experience, you need at least one writing instrument in the company’s signature “Swiss Cross” finish. In addition to the 849 ballpoint, you can choose the mechanical pencil, or a less expensive 888 Infinite pen/pencil set!

5. Caran d’Ache 849 Fountain Pen. The latest entry into the 849 lineup is the Caran d’Ache cartridge-converter fountain pen, a convenient cartridge-converter, snap-cap pen that comes in a wide array of different finishes. Of course, you can pair this pen with all of the colors of Caran d’Ache Chromatics inks.

View fullsize

Shown here - the Caran d’Ache x Nespresso collaborations, including the recently released Fixpencil (far right) and the Swiss Wood pencils (far left).

Don’t Stop There - We Carry More from Caran d’Ache In the Curated Shop!

1. Caran d’Ache Fixpencil. The iconic Fixpencil has been described as the first truly modern mechanical pencil. While it’s technically a clutch pencil, it was developed for writing, not necessarily sketching, due to wartime materials shortages. This year, for the first time Caran d’Ache released their annual Nespresso collaboration in the Fixpencil format!

2. Caran d’Ache Ecridor Racing. While it shares the format of the 849, the Ecridor is Caran d’Ache’s luxury ballpoint/mechanical pencil, and this past year they released it in a matte black finish with a red racing stripe. I have one mechanical pencil left, which comes as part of a set with a Caran d’Ache leather sleeve.

3. Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencils. To me, the Swiss Wood represents the pinnacle of the woodcase pencil writing experience. Made from Swiss beech or pine, they now come in a Nespresso collaboration edition.

4. Crayons de La Maison de Caran d’Ache Luxury Pencil Set. I just realized that I still have a handful of sets of the most recent release, Edition No. 9, made in conjunction with Geneva perfume-maker Mizensir. These gorgeous pencils are lightly scented with the “Spirit of the Alps”. (I can confirm it’s quite pleasant and not overwhelming at all!)

5. Caran d’Ache Eco Ballpoints. These high-end office supplies have been the sleeper hit of the summer, as people stock up to go back to work.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands we carry, including Caran d’Ache. By shopping with us, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!

Something Completely Different, and Yes, a Little Weird: Nespresso x Caran d'Ache Edition No. 4

For the past several years, Caran d’Ache has released an annual special edition collaboration with Nespresso, and to date, the release has always been an 849 ballpoint, such as last year’s “Arpeggio” pen. All of the various Caran d’Ache x Nespresso products share one thing in common: they are made from aluminum recovered from recycled Nespresso capsules, as part of Nespresso’s capsule recycling initiative. (If you own a Nespresso machine, you are likely familiar with the prepaid recycling bags included with your capsule orders, in which you can return your used capsules to the company.) This year’s release, however, goes in a completely different direction in the sense that it expands the Nespresso line to include both a special edition Fixpencil and Swiss Wood pencil set, and also incorporates a new graphite consisting of 25% recycled Nespresso coffee grounds.

For starters, let’s talk about this coffee-grounds graphite. While it sounds a bit…weird…I didn’t notice much, if any, difference from Caran d’Ache’s graphite core found in either the standard HB Fixpencil lead or the standard Swiss Wood pencil. (For the Fixpencil, your writing experience with the “new” graphite will actually be limited to the core that ships with the new Fixpencil - as of now Caran d’Ache doesn’t sell refills, so you will simply refill with standard Fixpencil leads.) While the graphite might be a selling point for some from a sustainability perspective, I didn’t find that it changed the writing experience all that much.

View fullsize

Visually, the orange Fixpencil in particular is stunning. I’m a bit biased, since I love orange finishes on writing instruments, and this sort of dark matte copper/orange color is somewhat uncommon. I also enjoy the “grippiness” of the finish on the various Nespresso editions, and No. 4 is no exception. I really do hope this particular Fixpencil sticks around for a while, or at the very least Caran d’Ache continues to expand the lineup.

View fullsize

With respect to the Swiss Wood Pencils, in addition to the recycled coffee grounds used in the graphite, Caran d’Ache has added a special inscription and metallic caps, which do not appear to be actual metal but rather a paint or coating, so there is no change to the balance of the pencil. If you’re a fan of the Swiss Wood, the Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache, or any of the other special edition pencils the company has released over the past few years, you’ll want to check these out.

View fullsize

We currently have both Edition No. 4 products available for purchase in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Caran d’Ache x Nespresso Edition No. 4 Fixpencil retails for $40, while the Swiss Wood Pencil Set retails for $20. We do still have some limited stock of the Edition No. 3 849 ballpoint remaining, though I don’t know for how long Caran d’Ache will continue to make or distribute this pen since Edition No. 4 has now hit stores. Please check out these and our full range of other Caran d’Ache products, both standard and special editions!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Caran d’Ache products an all other brands we carry. By shopping with us, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more.