Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood Pencil Review

There is a tipping point in this hobby when you realize you have hit the point of no return. Where that point is is different for everyone. For some, it is spending $20 on a pen. For others, $200. For me, with wooden pencils, it is when I spent over $5 for a wood pencil. And I liked it.

The pencil in question is the Swiss Wood Pencil from Caran d’Ache, the venerable Swiss maker of high end stationery and related accessories. I’m a fan of the brand, and have had good experiences with the few pens I have tried.

Caran d’Ache spares no expense in their product offerings - the Matterhorn Sharpening Machine is a great example - and this includes the Swiss Wood pencil. When the product description states “made from FSC-certified Grovelier beech wood from the Jura mountains of northwestern Switzerland” you know it is going to hit you right in the pocketbook. The question is “Is it worth it?”

Short answer: Absolutely.

The exterior design of the pencil is stunning. The beech wood is as dark as you will see in a pencil that isn’t dyed, and the natural color shows through the lightly applied clear coat. I’m a fan of eraserless wooden pencils, especially those with dipped ends like this. The red paint marked with the Swiss flag is a wonderful touch.

In use, I don’t think I’ve found a pencil in the HB range with point retention as good as this. Along with graphite darkness, that is the most important factor I look for in a wood pencil. My lines are sharp and smooth, and I don’t dull out the tip and have to sharpen nearly as often as I do with other pencils.

The final, and possibly the most talked about, feature of the Swiss Wood pencil is its scent. Most pencils are made from a variety of cedar wood and give off that classic pencil smell, like a pile of fresh pencil shavings. The beech wood of this pencil, however, gives off a unique scent that is honestly hard to pin down. The description calls it nutmeg, but I, and others, have caught whiffs of chocolate, cola, and even soy sauce. Regardless, I like it, and you can even pick up the scent when you are near the pencil, or catch a trace on your fingers after you are done writing.

Not The Matterhorn.

Great products come in all price ranges. You can find amazing pencils that will give you everything you need for a dollar or less. What makes the Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood stand out from the pack is its superior quality, design, performance, and uniqueness. Is that worth five times what you would normally pay for a pencil? The number of times I reach for this pencil over other models tells me that it is.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Palomino Blackwing Colors Colored Pencils Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I probably have too many colored pencils, but when I heard that Blackwing was making a colored pencil set, I knew I was going to have to try them. I can tell you right now that I'm going to use these until they're wee pencil nubs that I can't even grip anymore. That may not take long, however--these pencils are butter soft.

The core is made from Japanese wax. It glides over paper and can lay down a nice smooth line or create very soft shaded areas. They blend and shade well, but do not hold a fine point for long. Any fine detail work may require frequent sharpening or a different pencil. I did not have any issues with tip breakage, even after sharpening. These are sturdy, but pleasantly lightweight, little gems.

The packaging is very nice and fancy. The box is smooth-coated cardboard with a clear plastic window for peeking at the pretty pencils inside. The box opens like a book and the front flap is held closed by a hidden magnet. It's a neat design, but I probably wouldn't trust the strength of the magnet to hold up against the tumult inside a daypack. I'd suggest removing the pencils to a more secure case for on-the-go coloring. Inside the case, the pencils are nestled in a foam bed, held in place by a plastic shield. I found the shield annoying and set it aside, only to then dump the pencils in my lap the next time I opened the box. So maybe hold on to that bit.

The bodies are a nice rounded hexagon with a glossy coating that matches the core color. The finial is a chrome-colored piece that is separate from, but attached to, the wood body--it's not a painted or applied color. I expect it will be a handy grip-piece when you come to the end of the pencil. "Blackwing colors" is stamped in silver at the rear end of the pencil, but there are--annoyingly--no color names. I wouldn't mind too much, but the purple, brown, and black are a little difficult to distinguish, even in decent light. The two greens are also quite similar at first glance, though their core colors are very different. Even basic color names would have done a lot for ease of use, here, though I don't know how anyone could pass up an opportunity to come up with crazy color names. Haven't we all daydreamed about having that job? Perhaps we will all have to name our own sets.

And speaking of colors, that's my only other criticism of the set. These are artist-quality pencils (and are priced as such), but with a primary school palette. I understand the logic to beginning with the basics, but unless Blackwing plans to release more colors, this set isn't as self-sufficient as their target audience might want. And anyone whose needs don't exceed a basic ROYGBIV probably aren't going to be looking in this price range. They are high quality and fun to use, and I will happily apply them to my sketches and coloring books, but I'm going to need to bring in some outside help in the form of other pencil brands in order to get the job done. But they're a happy addition to my collection, just the same, and I really hope Blackwing does have a plan for more colors.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Kum Masterpiece Pencil Sharpener Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I'd heard legends of the Kum Masterpiece long before it landed in my mailbox. When it arrived, I was anxious to see if it would live up to its reputation--and the layers of packaging only served to heighten the anticipation. The handmade magnesium block sharpener sits inside a clear plastic box that slips into a neoprene sheath with a snap closure. Overkill? Maybe. Or maybe it's there to keep this precision device from sharpening the very air you breathe into stabby spears of oxygen death.

You see, this doesn't just sharpen pencils--it weaponizes them. It does this with a two-step process. Step one uses hole #1, the wider of the two. This blade strips the wood from around the graphite core. When the tip of your exposed lead touches the blue barrier at the end, you're ready for step #2. The second blade sharpens the exposed graphite to a needle point. It took a little practice to hold the pencil at just the right angle to engage the blade, but when you've got it lined up, you'll see a little pile of lead shavings appear.

Step 1

Everyone has one of those pinprick pencil lead tattoos from where they accidentally stabbed themselves with a pencil, right? Well, you're about to get a few more. In fact, you might not want to give this sharpener to your kids, or junior's third-grade class might end up looking like the stone men from Game of Thrones.

Step 2

I tried the sharpener on several brands of pencils of varying hardness. All the pencils I tried--from a very soft Blackwing, to a very hard pencil of indeterminate brand, to a Prismacolor Verithin colored pencil--sharpened beautifully. Each had a very small piece of the tip break off when I started to write, but the remaining tip was, in each case, still what I would consider an ultra-fine line. How long that fineness was maintained was more due to the lead hardness than anything, but the long narrow point that the Masterpiece creates definitely prolongs the writing session between sharpenings.

Things I will definitely use this for:
Sketching charts and diagrams for my knitting and crochet projects
Helping my son with his math homework
Sharpening all of my colored pencils into an arsenal of fine-tip fun

I'll also do my best to keep this powerful tool out of the hands of those who would use it for evil. Namely, the aforementioned third-grader.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!