The pencil – so often dismissed as obsolete – remains one of the world’s most widely produced writing and drawing instruments. It lives in peaceful harmony with the personal computer. Sketches made with pencils are often the origin of major design achievements and many creative people love the intellectual aura surrounding the pencil. 

But pencil is not pencil. As with any product, there are quality differences.

In the case of the pencil, the quality of the wood is of major significance to how well it can be sharpened. The quality of the lead decides whether it will produce a soft, silky feel or whether a pencil scratches. The type of paint defines whether a pencil will still look good even after years of use or whether it may even be poisonous when chewed on while lost in thought.