Let’s get something straight – the Ticonderoga pencils you can buy at any office supply store or home goods store (such as Target) are decent enough for most workshop uses. There are even less expensive pencils, but of much cheaper quality, and so Ticonderoga is where I draw the line.
But, while Ticonderoga’s is an acceptable pencil for workshop and even writing or drawing applications, I like Staedtler’s Norica pencils quite a bit better.
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At this time I should caution that putting these pencils to wood will often dull them quickly. I’ll use a carpenter’s pencil some of the time, a marking knife some of the time, and a #2 pencil the rest of the time, usually when it’s already at-hand on top of a notepad or similar.
Still, these pencils are better suited for writing and sketching tasks than layout work on wood, although I’ll use them for all kinds of things. I like these pencils for laying down measurements or cut lines with squares and rulers. Mechanical pencils work better at times, but it’s easier (and cheaper) for me to have four wood pencils at different locations than for me to buy a couple more mechanical pencils that live on the other side of the house.
You’re probably expecting me to tell you how the Staedtler Norica pencil is better than a standard Ticonderoga. Well, that’s a good question. In my experience, the Norica pencils write a little darker than Ticonderoga, and that’s with both in HB (number 2) hardness.
I like Staedtler’s eraser a bit better too, although they’re both “just okay” overall.
The writing experience is generally the same as both pencils – and all pencils really – are scratchy on wood surfaces and comparable on smoother papers.
Yellow pencils always have a “back in elementary school” type of vibe, especially now that my kids are learning how to write with these pencils. While the black-wrapped wood looks snazzy, you can buy black Ticonderoga pencils for less money.
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I enjoy writing and marking with the Staedtler Norica pencils. They sharpen cleanly, and the graphite lead is darker.
Ticonderoga are fine, and with better quality sharpeners they too can be cleanly sharpened.
At the time of this post, you can buy a pack of 24 Ticonderoga pencils for $4, and a pack of 36 Staedtler Norica pencils for $13-16. Ticonderoga pencils can be found for even less if you get bulk packs. Pre-sharpened Ticonderoga pencils cost more per pencil, and the Staedtler are only sold pre-sharpened.
Considering a 24-count pack of Ticonderoga pencils priced at $4 at Amazon, that’s around 17 cents per pencil. At $16 for 36 Staedtler pencils, that’s a little more than 44 cents per pencil. A chain office supply store has them on sale for $12.70, which comes out to 35 cents per pencil.
In other words, Staedtler’s Norica pencils cost more than twice as much as Ticonderoga’s, although price comparisons get messy if you start looking at pre-sharpened vs. pre-sharpened options.
Little things add up to a better experience – darker lines, smoother writing (although this could be my finding what I’m looking for), harder wood (or at least it feels harder when sharpening), and a slightly more refined finger-feel.
Do all these things make the Norica pencil more than 2X better? Nope. But that doesn’t stop me from preferring it. I bought a 36-pack of pencils several years ago to try out, and it’s still going strong. When it comes time to buy more, I’ll spring for another pack.
This is one of those things where I can’t quite say that YOU will absolutely have a better experience with the pricier option. Ticonderoga’s are fine, but I like Staedtler’s better, and you might too.
If you want a measurably better drawing pencil, you’ll have to step up to Staedtler Mars Lumograph, and once you’re in that space there are many competitors. The Norica is about the most I’d spend on a general-use wood pencil that might at times be abused and even damaged in the workshop. I do have some drawing-style pencils, but they’re dedicated to drafting use.
Buy Now: Staedtler Norica via Amazon
Buy Now: Ticonderoga via Amazon
Buy Now: Ticonderoga Black Pencils via Amazon
See Also: Staedtler Norica Blue via Amazon
If wood pencils aren’t your thing, here are some past posts about my favorite mechanical pencils:
Ohto Sharp Pencil, a Wood-Bodied Mechanical Pencil for Under $6
Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencil is Excellent for Shop Use
Adam
I used to be a bit of a pencil snob in my shop (rOtring 600’s & 800’s or Staedtler 925’s), but I honestly got tired of misplacing expensive pencils, replacing them, only to relocate them months later. Ignoring the long story of how I ended up with them in the first place, I ended up accidentally landing on Amazon Basics #2 HB pencils, and now my shop is littered with them everywhere….I think they might be reproducing.
Surprisingly, they’re not terrible pencils – better than most cheap pencils made of wood and reconstituted wood that come from drugstores and large retailers, but they’re no Dixon Ticonderogas either. My only real complaints are the metal band is usually loose and allows the eraser to wiggle, and the graphite tends to be a little on the brittle side when sharpened to a narrow point. I don’t care about erasers in the shop, and I sharpen to a wide, blunt point anyway, so that doesn’t really matter.
At $13/150ct they’re probably the most economical real wood pencil out there.
Stuart
I’ve tried cheap pencils and I can’t stand them. With cheap pencils I experienced unexpected breakages, brittle tips, uneven sharpening, broken tips during sharpening, and useless erasers. They’re a great value for the price, but terrible to use.
I love using high quality mechanical pencils, but where I see benefits – mainly in a non-workshop setting. Sometimes they’ll follow me to the workshop, but they’ll always hitch a ride in my pocket back to my office.
Not everything I write with has to bring me joy, but frequently-used items should not bring me frustration.
These Notica pencils aren’t quite “who cares what happens to it?” pencils, at least not to the extent I treat Ticonderoga pencils, but they’re also not “oh, no way can you touch that!” when my kids ask to borrow one.
For the pencil snobs out there, I’d point to the Uni Mitsubishi 9850, priced at a buck each via Jetpens or $9 and change for 12 via Amazon. There’s a higher grade of Mitsubishi pencils, priced at $2+ per pencil.
TonyT
For wood pencil snobs, there are also brands like Tombow and Blackwing, and maybe some German brands…. I pretty much reserve the expensive wood pencils for the artistic household member.
For my woodworking, I’ve been using some soft (2B?) Japanese made pencils (4 for $1.50) or 2mm rectangular lead mechanical pencils, both from Daiso.
JoeM
Adam Savage’s Tested recently had a video extoling the virtues of the Blackwing. The video is about specialized Circle Drawing implements, but it results in the breaking out of a Blackwing for the joy of Pencil Nerds to see.
fred
I had some of the guys who’d ask for Lumber crayons and Carpenter’s pencils.
We usually bought the Keson brand for both. But then we got some Staedtler carpenter’s pencils – and I was asked not to buy Keson ones any more. So I guess the Staedtler ones were better – although I think they might have cost a bit more. Maybe Toolguyd could do a comparison of brands.
Plaingrain
A Pencil contains no lead, only graphite( & clay). So no danger of lead poisoning.
Stuart
That is correct. Sometimes there are other additives as well.
With wood pencils, you can describe the ”core,” but “lead” is still common terminology. When you search for mechanical pencil refills, you search for “lead.”
The terminology is what it is, despite not being compositionally accurate.
JoeM
NERD ALERT!!
Term actually dates back to the Rennaisance. A popular writing tool was a spike of Silver or Lead, held in a Cork handle. Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci were masters of using this instrument, and when the point wore down to the cork, the artist pulled out the point from the cork, and replaced it. Literally called “Replacing the Lead” since the Lead form was far more common. Sketches such as Leonardo’s Self-Portrait, and the numerous studies of people of Florence that he did, are all done using this same writing and sketching instrument. It was used by Artists to Draw, and Carpenters for marking. Same as we use a Pencil.
That said… when the Pencil was invented, they never changed the name of the writing instrument, just the materials. Formed Charcoal cores replaced Silver or Lead, and a knife was used to sharpen it, like a whittler taking flakes off a stick. A technique still used today.
Since the Pencil is a descendent of the Silver Stylus, or Lead, we still have all of its terminology intact when using the Wood-Bodied, Graphite-Composite Core, writing utensil we have been using in the place of the Silver Stylus. This now extends to the Mechanical versions, where we’ve returned to just refilling the holder in the body with more LEADS to draw with. They’re Graphite-Composite rods of varying diameters and hardness… but they’re just the same item that Leonardo used to replace in his cork handled drawing implement.
Sorry… Nerd… Couldn’t help m’self.
Blocky
And now I know. Thanks JoeM!
JoeM
I really am sorry for the Nerd tangent… Sometimes it’s entertaining, sometimes it annoys people. Sorry about that.
I will say, though, that the description I’ve given for the Pencil Lead is not the FULL history. There were a lot of variations in different parts of the world, between the Silver Spike and what we now know as the Wood-Bodied and Mechanical Pencils. The East Asian cultures preferred ink and brushes, where the Western world preferred Ink and a Stylus of some sort, therefore, they adopted different versions of the “Pencil” at different points in history.
What we currently know as the Pencil Lead, the Graphite and Clay mix rods, have really only existed for around 100 years, give or take your definition. The wood bodied ones are actually newer than the mechanical ones in that respect, because of the Silver Stylus of the rennaissance. And the paper-wrapped pencils pre-date the wood-bodied ones. There was, indeed, a time when those flat Carpenter’s Pencils were a major technological revolution, especially for their ability to draw flat edges so easily, and be sharpened by a simple blade.
Weird part here? I’m not a Pencil or Calligraphy Nerd… I just know tons of useless stuff no one else cares about, but I’ve absorbed over my lifetime. Hell, I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler… This just happens to be one of those tangents in my brain where there’s tons of data, barely connected to eachother, despite being related info.
Again… Sorry for the Nerd Spew… I often call this Trivia Tourettes. I can’t hold it back without it hurting. Can’t watch Jeopardy, or Wheel of Fortune… It’s insane…
Ian Random
Slightly related, but got sick of #2 pencils leaving marks on walls I was working on. Discovered that sidewalk chalk is soft and easy to remove. Of course now I gotta try lumber crayons, forgot about those.
Bill
Just remember that lumber crayons, like most crayons I believe, are wax based and aren’t so easy to remove either.
RCWARD
I do like the black pencils better, mostly they just look better. The brand is just a personal preference type of thing I’m guessing.
fred
I notice with some brands of pencils the pencil lead tends to slip/fall out after sharpening – and you need to repeat the sharpening until you get to a spot along the pencil length that is stable. I don’t always recall what brands do this – as most of my pencils seem to arrive as advertising promotions or as forgotten items after the grandkids visit.
Bob Bedell
Trained as an architect and landscape architect, my favorite pencil was the Eagle “Black Warrior” No. 2 pencil. Worked well for writing and drawing. Googled it – seems Eagle was bought by Berol and then by Paper Mate – “Mirado” Black Warrior. I remember it as a “No. 2” but see current listings as #2 HB, HB #2 . Paper Mate just says “No.2” https://www.papermate.com/pencils/woodcase/mirado-black-warrior/PMMiradoBlackWarrior
Try them – about $9 for 24 on AMZ.
Bob Bedell
Ah……found the hardness scale. Have not looked at one of these in awhile.
“HB” and “2” are the same thing, just two different terms for the same hardness. Only the four middle range hardness use two terms.
“B” = “#1”
“HB” = “#2”
“F” = “#2-1/2”
“2H” = #4
Harder pencils are 3H, 4H, etc. up to 10H
Softer pencils are 2B, 3B, etc. up to 10B
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-lead-grade-for-every-application/pt/475
NoahG
I’ve been quite happy with Ticonderoga Black for general shop use.
I bought some 4H Faber-Castell pencils for sharp layout lines a while back. Dont use them a lot but they make very sharp lines.
DC
Dixon Ticonderogas and Papermate Mirado for me. Lately Ticonderogas are being made in china which is sad and I avoid when I’m at Walmart. I found USA made Ticonderogas on sale at CVS so bought couple dozens.
Bob Bedell
Mirado Black Warrior’s are made in Mexico.
JoeM
Stuart hooked me on the Pentel 1000 0.5 Mechanical. I haven’t used a wood bodied pencil in a long, LONG time… Aside from Coloured Pencils… Ironic because I am Colourblind, and shouldn’t actually have any preference when it comes to colour.
Currently I’m still in the avenue of the Laurentian Pencils… but they don’t get used by me, so… If I should ever need them again (Unlikely) then I would probably go hunting for something more advanced.
The vast majority of what I do remains its original colour, unless I am recycling a computer case, and have to remove the layer of paint to get to the base metals. Beige, Black, Blue, Red… Whatever the case used to be, if I need that case side for scrap metal, it’s getting sanded off. Closest thing to colour change I get to. Somehow Pencils seem irrelevant to this process. Sorry. Tangent. Some day, I’ll be on one of these Tangents and finally find my Sine and Cosine to redirect me to the main point… Or they Hypoteneuse… It has been a long time since Trig was used in my life.
Peter Coffin
Feel free to go on any tangent imaginable. It is bound to be an interesting trip.
Tim E.
Might have missed it reading, but do you have a specific sharpener you’ve had good luck with Stuart? I’ve had several over the last several years from staedtler, prismacolor, exacto, arteza, and several no-name ones or ones I don’t remember what brand it was. None have held up to what I think was a portable/manual exacto sharpener from 20 years ago, a little portable one that was maybe 3”x2”x1”, held one sharpening worth of shavings, and was basically just a sharp blade mounted well in a cheap plastic holder. That thing made sharp, durable pencils with a minimum of waste, and I haven’t found another unpowered portable sharpener like it since.
BobB
A very thorough review of pencil sharpeners here:
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-pencil-sharpeners/pt/710
fred
A Boston Ranger desktop pencil sharpener – that was old when I used it as a kid (came out of my grandmother’s house) still works well. It may have been made by Boston before Hunt acquired the Boston Company in 1925. In my shop – I have a wall mounted Boston – probably 70 years old – that also work well.
Sadly – Boston-Hunt was bought by X-Acto – then X-Acto was bought by Elmers – then production was moved to China.
Today – there are high-end pencil sharpeners from El Casco (Spain) and Caran D’Ache (Switzerland)
https://www.amazon.com/El-Casco-Pencil-Sharpener-M-430CN/dp/B002Q7V4YG
Stuart
I have a whole bunch of handheld sharpeners, but recently sprung for the Uni KH-20, and it’s amazing.
Blue via Amazon
Black via Amazon
Red via Amazon
It’s advertised as a Japanese import, but is made in China.
No over-sharpening so far, no breakage so far, easy to use, great results.
I learned about it from JetPens, but they were out of stock and charge a bit more ($29.59). https://www.jetpens.com/search?q=kh-20&v=2
Of the handhelds, I have a Mobius & Ruppert that I like.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/mobius-ruppert-brass-pencil-sharpener/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’ve tried more sharpeners since then, such as the Prismacolor mainly for colored pencils, and results tend to be acceptable. I’ve heard Kum is another good brand, but too pricey for me to justify for what you get. Even with the better handheld sharpeners, you don’t get built-in shavings collection.
fred
The M&R (Mobius & Ruppert) – resides in my shop apron. Its good and takes up no room. I bought it about 6 years ago.
Last Xmas I bought one of my kids an electric from a brand I never heard of – but the feedback I got was pretty good:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PBT2K43/
Blocky
I second the m&r. The bronze bodied 2-hole version is perfect in a minimal sharpener — you can feel the precision.
The magnesium version is lighter and also effective but the casting on mine is poorer— feels cheap and rough in the hand.
TonyT
If you’re lucky enough to live close to a Daiso Japan, they often have pocket pencil sharpeners with a shaving drawer and adjustable point, made in Taiwan, for $1.50. I haven’t used them heavily, but they seem to work fine.
A more expensive, but more available, pocket pencil sharpener with shaving storage and adjustable point is the Kutsuwa Stad T’Gaal, It’s available from Amazon, JetPens, and Maido/Kinokuniya.
https://www.jetpens.com/Kutsuwa-Pencil-Sharpeners/ct/2913
I also have a number of Kutsuwa Stad RS202B pencil sharpeners that look like mini KH-20’s that have worked fine for me. I bought them from Kinokuniya and Amazon Japan. They’re apparently hard to find now.
NoahG
In a big fan of the CARL Angel-5 sharpener.
https://www.amazon.com/CARL-Angel-5-Pencil-Sharpener-Blue/dp/B005D7S9FI
TimJ
Pencil snob here.
Like the Blackwing line of pencils. I think the 602 and Matte are great. These are made in Japan.
Kum sharpeners are terrific. They are made in Germany and seem to work like champs. Blackwing came out with their own metal cylinder shaped sharpener in all black. It looks cool, but its not a great sharpener. Made in China. I keep breaking off leads in it.
TimJ
Not cheap…but they are high quality…
http://blackwingpencils.com/
JoeM
Holy crap! Thank You!
After seeing Adam Savage extole the virtues of these things, I’m tempted to get a pack or two… They might get unused, but at least they’d be quality, should the need arise, y’know?
Matt J.
I love the Noricas, but I save them more for writing and such. My favorite part about them (and what sets them apart from most comparables other than maybe General Cedar Tones) is that they erase so cleanly.
But for shop use, I’ve started buying the Golden Bears by Palomino. USA made, real cedar, dark-writing. Everything about them is great except for a terrible eraser, but at 2/3 the cost of a Norica, you get an equally good or better pencil for shop use (assuming, like me, that in the shop you don’t erase much or care about clean erasing if you do). It’s still twice the money of Ticos, but they seem worth it to me. I also like the General Cedar Pointes…they look slick and less gaudy, but the bright orange of the GBs does help you find it on a messy bench lol
David Swearingen
I’ve been searching for the best pencil for 60 years. My primary criteria is, the darker the better. Kind of like berries and juice. Up until a year ago, the best I ever found was A.W.Faber’s “”IQ Scorer”. These were sold in my college bookstore, for use on tests which were scored electronically back in those days. Alas, they seem to have been discontinued. I now use “Artline Black Beauty Ultra Dark”, which is not only dark as a black hole, but also has the best eraser I’ve ever seen on a pencil. They were only $4.51/10 with a free sharpener and free shipping on eBay, but the last I knew they were no longer available. I hadn’t heard of most of the pencils touted here (other than Black Warrior and Ticonderoga) so I can’t say how my Black Beauties match up, other than to say I’m the guilty party who bought up eBay’s entire supply because I think I’ve found the perfect pencil
BobB
If you google “Artline Black Beauty Ultra Dark” a number of hits come up, including Amazon and other online sellers – BUT all in India
schill
I have a lot of mechanical pencils, but I usually end up using wooden ones for a lot of stuff. I guess I like the feel, but I do go back and forth between them.
My current (for several years now) favorite wooden pencil is General’s Cedar Pointe. Amazon carries them, but I don’t see any available directly from Amazon so I haven’t included a link. They are bare cedar (no finish at all except for the printing) and have decent erasers (although I more often than not use a separate eraser). As you use them, the color of the pencil darkens as it absorbs the oils and moisture from your hand but it never looks bad or dirty. I find I really like the feel of the bare wood.
I have Noricas and like those too. I enjoy using Mitsu-bishi HI-UNI and Blackwings, but I find that they wear down a lot faster than the others, even though they are of the same or similar nominal hardness. Much of this is due to the quality of the paper I’m writing on (I wouldn’t use the HI-UNI or Blackwings on wood – they are too expensive and probably no better than others for that use). If I’m using cheap copy paper (like at work), then the expensive pencils wear down extremely quickly. I end up sharpening them a lot.
I also have several different versions of Palomino pencils (cheaper than Blackwings) but I find them mostly “non-descript” compared to the others. All of them have been decent for writing and drawing.
I also have some all-graphite (no wood) Staedtler pencils that might work ok on wood, I’ve never tried them that way.
For sharpening, I have the Uni KH-20 that Stuart mentioned and a couple Carl Angel 5 sharpeners that NoahG mentioned. Both kinds are very good and I highly recommend them.
I am also fond of the pencil holder (points up) that I have on my desk:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DDVQM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also highly recommend the following:
The Pencil by Henry Petroski
https://smile.amazon.com/Pencil-History-Design-Circumstance/dp/0679734155/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pencil+petroski&qid=1594662693&sr=8-1
and just about anything else by the same author.
Dustin Teemsma
Stu, would you mind sharing some article analytics sometime? I’m very curious to know what reader numbers are.