Our decide
This cheap pencil is manufactured from premium incense cedar. It’s snug to carry, has a neatly painted exterior, and its eraser removes marks cleanly.
The Palomino Golden Bear #2 Pencil (Blue) is manufactured from top-tier incense cedar, which has a uniform wooden grain and a faintly woodsy scent when sharpened. Its hexagonal form makes it snug to grip and immune to rolling off your desk. It has a shiny, blue-painted barrel and accommodates a No. 2/HB core that makes clean, darkish marks.
Regardless that darkness and hardness varies amongst manufacturers, No. 2 and/or HB pencils are extensively thought of to be the perfect lead grade for writing (and so they’re required for a lot of standardized exams), which makes this Golden Bear pencil an ideal selection for elementary faculty and past.
Except for the way more costly Palomino Blackwing 602, the azure-hue Golden Bear pencil is one of the best general performer among the many pencils we examined. It’s additionally a stable worth, particularly when you purchase in bulk.
Price range decide
High quality management for this iconic pencil has gone downhill, however it’s nonetheless one of the best low-cost pencil you should buy, with an honest eraser, clean writing, and a snug grip.
The Dixon Ticonderoga Traditional Yellow Wooden-Cased Pencil shouldn’t be manufactured from the identical high-quality wooden as our different picks—and we have now motive to assume it’s extra vulnerable to breaking or having an off-center core—however it’s the greatest pencil we’ve seen within the price range worth vary (usually lower than 20¢ per pencil).
In testing, it carried out effectively when it comes to writing capability, surpassed solely by the Arteza #2 HB Wooden Pencil (which is saddled with the worst eraser we examined) and much pricier pencils just like the Palomino Blackwing 602.
The Dixon Ticonderoga Traditional Yellow pencil’s eraser is simply okay, however it scored effectively in consolation and sharpening capability.
Improve decide
This snug pencil has a replaceable eraser, an incense-cedar barrel, and a clean, darkish core. However it prices over twice as a lot as most writing pencils, and you may’t apply it to standardized exams.
The Palomino Blackwing 602 is the costliest pencil we examined, however it’s just about unsurpassed in high quality.
It’s manufactured from incense cedar, like our prime decide, and it’s the one pencil we examined with a replaceable eraser (which, in contrast to most pencil erasers, has an oblong form that permits extra detailed erasing). Its hexagonal physique has barely rounded corners, making it extra snug to put in writing with than most pencils, and it’s glazed in a velvety, darkish silver paint.
A few of our testers had hassle sharpening the Palomino Blackwing 602, particularly the primary time after they unboxed it; the identical occurred with our prime decide. However in any other case its largest flaw is its price ticket—greater than $2 per pencil on the time of publication.
Additionally it is more likely to be rejected by standardized-test proctors as a result of it doesn’t record a lead grade on the aspect (although its core is much like that of a No. 2/HB pencil).
Additionally nice
That is the one triangular pencil we advocate. It writes, sharpens, and erases about in addition to our different picks, and its uniquely textured grip space was beloved by lots of our testers.
If in case you have hassle gripping hexagonal pencils otherwise you simply favor a triangular barrel, look no additional than the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 Graphite Pencil with Eraser.
It’s the one triangular pencil we’ve examined that we advocate; practically all of our testers, lots of whom don’t usually use triangular pencils, loved utilizing it.
It earned good marks in our writing, sharpening, and erasing exams, and its array of raised dots alongside the entrance finish of the barrel give it a extra snug grip than most pencils.
On the draw back, it’s not manufactured from incense cedar (as our prime and improve picks are), it’s on the pricier aspect (about 80¢ per pencil on the time of publication), and it’s unavailable to purchase in bulk.
