Monday, October 15, 2012

TICONDEROGA PENCILS. Forever and ever!!! (And ever and ever.)

What kind of pencils do you use in your classroom? Do you have a favorite brand? I do. I am ALL ABOUT the brand loyalty and the pencil brand I am most loyal to is Ticonderoga...

This shot reminds me of the movie "You've got mail" with Meg Ryan when she mentions how the beginning of a school year makes her want to have a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.

Now, I try not to be an elitist and equal opportunity when it comes to the supplies that are used in my artwork and with my classes but in all honesty? When it comes to pencils, I have learned my lesson that there definitely are some very inferior types and brands of pencils especially when compared to the amazing standard (of superiority) set by Ticonderoga brand pencils.

The thing about Ticonderoga pencils is... well... what ISN'T there to love about them? Seriously! The wood casing is so well structured and of high-quality material that it doesn't splinter or split very easily (if at all). The lead itself applies itself beautifully. Even the erasers are awesome!!! Also, they sharpen really REALLY well and the pencils themselves don't ruin pencil sharpeners the way so many other pencils do. Just this year I got myself a heavy-duty and quite fancy sharpener and though I have (fiercely) protected it by locking it up so it's not used and the engine is burnt out by the whole school (Seriously. I used to have students interrupt the goings-on of my class to sharpen their pencils!!!) - the sharpener is STILL holding up like a champ. I am convinced it is not only because I keep it locked up but also because I am not allowing for low-quality pencils to be burning it out and dulling the blades. Anyway, the pencil sharpener I got is pictured below and it is called the Stanley Bostitch QuietSharp6 Electric Pencil Sharpener. I ordered mine from Dick Blick HERE at the beginning of the year with my annual supplies order.

Pencil sharpener with the pencil organization system everyone on Pinterest also uses.
I feel like this is the first year (in four total) that I have pencils AND a pencil sharpener that are going to hold up against the general wear and tear (and beatings) of the year and if you are in the market for a new brand of pencils and/or sharpeners? Consider both Ticonderoga brand and the Stanley BostitchQuiet6 Sharpener. Both brands will set you back a little bit in terms of time but consider the fact that the money you spend is an investment that will pay itself back in dividends since (at the end of the year) you will easily still have a working pencil sharpener as well as a stock of pencils that don't get eaten up and easily split from regular use.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post...I usually use whatever I have on hand. People donate pencils all the time to our school..but usually are not good brands. I decided this year I'd splurge and by good ones!!

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    1. Mr. E - I was using donated pencils (and old stock) for the three previous years I started at my current school and while I want to not fuss about them because I do believe that beggars shouldn't be choosers, the pencils that we were using were horribly difficult to use. They were the old stock where a seriously strange size and the wood was always splintering and ripping up the pencil sharpeners we had. The donated pencils always ran out incredibly fast. This year I set aside a significant portion just for the fancy-schmancy pencil sharpener AND a healthy stock of pencils and it has been so worth the investment.

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  2. I agree that these are great pencils. Although I bought a bunch of executive pencils (Dixon/Ticonderoga) Think these are all the same company, one year and they were not good.
    Choo-Choo Pencils seem to be pretty good, they are big and bulky and last awhile. Middle-schoolers don't really like to steal them either.
    This year I have started the year without using any pencils with elementary. But as the kids get older it is harder to avoid the pencils. With younger elementary I find that pencils are a big time waster, getting them sharp and keeping them that way.
    I absolutely hate when a student brings in those birthday pencils with the plastic coating on them. They never sharpen right, sometimes at all.
    That is my two cents.

    Still waiting for shorter post;)

    Love your topics though!

    Doug

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    Replies
    1. I will have to try out the Choo-choo brand. Never heard of them before but I am always willing to consider something newer (to me) and possibly better. Doesn't hurt that I like the name Choo-choo for a brand.)

      Every time I write a long and wordy posting I think of what you said before. *sigh* Doesn't seem like a hard thing for me to just do but it is!! *shrug* I will work on it. I promise! :)

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  3. Seriously. When I get my hands on these pencils I squeal!! I love this brand of pencils.

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    1. Jen - I cannot believe that it took me so long to just get them!!! I don't even remember the back stock we had before that we were using but they had to have been at least 7 years old. The wood casings were SO awful and the lead was so brittle!

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  4. Andrea- thanks so much for recommending this brand. I had always thought that all pencils were the same, more or less.

    Pencil sharpening has always been a pet peeve of mine during class, so now I only let them use the small metal sharpeners- they last forever and work really well, but b/c they're so small, can get lost/nicked easily :(

    Thanks again for this informative post!

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