[Pen/Pencil Review] The Staedtler Woodless Graphite Pencils
This week we’re talking about a pencil – the Staedtler Woodless Graphite Pencil. It was an impulse buy at Staples the other weekend. Not only had I not seen this before, but neither had my husband – the pencil lover. Since it came in a 5-pack we could share.
The Staedtler Woodless Pencil looks like your traditional wooden pencil with a gray body and a white eraser tip. The pencils come pre-sharpened and start out about 8 inches long. The pencil is a standard #2 HB pencil.
This pencil is touted by Staedtler to last six times longer than standard pencils. I haven’t tested this, but I have noticed that it does seem to manually sharpen a lot faster and easier than some of my other wooden pencils – and doesn’t seem to have the “lead” snap in the sharpener. But it does have that kind of waxy feel that some of the inexpensive pencils do, but not the bendy “cheap” feel.
The packaging claims “dust free” writing. Not sure what that means, but it does write smoothly. It does have a lacquer finish to give it a soft feel and doesn’t smear on fingers. The lead is a bit soft for my taste. The point wears pretty quickly (which is why I tend to mechanicals) leading me to sharpen probably more than others. The lead erases cleanly. The eraser doesn’t have a lot of crumbs.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s pretty good. I wish it was a darker lead, it seems to wear down quickly which means more sharpening, but it sharpens easier than other pencils. It says it’s supposed to last 6x longer than typical wood, but I haven’t been able to verify. It does erase well.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a wooden pencil – sort of. It has no ergonomics or grips because it is what it is – a pencil designed to be sharpened and used down to the nub.
3. Material – 0.5 It’s not wood, so it’s hard to describe. The lacquer gives it a waxy feel , but it’s not bendy (instead of a solid snap) like a cheap wooden pencil, but it definitely feels different than a traditional pencil. I’m still trying to figure out if I like it.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s a basic wooden-type pencil. It has a good eraser and a classic #2 HB pencil. The design hasn’t changed much in these type of pencils and this is no exception.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I can’t remember how much these cost – I want to say $4-$5. I am having a hard time finding them online to get more pricing. They’re kinda expensive for these types of pencils but if they really do last as long as they say, it’s worth it.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils