[Pen/Pencil Review] Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil
Okay, so I’m just going to go ahead and do my second Faber-Castell review from the Dallas Pen Show and just get it out of my system. Why? It’s something I never knew I needed, wanted, or would be one of those things that make me go “DUDE!” I’m talking about the Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil.
Faber-Castell has created extenders for wooden pencil users that are caps that let you use wooden pencils longer – which is a cool idea for artists or others who use wooden pencils down to nubs. Some are really nice and expensive. Then there’s this thing. The Perfect Pencil is…AWESOME. This is a purplish CAP that slides over the point of the pencil. It has a clip that lets you carry a wooden pencil in a pocket or portfolio securely all while protecting the lead point from snapping off. The cap also slides over the eraser end to extend the length of the pencil.
The Perfect Pencil cap is about 2.75″ long and comes with one of Faber-Castell’s black stubby pencils, so the initial length is about 5.5″ long – with the cap posted to the eraser end, it makes the pencil itself about 7.5″ long. The remaining super cool thing? The twisty looking top? It pops out as a sharpener. So you ALWAYS have a SHARP wooden pencil.
Then there was a further test – because I needed to create some storyboards at work for a project (one that totally lends itself to pencil work) – I tried the cap with generic pencils – both round and hex. The round pencil was a bit tight, but they both worked. So you don’t HAVE to use the Faber-Castell pencils with the Perfect Pencil – but they are really NICE pencils. So you COULD – the brand recognition alone makes this amazing.
Seriously… I LOVE THIS THING. Who knew? This is one of the lower end ones – there are higher end versions of it. There’s a mid-range one that I want to check out because the truly high end (full metal and GOOD metal with a box and a box of pencils is out of my price range. I love this as a writer. If I were an artist I wouldn’t use anything else.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s one of those things that if you love wooden pencils, it will blow your mind. The cap is secure. The sharpener does a good, tight point.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – There’s no real “grip”. It does make shorter pencils easier to use and regular pencils a bit long – but the plastic is kind of light so it doesn’t throw off the balance too much. It’s not overly bulky.
3. Material – 1 It’s strong quality plastic with a decent metal-bladed sharpener that seats securely. Clip feels strong and unlikely to snap off.
4. Overall Design – 1 – Seriously? You don’t think this is something that will make a difference, but it does. If you’re an artist, please check this thing out.
5. Price Point – 1 – Considering this is Faber-Castell, the price is pretty good. The “beginner” purple Perfect Pencil runs $4. That’s why I bought it at the pen show. It was something I’d seen but hadn’t been able to try – until I found out it was $4. Then…IMPULSE BUY! Totally worth it. The Faber-Castell Green “9000” is $10 but has metal accents (want that one). The high-end metal ones are PRICEY but you get what you pay for.
5.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
