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Rockler has come out with new HB/No. 2 shop pencils, emblazoned with their name on it.
Rockler advertises their new pencils as being suited for marking wood, sketching out designs, jotting down cut lists, and all kinds of other writing or marking tasks.
The pencils feature solid wood hexagonal-shaped casings, and the shape gives them an anti-roll design.
If you haven’t seen this style of pencil before, it’s more of an art or drawing pencil, with a smooth end rather than the typical eraser you might find on office or student pencils.
The pencils are sold in packs of 5 for $4.
Rockler has also come out with a magnetic pencil keeper kit, which also comes with a small sharpener and 3 pencils.
The magnetic pencil keeper fits over the end of the pencil. In addition to the magnet, for sticking the pencil to ferromagnetic surfaces, it also has a pocket clip and eraser.
This kit is priced at $10.
Other Drawing Pencil Options
Here are some other like-priced options if you’re thinking of getting some drawing pencils for workshop use:
Staedtler HB Pencil 12-Pack: ~$12 via Amazon
Tombow Mono Drawing Pencil 12-Pack: $11 via Amazon
Ticonderoga 12-Pack: $2-3 via Amazon
Faber-Castell 9000 Series 12-Pack: $10 via Amazon
There are higher-priced options, and many art-focused brands also offer pencils in different hardness grades. HB is the same as number 2 pencils commonly found at office supply stores, and generally the hardness increases with higher H grades (e.g. 2H), and softens with higher B grades (e.g. 2B).
HB pencils don’t dull very quickly, and leave dark-enough markings on paper and most wood species.
If you’re saying “yeah, yeah, I know all this, I use HB pencils all the time,” well, have you tried 2B pencils yet?
Staedtler 2B Pencil 12-Pack: $7 via Amazon
These Staedtler 2B pencils aren’t artist-grade pencils, they’re described as being writing pencils, but it’s a low cost and low risk way to try out 2B pencils.
2B pencils have softer graphite cores than HB, and so they leave a darker line. They also have to be sharpened more frequently.
If you want a high quality and easy to use sharpener, I really like this Uni, although it’s a bit pricey. This Kutsuwa compact sharpener has tip length adjustments.
