Very Quick
"Some seem as if they are made of something other than wood and does not hold the graphite well."
"Both sharpened effortlessly, but I noticed that, while the diameter of the Ticonderoga pencil corresponds exactly to the size of the "Standard" setting on the sharpener, I had trouble inserting the Economy pencil with that setting."
"I've had to sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen those same 9 pencils more times than I've bothered counting (although, if I actually had been counting, that'd probably be indicative of a much more serious issue that better pencils could not solve anyway."
"I have ordered this set three times now over the last one and a half school years and they've lasted beautifully."
"You will occasionally run across one or two pencils in a pack that won't sharpen well or have a broken lead, but overall these pencils are much, much better than other pencils."
"I ordered a dozen and they're exactly as I remembered them: sharpen evenly, leads do not break off when sharpening, and they have the best pencil erasers ever."
"When we found ourselves spending time almost every day sharpening pencils for our kids school bags only to have them break during sharpening we went right to Amazon and ordered these."
Dixon Ticonderoga Wood-Cased #2 HB Pencils, Box of 96, Yellow (13882) (Compare Deals from $14.27)
Quick
"Over the years I have noticed that the quality of pencils have really gone down hill. Some seem as if they are made of something other than wood and does not hold the graphite well... There is also the last thing I can think of is if you drop a pencil, most of them are now trash because the graphite inside is now broken."
"I do a lot of note-writing and sketching in conjunction with my job, and this pencil feels good to write with, has exactly the softness of graphite that I prefer, and it even smells good... Both sharpened effortlessly, but I noticed that, while the diameter of the Ticonderoga pencil corresponds exactly to the size of the "Standard" setting on the sharpener, I had trouble inserting the Economy pencil with that setting... If you buy a box of Dixon pencils and it was a bad lot, I recommend that you contact Prang to see if they would give you a coupon for a free box."
"I started attending college for the first time in over 10 years this Spring and consequently started using #2 pencils for the first time in over 10 years too... 2) I've had to sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen those same 9 pencils more times than I've bothered counting (although, if I actually had been counting, that'd probably be indicative of a much more serious issue that better pencils could not solve anyway... Maybe the quality of everyday items seemed better to me when I was younger just because I was younger, but I can't help but feel a little cheated by my recent experience with these pencils."
"Among these supplies are pencils purchased for 10 at a big-box-store's back to school sale... They broke constantly, sharpened unevenly and the erasers did more harm than good, leaving pink smears all over the paper... I have ordered this set three times now over the last one and a half school years and they've lasted beautifully."
"I teach in inner-city schools where kids just can't provide their own supplies, and I was buying a ridiculous amount of pencils each week - not just because of the use, but also because the cheaper pencils didn't sharpen well and broke easily. Sometimes I'd eat through half a pencil just trying to get a sharpen that wouldn't break instantly, and let me be clear - I sharpen all the pencils in our class so this wasn't from student error... You will occasionally run across one or two pencils in a pack that won't sharpen well or have a broken lead, but overall these pencils are much, much better than other pencils."
"I placed an order with Amazon and still needed a couple of dollars more for free shipping... I ordered a dozen and they're exactly as I remembered them: sharpen evenly, leads do not break off when sharpening, and they have the best pencil erasers ever. I'll never be satisfied with anything less and now I can get them without ever leaving home."
"When we found ourselves spending time almost every day sharpening pencils for our kids school bags only to have them break during sharpening we went right to Amazon and ordered these. Not one single issue since then, they honestly don't even need to be sharpened every day and when they do the kids can manage to do it easily..... My only complaint, if you can really call it that, is that we ordered 96 pencils and 1 month into the school year our kids are still using the same 4 pencils they had to start the year."
Less Quick
"Over the years I have noticed that the quality of pencils have really gone down hill. Some seem as if they are made of something other than wood and does not hold the graphite well... There is also the last thing I can think of is if you drop a pencil, most of them are now trash because the graphite inside is now broken. I bought a pack of this particular model Dixon pencil in a store for a hefty price and instantly fell in love with them... These Dixon Ticonderoga Woodcase pencils are the best quality pencils I have found... Thanks, and I hope this review helps EDIT: Some of the erasers are really flimsy and break off really easily. The erasers work well when they stay on the pencil :) Had to take some stars for this."
"The Dixon Ticonderoga Wood Cased Black Core #2 HB pencil is the one I look for when I buy pencils for myself and for my kids. I do a lot of note-writing and sketching in conjunction with my job, and this pencil feels good to write with, has exactly the softness of graphite that I prefer, and it even smells good... Aside from the smell, the Ticonderoga graphite is a little bit softer than the Economy, and the eraser is about 3mm longer... Both sharpened effortlessly, but I noticed that, while the diameter of the Ticonderoga pencil corresponds exactly to the size of the "Standard" setting on the sharpener, I had trouble inserting the Economy pencil with that setting... Also, sometimes a particular lot of pencils may get through quality control that has the graphite core off-center... Many of those novelty pencils that your kids get in birthday party goodie bags may make you swear when you try to sharpen them... If you buy a box of Dixon pencils and it was a bad lot, I recommend that you contact Prang to see if they would give you a coupon for a free box."
"I started attending college for the first time in over 10 years this Spring and consequently started using #2 pencils for the first time in over 10 years too... 1) I have entirely used up the erasers on 9 of the 12 pencils... In fact, I only felt compelled to write an Amazon review for PENCILS just now because I decided to buy a box of eraser tips! 2) I've had to sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen, and re-sharpen those same 9 pencils more times than I've bothered counting (although, if I actually had been counting, that'd probably be indicative of a much more serious issue that better pencils could not solve anyway... 3) Over-sharpening these pencils even once seems to doom them to the fate of breaking far too frequently. Regardless, I purchased these pencils because they were highly rated and I am not impressed. Maybe the quality of everyday items seemed better to me when I was younger just because I was younger, but I can't help but feel a little cheated by my recent experience with these pencils."
"Among these supplies are pencils purchased for 10 at a big-box-store's back to school sale... They broke constantly, sharpened unevenly and the erasers did more harm than good, leaving pink smears all over the paper... I did a fair amount of research on the internet, searching as many teacher blogs and forums as I could find and the consensus was Dixon Ticonderoga HB #2... I then came to amazon and found the perfect amount for the perfect price. I have ordered this set three times now over the last one and a half school years and they've lasted beautifully... The erasers are perfect and long lasting. I don't see a future wherein I am not ordering these regularly from Amazon."
"For a bit I tried those pencils with designs which were a huge failure. The plastic covering kept clogging the sharpener and they never sharpened evenly. Then I tried a Staples brand from the local grocery store... I placed an order with Amazon and still needed a couple of dollars more for free shipping... Lets see if I can find those pencils I used as a kid decades ago... I ordered a dozen and they're exactly as I remembered them: sharpen evenly, leads do not break off when sharpening, and they have the best pencil erasers ever. I'll never be satisfied with anything less and now I can get them without ever leaving home."
"Last year our second child started school. I guess I never realized the frustration caused by cheap, easily broken and off-center loaded pencils. When we found ourselves spending time almost every day sharpening pencils for our kids school bags only to have them break during sharpening we went right to Amazon and ordered these. Not one single issue since then, they honestly don't even need to be sharpened every day and when they do the kids can manage to do it easily... try that with some cheap, off brand, waxy junk from the Dollar store. My only complaint, if you can really call it that, is that we ordered 96 pencils and 1 month into the school year our kids are still using the same 4 pencils they had to start the year. We are NEVER going back to bargain brands, and since we have 92 pencils left, we won't have to buy more for years."
