NavNeet Fun Fun Full Marks Pencils

Some years ago, NavNeet, known for its study-aid books, joined the bandwagon for stationery. They're doing a good job and their Fun Fun Full Marks pencils are really good. Light in weight, multiple colours in the pack, they help in encouraging young children to write. A decent dark lead, smooth writing and easy sharpening make it a good buy.
They also have a version of Fun Fun Stripes. Each box comes with 10 pencils and a free eraser and sharpener.

Drawing Pencils - Camlin and Apsara

In India, I don't know if other pencil companies make drawing pencils - pencils of different grades, but Camlin and Apsara are two born-in-India companies that do. Apsara has been making them for as long as I can remember; I don't recall when Camlin joined in.

Camlin has the advantage of packaging - 6 different grades HB, 2B, 3B, 4B, 6B and 8B - in a cute cardboard box. Now that Camlin has merged with Japan's Kokuyo, the combined name is visible, but that's about all the difference. Good quality remains.

Apsara drawing pencils have always been fabulous; we used them in school for art work 30 years ago too. I don't think the pattern or colour of the lacquer has changed in all these years. I've not seen different grades available in a box; we have to buy them loose or buy a box of the same grade. That's a slight negative.  I love writing with the 4B - smooth and dark.

Old Pencils and an Eraser

My husband's family had these in their collection. The Faber-Castell one with the brush is an eraser that my husband used in Architecture college. The others are pencils - look at the one with the Bombay Telephone Company's advertisement. Amazing.

Pure Graphite

I found this pure graphite pencil - no wood, no encasing.
Hmm, am I going to write with it? I don't know.