Paper Mate Eraser Caps

Write something... erase. Write more... erase. I love writing with pencils, and find eraser caps very convenient, either when the original eraser tips of the pencils have worn off or for pencils that don't have an eraser in the first place. After reading plenty of reviews on Amazon.com, I settled on Paper Mate Arrowhead Eraser Caps. I must say, I'm very satisfied.

They're much better than the Office Depot ones I'd used earlier. The Office Depot ones were thinner and hence wobbled every time while erasing something. They slipped off the pencil and split after a while.

Paper Mate Arrowhead Eraser Caps

The Paper Mate ones are standard pink in colour, are made thicker, hence they are firmer, don't wobble and are more stable while erasing. Initially I felt as though the eraser might slip off the pencil, so I used to hold the eraser onto the pencil while erasing the matter. But now I find that it's not needed - the eraser cap does not slip off! These eraser caps erase well and last long. They're priced well at less than $8 for a box of 144. One box will last a long time, but just make sure you store it in a Ziploc bag so that the erasers don't get dry.

Highly recommended!! I give them 5 stars!

Amazon.com has the best price, here's the link!

Paper Mate Arrowhead Pink Cap Erasers (73015), Pack of 144

Apsara Pop & Apsara Joi Extra Dark Pencils

We grew up in India with Nataraj and Apsara pencils which were two of the few pencil brands in the market between 1970-1990. Only after liberalisation of the economy in the early 90s, did stationery begin to boom in India and consumers had more of a choice.

Apsara Joi

I learnt only recently that Nataraj and Apsara are both brands made by Hindustan Pencils Pvt. Ltd. Not only do they have a huge market share of pencils in India, but they also export their products to over 30 countries. Their products conform to European safety norms, all their ingredients are non-toxic, and they continue to make the effort to develop plantations to ensure renewal of the wood they use. This makes me happy to support them!

In recent years, Apsara has been coming out with beautiful pencils!! Apsara Pop and Apsara Joi are two of their many different series. Hexagonal pencils with a smooth lacquer finish, extra dark smooth lead and the wood sharpens very well.

Apsara Pop

The box of Apsara Joi pencils has pencils with different coloured lacquers, but each pencil has primarily one colour with alternate thin stripes of a different colour. Each pencil of Apsara Pop has two colours separated by white thin stripes. Each box comes with a free eraser and a long point sharpener.

I highly recommend these series of pencils!!
For ratings, I give Apsara Joi 4.5 on 5 and Apsara Pop gets a 5 on 5.

Pencil Facts!

I love pencils, but just realised I didn't know all these pencil facts!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil

My First Ticonderoga

I picked up a blister pack of 4 'My First Ticonderoga' in 2009 on a trip to the US. The blister pack has 4 pencils and a sharpener.

They're fat pencils, in the trademark green and yellow Ticonderoga colors. Absolutely perfect for little hands who're just beginning to write. However, I'm mad about stationery so I started using these myself.

I absolutely love them!

Compare the thickness with a regular pencil

I enjoy the control that the fat pencils give. Smooth core with a neat eraser. The pencil weight is just enough for little hands to manage conveniently.

The hardness of the pencil is a standard US #2 which is the worldwide HB. I personally prefer softer pencils, but for children, HB is possibly more suitable since they tend to use more pressure while writing.

To understand pencil grading, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil

Unfortunately these Ticonderoga pencils aren't available in India; however, you can buy them from Amazon.com with ease. If you have someone traveling to India from the US, you can buy them off Amazon, have it shipped to the person in the US who can then bring it to you! I plan on ordering a bigger pack soon!

I give them a rating of 4.5 on 5.  (Just because I'm a wee bit finicky)

Here's the Amazon link for the bigger pack of 12 (much more economical than the blister pack of 4) :

Ticonderoga My First Ticonderoga Primary Size 2 Beginner Pencils, Box of 12, Yellow (33312)