Submitted by
Ninth Wave Designs on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 14:46.
ORIGINAL POST DATE: July 14, 2006
I have a late arrival for the Love Triangle pencil comparison, the Lyra Osiris 45100. I found these a few days after the original post and find that they are a very nice addition to the triangular pencils I use. They have a nice yellow lacquer finish, similar to the California Republic Golden Bears, but do not have a finished end cap as the Golden Bear does. They are made from good solid wood that appears to be cedar, and are more substantial than the Grip 2001 and the impossible to find Mars Ergosoft. They have a very similar feel to the Golden Bears, but a better graphitei core. The graphite in the Osiris is dry compared to my still favorite Staedtler Noris Ergosoft, but isn't as hard and light as the Golden Bear. For me the Osiris will be a good second to the Noris, for times when I want a slightly tighter line.
One element I didn't cover in the original Love Triangle post was the element of cost. Some of you may want to have pencils of varying price ranges for different uses, such as economy priced pencils for work or school where you are more apt to lose them. To this end here is the estimated price break-down on the triangular pencils I have compared - yours prices may vary:
- Ticonderoga Tri-Write 2/HB with eraser: 18 - 25 cents each.
- California Republic Golden Bear HB: 20 cents each.
- Lyra Osiris 45100: 37 cents each.
- Dixon Tri-Conderoga 2/HB with eraser (large diameter): 35 - 40 cents each.
- Mongol Trio with eraser (large diameter): 42 cents each.
- Staedtler Noris Ergosoft HB 2: 80 cents each.
- Faber-Castell Grip 2001 2=B: 75 - 85 cents each.
- Faber-Castell Jumbo Grip: $1.54 each.
If you want an all-around comfortable pencil that you won't care if you lose it, then the Ticonderoga Tri-Write is a bargain. If you up your budget a little bit you can have a very nice writing pencil with the Osiris for less than twice the price of the Tri-Write, and for double the price of the Osiris you can take a leap in graphite quality with the Staedtler Noris Ergosoft.
What is missing from this selection is a high end triangular pencil. With the news from California Republic that there are no plans to release the Palomino in a triangular version, I am left to invent another dream pencil. My current fancy for the ultimate triangular pencil would be a Tombow Mono Professional in HB or B grade with a sleek black finish. The black lacquer with cream and gold on the Tombow Mono is luxurious, and it has a nice thick end-cap. This would be a beautiful pencil in triangular form as well. Although there is yet to be a high quality addition to the triangular pencil trend, and no indication that there ever will be, I think the Tombow Mono would make a likely candidate for such an innovation.
