Staedtler mars lumograph

The company

As covered elsewhere, a German pencil manufacturer which is widely available, and is commonly found with its noris and tradition pencils in U.K. schools.

The pencil itself

The Mars Lumograph 100 is I believe Staedtlers top of the line pencil. It is nicely finished in a distinctive blue, with a nice rounded endcap.

The endcap is actually quite interesting - it has the ‘HB’ marking on all six sides, whereas the embossing on the main body is only on two sides.

How does it write

It writes well, but like the other Staedtlers I have tried here, it is quite hard for an HB, and appropriately also has quite good point retention.

This is quite a nice pencil, but does not have that silky dark quality that you might find in say the Hi-uni.

Sourcing

Relatively easy. You might not find it in the supermarket or the corner shop as you might the noris or tradition, but you are likely to find this in very art supply and stationers, and maybe in some of the larger ‘sheds’.

Of course, it is also readily available online. And, it is available in grades from 6H to 8B.