tammyw Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Our pencils often get dropped. Sigh. I've resigned myself to the fact that this is going to happen. Are there any that have leads which don't break so easily? I hate mechanical pencils even worse, so that's not an option for us :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Using General's All-Art sharpeners will give you a stubby tip that resists much abuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Using General's All-Art sharpeners will give you a stubby tip that resists much abuse. See, it's not the tip that breaks, it's the internal lead. So let's say I sharpen it to a nice point, then start writing with it, the lead wiggles until it falls out. It's like the inside of each pencil lead has been broken into many small pieces. All our pencils seem to end up this way :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Ah. My son drops his pencils all the time. I have the best luck with "quality" http://www.staedtler.com/graphite_pencils.Staedtler I get B or HB. No breakage. Or, consider a carpet. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucyfan70 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I've been having the same issue so I finally broke down and spent some money on good quailty pencils and so far so good....Ticonderoga brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 My son loves Push Pencils. The lead never breaks or needs sharpening. When it wears down to the nub, just pull it out and stick it in the back and a new one appears...magic! The only problem I've had is if he pushes too hard the plastic around the top can break. I just put a little piece of tape around it, and it's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I've been having the same issue so I finally broke down and spent some money on good quailty pencils and so far so good....Ticonderoga brand. I agree -- these ones work for us. Especially the black ones ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 I've been having the same issue so I finally broke down and spent some money on good quailty pencils and so far so good....Ticonderoga brand. See, that's what we have, and they've still broken :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholsonhomeschool Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 That is what we use too and we're having the same problem! I figured it was the cheap little sharpeners we use that caused the internal lead to break, but maybe it's a bad lot of pencils... Funny how the little things can create snags! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 We like Papermate Mirado Black Warriors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 We like Papermate Mirado Black Warriors. I just added those to my amazon cart, to try out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 We like Papermate Mirado Black Warriors. Our very favorite pencils. The wood around the lead seems tight. They sharpen up beautifully, and just glide across the page. LOVE THEM. They come in standard yellow, too, but we like the black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Awesome discussion. We went through an entire box last week for this very reason. Am picking up some today, thanks! Our bad brand is Ticonderoga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 See, that's what we have, and they've still broken :( My Ticonderogas were all like that too. I think they are abused in shipment or manufacture somewhere along the line. Mine started breaking right out of the box. Last pencils I bought were the Dixon pencils from Walmart. (They make the Ticonderogas btw.). They are cheaper, and don't seem to have that problem. I am also disallowing any round pencil use for school work this year. Those smencils I got the kids for their stockings? They can keep them in their room, but they are just too distracting for everyday schoolwork. This year, I am also encouraging the use of ink pens--even for math. No more fiddling around with erasing every little mistake. (I tell them to just draw ONE line through and continue.) I am going to be the erasing nazi this year. Drives me batty when they sit for several minutes erasing something. :willy_nilly: Now I know why some teachers were so particular about this stuff when I was in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Ah. My son drops his pencils all the time. I have the best luck with "quality" http://www.staedtler.com/graphite_pencils.Staedtler I get B or HB. No breakage. Or, consider a carpet. :) Thanks for that recommendation, kalanamak! As an art teacher, I use Staedtler erasers pretty much exclusively because they are the best, but I totally forgot that they also make pencils! I used their drawing pencils way back while I was in art school and I liked them. As I just followed your link and read about their pencils on the website this morning I got all inspired to get them again, not just for drawing, but for school too. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Leigh Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) See, that's what we have, and they've still broken :( Us too. I thought getting them would solve the problem and it's driving me crazy. We don't even have to drop them... the lead just constantly wiggles ad falls out. ETA: We have 4 boxes of Dixon and no luck there either. I mean my kids are young, so I'm sure that plays in, but seriously. We are 3 weeks in and we've worn out 24 pencils between 3 kids. At that pace, I'll spend a fortune by June. Edited September 2, 2011 by Stacie Leigh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaJo Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I've been having the same issue so I finally broke down and spent some money on good quailty pencils and so far so good....Ticonderoga brand. WSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 We've switched to mechanical pencils. No broken leads, no more sharpening, no more little pencil shavings all over the place, no nubby pencils with teeth marks all over them, no more erasers breaking off or wearing down before the pencil is used up and hence, no more of those erasers stuck on top of the pencil that my 2yo thinks are great to put in her mouth. I find them to be less smudgy too. I don't even allow regular pencils in the house anymore with the exception of good quality drawing pencils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 We've switched to mechanical pencils. No broken leads, no more sharpening, no more little pencil shavings all over the place, no nubby pencils with teeth marks all over them, no more erasers breaking off or wearing down before the pencil is used up and hence, no more of those erasers stuck on top of the pencil that my 2yo thinks are great to put in her mouth. I find them to be less smudgy too. I don't even allow regular pencils in the house anymore with the exception of good quality drawing pencils. Unfortunately we tried mechanical pencils about six months ago. My husband bought a pack of 6 or so. Well DS5 emptied every single one and we are still to this day finding little leads all over the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam101 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 See, it's not the tip that breaks, it's the internal lead. So let's say I sharpen it to a nice point, then start writing with it, the lead wiggles until it falls out. It's like the inside of each pencil lead has been broken into many small pieces. All our pencils seem to end up this way :( I've had that happen too, but it was from the pencils being used as drum sticks on edge of the table. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 We like Papermate Mirado Black Warriors. :iagree: This is all I will buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 These are also very tough. They are smaller than the round Laddie's and not a "little child" pencil at all. The tri-shape means it doesn't roll. My beloved Arrow eraser caps fit on them, too. Nice creamy line with little smudging. http://www.amazon.com/PENCILS-TRY-REX-INTERMED-12-PK/dp/B000QE16YE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1315009959&sr=8-17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 These are also very tough. They are smaller than the round Laddie's and not a "little child" pencil at all. The tri-shape means it doesn't roll. My beloved Arrow eraser caps fit on them, too. Nice creamy line with little smudging. http://www.amazon.com/PENCILS-TRY-REX-INTERMED-12-PK/dp/B000QE16YE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1315009959&sr=8-17 Those look interesting! I wish they had free prime shipping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 The best luck I've had with pencils is the Ticonderoga Noirs. The regular Ticonderoga yellows I've had lots of lead-break problems with, as described. The Noirs are much, much better - maybe it's the wood? They last and last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbasil Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 These are my favorite - Staedtler Rally - cheap and work well, plus they just feel nice in the hand: http://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Graphite-Pencil-12-Each-9122-2B12/dp/B004TUGZQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315011925&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 made in Germany. Do not, I say, do not buy pencils made in China or the US. They are Cr&p. German made penicils are made of high quality materials. My kids have used their Faber Castells all week without even having to sharpen them. Totally worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 made in Germany. Do not, I say, do not buy pencils made in China or the US. They are Cr&p. German made penicils are made of high quality materials. My kids have used their Faber Castells all week without even having to sharpen them. Totally worth the money. Where are you buying yours? Any free shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thundersweet Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I buy the Ticonderoga Laddies. Love them! Now I need to go try some German made pencils. :001_smile: Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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