Mitsubishi Pencil K9800EWHB Recycled Pencils, 9800EW HB, 1 Dozen

I love Mitsubishi pencils and these 9800 EW pencils are no exception.You get a dozen unpainted pencils that have no hint of lacquer. There is no eraser tip, just a smooth wooden barrel with sanded ends. This pencil is for you if you prefer the natural wood variety and they compare well to the likes of General's Cedar Pointe, Palomino ForestChoice, and the unpainted version of the USA Gold. Each of the dozen pencils are crafted meticulously, with straight incense-cedar wood barrels and perfectly centered graphite cores. Hats off to Mitsubishi for making such high quality pencils! Mainstream USA brands should take a note or two. Well, fact is that outside of a select group of manufacturers, you will have to lower your expectations as to what you can expect. Banana pencils (warped wood), off-center leads, and sloppy imprinting/ferrule/eraser jobs are the norm.The pencil sharpens nicely without chipping at the tip where the wood meets graphite. Lead to paper, you can pretty much expect a smooth writing experience with these HB graded leads. There is no disappointment here, the pencil skates smoothly over most paper surfaces with a hint of feedback.How do they compare to other pencils within the "au naturale" group? Well, first off, some eco-minded pencils will be made from glued together scraps of wood to form the barrel. The Ticonderoga Renew comes to mind. I don't see any perceivable drawbacks to this. The rest seem to be plain slats of wood formed into pencils except for the paint job.The Mitsubishi 9800EW is a recycled wood pencil that falls into the former category.Here's my opinion of how it stacks vs similar pencils that are in my possession:Mitsubishi 9800EW vs Tree Story: This is a fairly direct comparison as both pencils are quite similar, untipped/without erasers. Both are extremely smooth writers, and grade-for-grade, I would have to say that the writing performance is on par. Both have perfectly centered leads and fine quality cedar wood. It's interesting to note with the Mitsubishi 9800, some varieties have basswood barrels and some have cedar barrels. Not sure why, perhaps Mitsubishi has different markets in mind. Be sure to know what you are buying, as you will have a better writing experience with the cedar barrels.Mtisubishi 9800EW vs ForestChoice: The ForestChoice by Palomino is a fine writer, and though it uses an HB/#2 core, it tends to be a dark writer and belies its designated grade, and writes basically like a B or a 2B. The ForestChoice barrel is largely straight, and the manufacturer (who knows who it is?) largely gets it done right. These are outsourced pencils manufactured by a plant in Thailand (it's impressed on the tip of the barrel "MADE IN THAILAND"). You will see a few that have the graphite core slightly off-centered, enough to be an annoyance but can be overlooked as the cost per pencil is low. The eraser is a bright red dusty variety that largely gets the job done with minimum smearing. This can also be overlooked as the lead is so nice, and thus translates into a good writer. The 9800 EW is clearly a higher quality pencil but substantially more expensive.9800EW vs Generals' Cedar Pointe: The Cedar Pointe is a much beloved pencil for good reason: it sharpens nicely to a fine point, writes page after page without needing resharpening, has a great eraser that works well and the black color hides any graphite smudges left on the eraser, and is made in the good old USA, if that matters to you (it does to me!). The barrel is all wood, no hint of lacquer at all. They come presharpened which is an annoyance to me, as I prefer to store them unsharpened and prefer to sharpen my own pencils when needed. A broken lead will take 1/2 an inch off the pencil right off the bat. The pencil grips very well, absorbs sweaty paw prints, which might be a big plus for some. The writing experience is generally scratchy, and the #2 lead is comparable to an F graded Tombow. If you like longevity and a good handy pencil tipped eraser, The Cedar Pointe is for you. If you enjoy a very smooth writing experience, try the 9800EW.9800EW vs USA Gold Natural Wood: The USA Gold by Write Dudes is one of the few remaining handful of options for a truly Made in USA pencil. They are all made of incense-cedar wood and sharpen nicely to a sharp point. The biggest problem is that the quality control is a bit lacking as you will find about 20% of all the pencils in the blister pack will have warped wooden barrels. Some are comically bent and you wonder if the graphite core can survive such stress. I doubt it. They largely come presharpened although you can buy larger bulk packs that are not presharpened. The wooden barrel is more vigorously lacquered than any of the other pencils in this review, therefore you can expect slippery grips for sweaty paws. The pencil writes an average dark line, reminiscent of using a garden variety Ticonderoga or Mirado. Unfortunately, the eraser is pretty small for a pencil tip eraser, does not erase particularly efficiently and thus a few vigorous rubs will eat huge chunks of rubber, depleting the eraser in a frighteningly short period of time. The erasing performance is lacking in this regard. The 9800EW therefore trumps this pencil in all regards, except of course for the lack of an eraser on the Mitsubishi, and the price! The USA Golds can be purchased at most Walmart or Target type of retailers for a paltry couple of bucks per dozen.

These pencils are great and the best pencils I've ever used. I'm not like, a huge fan of pencils, but I'm getting back into drawing and wanted some nicer pencils. I much prefer these over the vastly more expensive Blackwings (which I was able to get on clearance at my local art store- I'd never spend $30 for a pack of pencils!). The cedar is much more aromatic and I prefer the lead hardness of these over the Blackwings. I will definitely buy them again and wholly recommend them.

very smooth to writeif there was 100 starts, i would definitely give 100 stars!!

These are very good Japanese pencils. They don't have metal ferrules nor erasers so a separate eraser is needed.

These are such nice pencils! The cedar aroma is delightful, the leads write smooth and dark. They’re just a little treat every time I pick one up. Highly recommend!

These pencils are fantastic with very little smudging.

Would be perfect if crowned by a grand eraser. I tend to either use one of these or a USA Gold.

These are exceptionally good pencils. I like the finishing and also the simplicity of these pencils. They come with no eraser and they are perfectly balanced. I use them with the Pentel Hi-polymer erasers and they work perfectly for me! Surely I'll buy again