Tomi
At the end of the school year, I always buy a pack of pencils to replenish my depleted stock. (I teach 7th and 8th grade English). Last year, I bought 144 golf pencils for about $8. It was a great investment, because a lot of times, I have kids who ALWAYS forget a pencil. They aren’t the ones who necessarily need a pencil, because more often than not, they would lose the pencil again before they made a mistake. However, despite having 144 of them, I ran out in late April, with about two months still left in the school year. I will buy another pack of those golf pencils for the students who perpetually borrow a pencil, but I quickly learned that every so often, I had a student who really needed a pencil, but wasn’t someone who made a habit of bringing nothing to class. Likewise, these were students were the ones who didn’t need it for a few periods, but truly needed a new pencil for them to keep for weeks. Unfortunately, I didn't have any “real” pencils, and when I saw these AmazonBasic pencils on sale (96 for about $6 – regularly they’re less than $8), I knew I needed these as well.
I’m actually really picky about my own personal pencils. I have a favorite brand, and I have a favorite brand of erasers to put on them. Nevertheless, I was really excited to try out these pencils because although they didn't have the price tag of a Dixon-Ticonderoga, they still worked really well.
QUALITY:
These are just your every day, basic pencils, but that’s how I like mine. I hate pencils with that plastic film with a design printed on them. With “cute” pencils, you aren’t paying for the pencil, you’re paying for whatever logo is on it (like Frozen or Star Wars). When you sharpen those ones for the first time, the film splits and then the cute design ends up peeling off. However, these AmazonBasics pencils were easy to sharpen, and they were nice to write with. Sometimes, pencils are prone to have the graphite split so there is a strange press on the paper, resulting in “double” writing. I wrote for a bit with the pencil and even as it dulled, it still wrote nicely. You can note a small letter I wrote to test it; it is the third image.
ERASER:
Another thing I hate about cheap pencils is the garbage erasers. As a teacher, I write most things in pen, but I always do my grade book in pencil. If a student turns in something late, I need to erase the previous grade to change it, and I can’t stand having left over marks from a bad eraser. Now, as I mentioned, I have one specific brand of erasers which are honestly God’s gift to humanity, and I always slap one of those bad boys on my pencils, but this really wasn’t bad as far as erasers go. I mean, it was still obvious that I made a mistake, but I also press into the paper like I’m trying to cut a hole into the table underneath. I write DARK. I have many students who press lightly. As well, if I were drawing, I would draw lighter. In the third picture attached to this review, there are two instances of erasing. The first is over “film” in fourth line in the first paragraph. The other is the second paragraph, titled “Eraser test.” As I mentioned, I write so dark that it’s difficult to erase to the point where it doesn’t appear that there was a mistake at all, but I also think your average person wouldn’t mind. I can clearly make out what is written over the erased bits, and no annoying parts of the eraser were left behind (like a giant pink smudge… Ugh, I hate that the most).
SMUDGE TEST:
Speaking of smudges, I don’t frequently smudge my pencil work because I’m right handed. However, I have left handed students who turn in work that is barely legible because they drag their hand throughout their writing constantly. Thinking of them, I wanted to test out how badly the graphite smudged on a hand. The results are the fourth picture. Now, this wasn’t just me carefully dragging my hand over the paper; I really pressed, TRYING to smudge the words. And yeah, I did smudge it a bit, and yeah, I did get some graphite on my hand. However, this is NOTHING compared to some of the other pencils I’ve seen. As you can see from my hand, it was minor, considering I was literally pressing hard on the paper, trying to get the graphite on my hand.
OVERALL:
The bottom line is that a 12 pack of any type of pencils can go for over $2. In fact, a lot of times the “cute” pencils are the most expensive, but they’re the worst as far as quality. If looks aren’t a thing you care about, but do care about quality, these are the best deal. A 96 pack of Ticonderoga pencils can range from $14-$20 (depending on packaging and color and where you’re buying them). I always use Ticonderogas as the standard for the perfect pencil because I used them throughout my childhood; my mother was literally born in Ticonderoga, NY. However, the AmazonBasics are the best bang for your buck. Are they cute? Is your kid going to be inspired by the cool Frozen or Star Wars logo? No. Because this is a standard, BASIC pencil. They’re just yellow. But to be honest, those “cool looking” pencils always lack quality compared to something like this. The simplicity is what makes these pencils so great; they’re just pencils. They know their function, and they get the job done. These are definitely going to be my “good” pencils from now on, especially to give out to kids who really are responsible with their supplies.
| Manufacturer | Amazon |
|---|---|
| Brand | Amazon Basics |
| Item Weight | 1.82 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 7.72 x 4.02 x 3.5 inches |
| Item model number | PHB-150 |
| Color | Yellow |
| Closure | Not relevant for this product |
| Grip Type | Contoured |
| Pencil Lead Degree (Hardness) | HB |
| Material Type | Wood |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Size | 150 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Point Type | Medium |
| Line Size | 0_5mm |
| Ink Color | Yellow |
| Manufacturer Part Number | PHB-150 |
J. Hansen
Frankly Get Fit
Liam Paiva-Acosta