I decided to find the perfect pencil and tested all the big names. I tried the Staedtler norica and lumograph, the Faber Castell 9000, the Mitsubishi uni and hi-uni, and now the Tombow mono and mono100, and this is my favourite (though by a pretty narrow margin).
I feel like the mono100 needs slightly less pressure than the hi-uni (my runner up) to put down a dark line, and it seems to loose less length to sharpening. Japanese pencils definitely seem to lay down a softer darker line than German brands.
Well, my new favourite pencil for really using, or rather, using up, is the Tombow 8900.
But.
For less than the price of an espresso, I use the best, most beautiful pencil that has ever been made, and, sadly, ever will be made.
Somewhere on the interwebs is the story of Mitsubishi and Tombow locked in battle during the 50s and 60s to produce the best pencil. Ever. Period. The consensus is that between the Hi-Uni and Mono 100 it's too close to call.
I prefer the Tombow, because it has a dragonfly on it. You might prefer the burgundy finish of the Hi-Uni. Both are gorgeous to behold and a sensuous delight to use. Strangely, it's widely accepted that the Hi-Uni is ever so slightly smoother than the Mono 100, the latter supposedly being ever so slightly more durable. I actually found that compared side by side, the Mono 100 (2B) was smoother.
Thanks Wonderpen(cils!) for making these great products available this side of the border!
