METALSHOP TIMBERTWIST BULLET PENCIL REVIEW

Pencils are nice, but it can be so annoying to see your favourite pencil transform into a useless stub. Last year I reviewed the Metalshop Twist bullet pencils (read the full review HERE), which has proven to be the ideal solution to this problem.

But of course functionality isn't everything, a good design is almost as important. That's why Jon from Metalshop recently released the Timber Twist bullet pencils. A new take on the bullet pencil with a wooden barrel and aluminium parts. 

The Timber Twist is essentially identical to the Twist bullet pencil. Functionality, design and even even weight all remained almost unchanged. If you want to read more in depth on design, measurements and performance, you can head over to my review of the original Twist, the idea is still the same. 

The addition of the wooden section means that the pencil extender is now made from four parts: the bullet, a front section, a wooden barrel, and an aluminium top section. I was somewhat worried that this would mean a noticeable change in the weight and balance, but since the aluminium parts don't go all the way through the barrel, it remained pretty much exactly at the same weight. In terms of durability I guess the solid metal Twist is still the strongest, but the Timber Twist can definitely take a hit. 

The Timber comes in three wood types. The darkest is walnut, the warmer brown wood is Mahogany, and the lightest wood is red Oak. All wood types are polished, but the character and depth of the grain remains visible. The Timber twist is a more stylish take on the Twist bullet pencil, and steps away from the utilitarian -purely functional- design of the original, without losing any functionality.

Of course, all parts are interchangeable, so you can still mix and match with different bullet materials and colors. I chose to leave them all in the aluminium finish because I like the sleek look of the shiny aluminium in combination with wood, but of course that choice is entirely up to you.

The Timber Twist is a welcome addition to the Twist bullet pencil offering from Metalshop. As I said it offers a bit more flair to your everyday carry, but with an equal amount of functionality. The Timber Twist bullet pencils start at 46 USD, which isn't cheap for a pencil 'accessory', but it'll give your pencil nubs a second life and it'll prove more useful than you'd think as part of an EDC.

Note: This product was sent to me by Metalshop, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

BARON FIG ARCHER PENCIL REVIEW

Baron Fig started as a Kickstarter project for a minimalist design notebook in 2013, the Baron Fig Confidant. In the few years of being in business, they expanded their product line to where they now offer four minimalist, core products. With one hardcover notebook, a series of softcover notebooks, a pen and now a woodcased pencil, they offer the essentials you need to write, draw or doodle.

The final addition is the Archer, a woodcased pencil, following the same minimalist design found in all Baron Fig products. Minimalism is their core business, and that starts right at the beginning, with the packaging. The dozen pencils are presented in a small grey tube with a clean graphic design of the pencil along the length. The first thing everyone -including me- seems to think when you see the packaging: 'No way twelve pencils are in there!' And yet when you open it: sure thing, twelve pencils tightly packed together!

The cedarwood barrel casing of the Archer pencil is finished with a semi-matte, grey laquer that is advertised as anti-slip. It doesn't have a rubberized feel to it, but it is indeed nice to grip (if it's less slippery than other pencils, I don't necessarily think so). The end of the pencil is topped off with a matte black dipped end. I'm personally a fan of erasers ends on pencils from a practical point of view, but here they chose to go for the most minimal finish.

The baron fig and arrow logos are screen-printed right underneath the black end on opposite sides of the pencil barrel. Whereas I miss the eraser (and wish they went for a slightly less minimal approach in that area), I can definitely appreciate the simple and cleanly stamped logos.

The cedar wood casing sharpens quite well, and the graphite cores sit nicely centered inside. The HB hardness (the only hardness available) is a balanced option for writing and drawing. In comparison with some other pencils (Faber-Castell Grip 2001, Rhodia #2, Palomino Blackwing classic, Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood) I found it to be noticeably more crisp and sharp. It gives a bit more feedback when you write, which makes it feel like writing with a harder H pencil, but the line darkness is comparable to other HB pencils. I personally quite like the more tactile writing experience, point retention is quite good, I could easily write half an A4 page on smooth Rhodia paper without having to sharpen (YMMV if you use different paper), but of course for longer writing sessions you should still keep a sharpener at hand.

For a first venture into pencils, Baron Fig certainly did a great job. Their background of pristine, minimal design shows through in the clean and tidy look of the Archer. Their minimal approach means you won't find an eraser, which is something I missed, but in return you get a well-balanced, light pencil. The HB graphite core isn't the smoothest out there, but it keeps a sharp point and it leaves behind a dark line.

At 15 USD for a dozen pencils, Baron Fig certainly hit a decent price point between the really cheap (but lesser quality) school pencils, and the really expensive pencils (like Blackwings), I'm eager to see more... and in fact there will be more! Baron Fig just launched their subscription system, in which they will release a new special edition of every product they make (that's right, FOUR special edition products every season!), including the Archer, (you can check out the subscriptions HERE).

Note: These pencils were sent to me by Baron Fig, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.