Staedtler Norica 2021 HB Pencil Review with 2014 2015 Comparison

[@HumbleVoyager]

Hi, Kevin. In general I've found the Staedtler pencils I've purchased recently to be disappointing. The quality seems to be much lower than it was before. I purchased a set of the 2023 Norica and I really don't like them at all. The first pencil I pulled from the pack was severely bowed and the lead breaks every time I try to sharpen it. No more Staedtler pencils for me! For a smooth, dark pencil, I really like the USA Gold America's Pencil HB2. Thanks for the video, Kevin!

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi Nancy - it's too bad what has happened to the quality of so many things that used to be well made. The concern with profits has engineered so much quality out of products. The USA Gold (and Platinum) pencils are wonderful! I use them all the time. Thanks!

[@MerKittiez]

Great review and comparison, the 2014 Noricas are phenomenal pencils, I was able to purchase a few of them on eBay, prior to that I had the 2016 stock and found that the leads break too frequently, the pencil that is the most like the 2014 is the Staedtler Mark-2B Germany 13212, they are both my most used pencils, very comparable to the Blackwing pencils. Thank you for all your videos, they are very informative.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi MerKittiez - glad you enjoy the videos and find them helpful. I appreciate you watching!

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Hardness is acceptable just by itself. But with that erasability, that I'd personally rate A-, this seems very worthy of a few extra cents over the cheaper offerings.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi DFT -it is a good pencil, overall. It is worth the little extra cost for the performance. Thanks!

[@eproperco]

It was interesting to me that you noted the all upper case Staedtler, and the all lower case norica. You always give such great details and astute observations. Well done review and comparison.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Thanks so much, EP!

[@raccoon874]

*Could it be that the 2014 & 2015 were made elsewhere, or sourced the graphite from a different location? They both appear darker, mind you if a box of 2021s fell on my lap I wouldn't complain.*

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi raccoon - I think you may be right that that graphite was sourced from a different place. There could be a number of factors contributing. Thanks!

[@ronciego9249]

Perhaps one of the reasons why erasers attached to pencils are generally bad is to keep the costs of these pencils low. I'm not so sure, though...As always, I love the videos

[@DinnerForkTongue]

When the cheaper less effective eraser is "good enough", no company is gonna put more money on it.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi ronciego - I think you're correct. In manufacturing things today, it all comes down to cost. Thanks!

[@ma-mo]

Great review! I'm wondering how these compare with the blue noricas. I certainly like the look of these more.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi MAMO - I think these pencils are made at a different factory than the blue ones, and I think these are actually better pencils, overall. Thanks!

[@SebastianMenaMarquez]

How are these compared to the noris?

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi SMM - I think some of the German-made Noris pencils might be a bit better than this one. Thanks!

[@ilurvemv]

They can't put the same block eraser on the pencils because that would make the pencils more expensive, that's my guess. Did you find the Pilot Better pens to review? If not, I can send a box if you're interested.

[@AlwaysAnalog]

Hi SV - I guess it's about cost, but I think it would be a selling point to have a pencil that actually had a good eraser attached. I Pilot pen I found is a BP-S Medium (Blue) - that looks like the only one I have.

[@ilurvemv]

@@AlwaysAnalogwell, the cost is just a part of it - and it would only be a selling point if the consumers cared about it. Staedtler is a German brand and almost all European and Asian pencil manufacturers don't include erasers at the end of pencils, that's really an American thing from what I've noticed growing up in India (which is why when you buy a box of Nataraj pencils, it includes a block eraser and sharpener but no eraser on the pencils themselves). So non-US people are used to not needing an eraser on the pencil. Outside of the US, the habit is to buy and keep a separate block eraser which makes perfect sense because the erasers on a pencil almost always run out long before the pencil gets used up so you end up having to need separate erasers anyway. I have a box of the Pilot Better, let me know if you'd like me to send some to you.