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I haven't ever stumbled across a review for Rhodia pencils, which I thought was unusual, considering how beloved the brand is. So, here is my humble contribution to the world of passionate pencil reviews:
RHODIA PENCILS
INTRO
I'm going to admit, right off the bat, that the reason I wanted to try one of these pencils so badly is because of the black wood color. I think that pencils with colored wood are just so cool-looking. I'm usually pretty utilitarian when it comes to writing instruments...but come on, colored wood! The question we must ask is, does this pencil match up to its better known half -- the Rhodia notepad?
CONSTRUCTION
The paint covering the barrel of the pencil is the same bright orange color as the cover to the Rhodia pads. It will most definitely jump out at you from a cluttered desk, which is a VERY good thing for me ;) This is by no means a "quiet" pencil; ebony-colored wood and eraser coupled with a bright orange body practically screams to be picked up and used. Which isn't a bad thing.
Sharpening seems to be a little tricky. When I used my sharpener (which is a pretty damn good sharpener), the pencil sharpened very jaggedly. This didn't bother me, since, jagged = sharp points with which to write. But if you're a pencil perfectionist, well...maybe your sharpener will be more cooperative than mine? Still, I think it did a good job:
The only type of embellishment or decoration on the otherwise plain orange body is the Rhodia logo, stamped in black on all three sides of the pencil, near the eraser. Yes, that's right: All three sides--
Head shot -- a front view of the triangular build.
This is a triangular-shaped pencil, not round or 6-sided (hexigon). This makes it far easier to keep from rolling off the desk; I'm sure many of you have experienced how frustrating it can get when even your hexagon-barreled pencils start to roll off of a desk. I know I have. So, a triangle-shaped body is great. PLUS, a 3-sided pencil is obviously urging you to try and hold it correctly (I don't, but I'm a lost cause), which is nice.
How to hold a pencil correctly. Step one...
THE LEAD
Why don't we let the scan speak for itself?
Scanned (a bit lighter IRL; it scanned dark):
Photographed:
The smudge resistance is above average, but definitely not the best I've seen. The lead is a nice average medium-dark that erases well.
And, they're pretty damn good for sketching:
Drew this guy in about 20 minutes while waiting for my grandma to prepare lunch. Rhodia pencil on a Rhodia gridded pad. I've never drawn/attempted to draw a fox before, and wanted to practice. I think it came out quite well.
PURCHASING RHODIA PENCILS
I'm not sure about B&M (brick & mortar) stores, to be perfectly honest, but Rhodia pencils can be found online at the following retailers:
www.thedailyplanner.com -- 3 for $5.95
www.vickerey.com -- 8 for $12.80
www.pencilthings.com -- 1 for $1.60
www.lisart.com -- 1 for $2.00
www.shopwritersbloc.com-- 3 for $4.50
www.swisherpens.com -- 1 for $1.60
CONCLUSION
No doubt, these pencils are quite pricey, at no less than $1.50 each. So the big question is, are they worth the cost?
Good question. I like these pencils very much; sadly, I haven't tried enough pencils to be able to do any sort of in-depth comparison. I'd recommend it to people who like to try different types of pencils, because I do think it's a well-made pencil. However, I can't say that I'm crazy to replace it once it's finished. Like I said, it's a good pencil...but, to me, just not good enough* considering the price. Would I purchase it if it were around $1? Probably. But $1.50? No, thanks.
*You have to also remember that I normally favor pens over pencils (though occasionally I do get the urge to write with a good pencil) -- especially fountain pens -- so please take this review, like all reviews, with a grain of salt.
Upcoming:
5 new Diamine inks for Spring '09:
Pumpkin
Majestic Blue
Onyx Black
Poppy Red
Chocolate Brown
Next week is gonna be Ink Week! XD
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Aaaaaand here's the second half!
INTRO
The graph pad I received for review from Exaclair's Karen Doherty (who is an amazing person to work with, btw) is decidedly smaller than the lined one; however, I find myself eager to use it more -- both due to the smaller ruling (and y'all know I have a thing for small rulings...the more lines on the paper, after all, the more words I can fit! Very economical...plus I like to write small) and the nifty size (roughly "5 X "4.5) that fits nicely in my purse. However, the gridded pad comes in all sizes -- the one I happen to have is teeny tiny. In fact, I saw a whole Rhodia display at Paradise Pen the other day...and am kicking myself for not getting the full-size gridded pad! Yup, I'm in love.
CONSTRUCTION
What's nice is that even though the pads are different sizes, they all have what seems to be the same amount of pages inside. This is refreshing, as it keeps me from feeling cheated of paper just because I wanted to purchase a smaller size.
The back of the smaller pad is different than the back of the larger one:
No measurements here; just the facts. Don't know what the 5 X 5 is about, though.
Time for a size comparison:
How big is it really? Compared to a stack of Post-It notes.
Like I said, the perfect size (IMHO). I'm always on the lookout for pads that I can slip into my purse for jotting down notes/addresses/memos/etc, not to mention doodles when I'm bored, so this is wonderful.
While we're on the subject, I haven't tried Field Notes yet, though I would like to. I wonder what the Field Notes grids are like, sizewise, compared to the Rhodia pad pages?
Whoops....I'm getting ahead of myself. Sorry. ADHD, remember? ;)
Like its big brother, this pad sadly can only bend so far back, prohibiting you from really using the back of the pad (I stretch the pad out on the table, awkwardly, and write on the back anyway to keep from wasting paper):
The paper is perforated on top for easy removal (unlike Red n' Black notebooks), while still being attached well enough to keep from accidentally ripping off (unlike Mead 5-star notebooks).
PAPER
The paper in this one is gridded. I believe that this is the original paper format of the Rhodia pads, since the lined one was marked as lined, while this one wasn't marked with anything at all. The lines are blue, and slightly darker than I'd like. It would be really nice if the lines were a pale grey like the Aplca notebooks are.....then it would be perfect. Oh well.
The gridded paper. The lines are definitely darker than what you see here.
The spacing between the lines, I think, is excellent. Here's a shot comparing the gridded paper to the lined one. As you can see, the spaces on the lined pad are wider than the ones on the grid, which makes sense. Check it out:
Lined VS gridded.
A close-up of the lined pad VS the gridded one.
I didn't bother doing a pen-ink test of the paper, since it's exactly the same caliber as the paper reviewed previously. Same exact paper, just...gridded, instead of lined. Instead, here's a link to the Rhodia (lined) Pad review, where you can check to see how well the paper fared against various writing instruments. To be honest, though, I think that if it can stand up to FP ink, it can probably stand up to most anything else (with the exclusion of Sharpies, naturally), since FP ink is the "problem child" of the stationary world, so far as paper compatibility is concerned (I say this with the utmost affection, of course).
PURCHASING RHODIA PADS
Rhodia pads can be found just about anywhere:
They're available at Borders bookstores;
at Pear Tree Pens
at SwisherPens
at Pendamonium
at Dick Blick
at The Daily Planner
at The Journal Store
Basically, many places that sell journals/stationary/paper are bound to have it, including your local art supply/stationary store. And you can bet that any fine writing store (whether online or brick & mortar) worth its salt will be carrying it.
CONCLUSION:
Probably the only two things that would improve these things are lighter, more subtle gridlines and some way to be able to write on both sides of the paper without turning the pad into a spiral-bound (don't ask me how, I'm no notebook engineer...). And, wouldn't an inner pocket be nice (sort of like Moleskines have) for stashing loose notes and such? I would also suggest a slightly heavier/stiffer cover since over time, the front cover will bend up like so:
However, I'll be the first to admit that these are all minor, nitpicky points, the latter of which can be fixed with a rubber band to keep the cover snugly against the pad. These small Rhodia pads are fantastic for on-the-go sketches, notetaking, whatever. I think that these will be my on-the-go memo pads of choice, at least until I try the much-raved-about Field Notes :P
As for the larger gridded Rhodia pads, I recommend them wholeheartedly to any artist or architect who wants a good gridded pad to jot down notes/ideas. This is definitely good paper that won't rip or fall apart on you. It's a bit pricier than your average, run-of-the-mill gridded pad, but it's also a great deal better in quality.
In a nutshell, these are hands down the best gridded pads I've ever used, and I strongly feel that they are an excellent investment to make for any artist/architect who's sick of bleedthrough and wants good quality paper to work with. I will certainly be purchasing more of these in the future. Highly recommended!
:)
Upcoming:
Rhodia pencil
Diamine new Spring 2009 inks:
-Pumpkin
-Majestic Blue
-Onyx Black
-Poppy Red
-Chocolate Brown
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Well, here we are! The Rhodia review I've been yapping about. I'm going to be out of state (MD) for a karate tournament/get-together this weekend, so expect no new posts till Sunday evening at the earliest, Monday evening by the latest (hopefully).
Leaving super early tomorrow morning -- have a good weekend, all!
Since there are a lot of photos, I'm putting the review behind an LJ cut:
( Click here to read the review )
Upcoming:
Rhodia review, pt 2 (gridded)
Rhodia pencil
Diamine ink (Spring 2009 series): Pumpkin, Majestic Blue, Onyx Black
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WOW!!!
Blog readers, I feel that it is my duty to inform you of the following contest that Rhodia Drive, a blog about Rhodia notebooks, is holding. All you have to do is email them your contact info, and you are entered for a chance to win a gift pack overflowing with Exaclair goodies.
From the blog--
1) Send your complete name, mailing address to: info@rhodiadrive.com.
Please include the name of your blog or website if applicable.
2.) There will be 1 random winner each week. Each person may enter only once and may not win more than one prize. Non-winners automatically qualify for the next draw. Make sure you provide a valid email address. In case a winner does not respond within a week, we will pick an alternate winner.
3) There will be five (4) weekly drawings one on each of the following dates: June 14, June 21, 28 and July 5.
4) The gift packs will include an assortment of Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Quo Vadis notebooks, G. Lalo stationery, and J. Herbin ink. AND..one of the new 90g Rhodia Webnotebooks!
Wow. That is seriously shiny!! Check out the actual webpage with the contest info on it here.
Good luck to all ye who enter! ;)
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