Round Up Those Pencils, Markers & Crayons With Crayola’s Pencil Pouch
Written: Jul 28 '03 (Updated Nov 09 '04)
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Pros: Nice design, see through front pocket, slips into three ring binders perfectly.
Cons: Doesn’t work well with soft sided binders, inside is a pain to clean out.
The Bottom Line: I won’t go so far as to say that this is the best pencil pouch on the market, but it certainly isn’t the worst.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Crayola Pencil Pouch |
I first came across the Crayola Pencil Pouch when Wal-Mart ended their back to school sale and started reducing the items that weren’t flying off the shelves. There were several boxes of these on the shelf when the sale started and a few weeks later it didn’t look like many of them sold. Being a true “clearance item freak”, I picked up a few of these for the boys to use when they have day field trips or need to carry around more than a few pencils and pens. So far they have held up nicely and have only recently started to show signs of wear. This isn’t the biggest or best pencil pouch on the market, but it was on sale and I simply couldn’t resist picking up a few to try out. In a way I did expect a little more from a Crayola product but given that it was on clearance, I really can’t complain about it. Now, if I paid full price for it, then you’d hear me complaining a little more. If you have the chance, check this out at a school supply store or at office stores rather than purchasing it online. You’ll be able to see exactly how it functions and see if it is something that will be able to keep up with your child.
What Is It
The Crayola Pencil Pouch is a nice sized zipper style pouch that can hold pencils, pens, markers and erasers. One of the nicest things about this pencil carrier is that it can be inserted into any standard sized three ring binder. The three holes are reinforced with metal rings to prevent it from ripping or tearing – even under heavy use. My oldest son is the one that uses this the most and his is still in great shape and trust me – this thing gets a real workout from him. He isn’t extremely rough on it but he’s constantly opening and closing it. The zipper isn’t made of metal but rather a plastic grooved section that interlocks to keep everything in place. If you have ever used a Ziploc or Hefty zipper style bag – it’s the same principal only a lot thicker and stronger. The pull tag is on the small side but the size is a necessity when this is stored inside binders to it doesn’t rip into paper or folders. If your child can’t fully grasp the pull tag you can attach a small key chain or large paper clip to it so they can open and close it easier. If you are looking for a pencil pouch with a zipper, Crayola makes one but I don’t really care for them, too many things that can get caught in the zipper and make opening and closing it a real chose.
Size & Features
The Crayola Pencil Pouch measures almost eleven inches high but almost ten inches wide. The actual space that is used to store items is smaller than this due to the metal three ring attachment as well as the zipper side. The see through front window allows a child to easily find what he or she is looking for as well as being able to see what items might need a little attention [pencils that need sharpened, crayons that need replaced etc]. The size is good for hard backed binders but I have to say that when used with the soft flexible ones, it tends to pull the binder over and bend the edges when it’s inside a backpack or knapsack. The pencil pouch doesn’t really get dirty on the outside but the inside can be a real mess if markers or pens are left uncapped. The same can be said for pieces of lead that slide out of automatic pencils, shavings from pencils and crayons and
Things To Know
Crayola offers several different types of pencil pouches, some with the three ring attachments and some without. The ones that don’t have the capability to be stores inside a binder give you more room to store things but are a bit hard to keep track of since it can’t be attached to anything. The Crayola Online Store usually has a large section for school supplies when the end of summer rolls around and they are always adding new products to the line up. If you don’t subscribe to the free newsletter you sign up for it for free at the site. It gives you advanced notices of new products, sales, clearance items and discount codes.
As I mentioned above, keeping this clean isn’t that hard but once it gets dirty it looks pretty nasty. The inside is the worst – pencil shavings, pieces of lead, crayon wrappers and of course the inevitable “marker with the cap off”. You can try to wipe out the inside with a damp sponge to get out the paper and lead pieces and try an all purpose spray to try and remove ink – but usually once it’s in there – it stay there. Since my boys are homeschooled I can’t say whether or not these would last an entire school year but I’d venture to say that they would last at least half a term. They are inexpensive so replacing them during the winter break shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
The Bottom Line
With a suggested retail price of about two dollars, this is a good pencil pouch, but not the best that money can buy. It will stand up to a moderate amount of use but kids who are rough on school supplies will most likely tear through the seams or rip the plastic window in a few months. This will hold all the basics that a child will need for school and the convenient clear see through window allows them to see what they have on hand and what they need to stock up on. If your child gets a list of supplies that he or she needs to get before the start of the school year and it lists “pencil pouch”, the Crayola one is a good pick – if they aren’t rough on supplies that it.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Crayola product reviews …
• Big MiniStampers • Doodle Pad • Watercolor Pencils • Art & Craft Brushes – 8 Count • Create-A-Kid • Collecting Keepsakes • Halloween Treat Pack • Halloween Boo Bucket • Washable Water Colors – 8 Color • Pencil Pouch • Crayola Crayons – 24 Count • Metallic Crayons • Superfine Markers – 5 Count • Gel FX Washable Markers • Tub of Fun • Crayola Sketch Pad • Point Tip Scissors • Sidewalk Chalk – Chicks & Eggs • Art & Craft Brushes – 4 Count • Twistables – 16 Count • Stack-N-Store Art Tower • Washable Water Colors – 24 Color • Sidewalk Chalk – Animal Assortment • Crayola Lap Desk • Click ‘Em On Washable Markers • Washable Markers – 16 Count • Alphabet & Number Pad • Blunt Tip Scissors • Spinning Desk Top Organizer • Crayola Online Store •
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): See Review
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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