Write Right! Do Your Part To Save The Earth, Use Sanford’s "Earth Write" Pencils
Written: Nov 16 '05 (Updated Feb 15 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Strong body, made from recycled newspaper, hard eraser, sharpens nicely.
Cons: Basically the same as the EcoWriter.
The Bottom Line: Concerned about saving the environment? Need a strong pencil with dark lead? Kill two birds with one stone and get Sanford’s "Earth Write" Pencils.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Sanford Earthwrite Recycled Pencils |
Did you ever stop to think about the number of trees that are cut down every single day? Chances are this isn’t something that crosses everyone’s mind all that often. When Annabelle asked me a simple question, “What happens when we run out of trees?”, it made me stop and think about what would happen. Sure people are a little more eco-conscious these days but we aren’t planting enough trees to keep up with the demands. Even if we were, it takes years and years for trees to reach an “economical maturity” - meaning that it is large enough to make a profit on. I am not a tree hugger, I drive a gas guzzling SUV and admit that I recycle for all the wrong reasons. Even so, when Annabelle started ranting about trees, pencils and chop sticks I knew that the only way to smooth things over was to show her that some companies are taking the situation seriously. Sanford used to make a pencil called the EcoWriter, they revamped the color a little and added a stronger eraser and renamed it the “Earth Write”.
Sanford Recycled Earth Write Pencils
#2 Medium Soft Lead
Sanford isn’t the only company that is trying to corner the market on earth friendly products but sadly, there aren’t all that many that are willing to invest the time and money into setting up such a line. Normally we are an automatic and mechanical pencil household only using regular pencils when the brood have standardized tests to take, have classes that require regular pencils or are doing some sketching. When I saw the Earth Write pencils at one of the local office supply stores I was dying to try them out to see if they wrote as well as ‘regular’ pencils. Even if they didn’t I was sure that Annabelle would find some use for them. I see her future clearly - protesting animal cruelty, picketing some oil refinery and standing up for the rights of trees. She might be small but she is like a pitbull, once she sinks her teeth into something, she rarely lets go.
According to Sanford the outer shell is made from 60 % post consumer waste, the rest is made of wood pulp. This means that it is just as strong as a regular “all wood” pencil but a little more earth friendly. They make no mention about the lead outside of it’s classification as a number two medium soft lead. If you threw this on a table with other pencils you would have a hard time picking out just on looks - that is until you check the eraser. This one sports a greenish colored one instead of the normal run of the mill pink one, it seems a little harder than the others but doesn’t rip up the paper when you are using it. I guess this goes with the earth friendly theme that Sanford is going for. I had my doubts about this, in my mind there was no way that this was going to be able to stand up to the use and abuse that the brood can inflict on pencils. The lead is really nice, it doesn’t smudge easily and it gives you a nice dark line. When you sharpen these the finish at the end is smooth, no rough spots or jagged edges that rub your fingers raw. To give these the true test I tried breaking one of them, it did take more effort than I would have had to use to break one of the other pencils but it did eventually snap. Hey, it’s made of wood, put enough pressure on it and it is going to break. It did hold up a lot better than I thought so if you have school supply ruffians or pencil hooligans, these are a great pick.
I picked up a package of these at my local office supply store for $1.25, about the same price I would have paid for regular pencils from other manufacturers. You can find these for a little less online but unless you need a couple of small items to reach a certain amount, it wouldn’t be cost effective to order only these because the shipping fees would negate any savings you might make buying these online. Since Annabelle is so into the whole ‘let’s save the trees’ thing right now I am sure that all the pencils we’ll be buying the near future will be some variation of these. I can’t see any real difference in how these perform which is sort of a good thing. If they broke easily or had erasers that were falling out of the metal casing then I’d say these weren’t worth it ... but that’s just not the case. These are backed by Sanford’s guarantee that you will be satisfied or they will replace them or refund your purchase price.
The Bottom Line
These cost about the same as regular pencils so you aren’t paying more for the name or the fact that they are recycled. They write nicely, have a good solid lead and the eraser doesn’t rip up the paper. These are certified non-toxic by the PMA [Pencil Makers Association] so if you have kids that are part beaver and chew on their pencils, these won’t harm them. This are a nice thing to pick up and use if you are a little concerned about the number of trees that are being cut down solely to make pencils. You aren’t sacrificing quality when you purchase these, they write just as well as all the other standard pencils. These are also a great way to teach younger kids about conservation, recycling and different types of resources [renewable, non-renewable etc]. Buying these pencils aren’t going to solve the problems of the world but at least you know that you, as an individual, are doing your part to try and help out.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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