I Tested a $30 Pack of Pencils, But This Cheaper Brand is STILL Better!
I tested the best pencils on the market and only one is worth putting on your back-to-school list!
Be on point this school year. ✏️
After testing some of the most highly rated wooden pencils on the market, I’m confident I’ve found the only one you should consider for all your writing purposes. Whether you’re a teacher getting back in the classroom or shopping for your kiddos, you’re not going to want to buy anything else after reading the final results for the very best pencil!
The market for school supplies is saturated and overwhelming so knowing exactly what to buy can make your whole experience more productive. Plus, the next time you’re out of pencils, you’ll easily and quickly know what to reach for in the store.
How I conducted my pencil test:
To determine the best brand I considered their onlinefort level while holding them, their smoothness when writing, how easily they erased, and how well they sharpened.
It’s also worth mentioning, that my final verdict was my own opinion and not swayed by any type of payment or sponsorship. In fact, we purchased each and every box ourselves because we truly wanted to know which are the best!
Here are the popular brands I tested:
Here’s how each one performed:
1. Walmart’s Pen + Gear wood pencils were the cheapest option and performed the worst in every category.
Pen + Gear #2 Pencils – 97¢ for 24 (4¢ each)
At Walmart, you can scoop up a pack of 24 pencils for just under a buck which is even cheaper than Dollar Tree’s prices! However, don’t let their tried and true looks deceive you. The Pen + Gear pencils proved to underdeliver in every single testing category and ultimately were my least favorite.
Pros:
- Smooth writing on paper.
Cons:
- Do not onlinee sharpened.
- Most unonlinefortable to hold.
- Made of cheap wood that split easily when sharpening.
- The lead didn’t wear nicely when writing.
- One of the worst performing erasers and needed the most amount of pressure.
- Eraser didn’t last long (it was almost half gone after erasing 3 lines on paper).
- Easily got caught on paper and ripped when erased.
- Not kid-approved.
2. Target’s Up & Up brand was the second cheapest option I tested.
Up & Up #2 Pencils – $2.19 (reg. $3.99) for 24 (9¢ each)
On sale, the Target brand Up & Up wood pencils are still an affordable buy, but don’t let their sale price fool you because it’s gone up 70 cents since last school year. 😳 Putting each pencil at 9¢ each onlinepared to last year’s 6¢ per pencil price.
I had high hopes for these pencils considering Up & Up has many other awesome products. However, they left a lot to be desired.
Pros:
- onlinee pre-sharpened.
Cons:
- Writing on paper felt the most gritty and sticky.
- Most unonlinefortable to hold.
- Eraser was very crumbly.
- Eraser needed the most pressure to work.
- The pencil tip went dull pretty quickly.
- Rough to sharpen.
- Freshly sharpened pencils occasionally got stuck on paper.
3. Amazon has it all, but they don’t have the best pencils either.
Amazon Basics #2 Pencils – $4.24 for 30 (14¢ each)
While we’re on the topic of store brand picks, Amazon was another must-try, and interestingly enough, they’ve gone down in price since last year by 50 cents per pack. 🤔
Surprisingly, they were still the most expensive of all 3 store-brand options I tried so far. Even more surprising, they were a favorite among the store brand picks I tried. However, while they’re a great budget pick, they still don’t trump the others I tried on my list.
Pros:
- onlinee pre-sharpened.
- Smoothest eraser of all the store brands.
- Smooth on paper.
- Easy to sharpen and have a nice point.
Cons:
- Unonlinefortable to hold (although, the edges were slightly smoother than the other two store brands).
- Lightest writing of all the lead tested.
- The eraser didn’t last long.
- Lead chipped easily when sharpening.
4. Blackwing was the most aesthetically pleasing pencil & wrote the smoothest, but was the most expensive by far.
Blackwing Matte Pencils – $30 for 12 ($2.50 each)
If there was ever a question about whether you could fall in love with a pencil’s looks or not, the Blackwing pencils are the best pencils if you’re strictly going for aesthetics. 😍
Made of genuine Incense-cedar from California, premium Japanese graphite, an iconic rectangular eraser, and finished with gorgeous matte colors, this highly-rated pencil brand sure didn’t skimp on materials. In fact, the price proves it considering you’ll pay a whopping $2.50 per pencil which is also nearly 50 cents more than last school year! 😱
Blackwings were the smoothest on paper, write nice and super dark. They’re sought after by everyone and anyone from musicians to everyday writers. However, what makes them the most unique (aside from the outstanding materials), is the innovative eraser because it easily pops out and extends as needed! Plus, it’s easier to target exactly what you want to erase with its unique, straight edges.
All of that said, I found this eraser to perform pretty poorly since the lead writes a little too well.
Pros:
- Best aesthetics.
- Made of quality materials.
- onlinefortable to hold.
- Smoothest writing.
- Minimal pressure is needed for dark/thick results.
- Innovative eraser.
- Easy to sharpen.
Cons:
- Do not onlinee sharpened.
- Eraser performed the worst on dark writing.
- Most expensive.
5. USA Titanium pencils are available at Walmart but had the worst performing eraser of all.
USA Titanium Pencils – $4.49 for 36 (12.5¢ each)
These #2 pencils may have people fooled with their made-in-the-USA name, sustainably sourced premium wood, and budget-friendly price range, but the erasers they claim to be long-lasting couldn’t have been more disappointing. I found the eraser to cake on the paper and the eraser itself even when applying minimal effort.
Remember those days of smearing lead all over your paper because of lackluster erasers? These are unfortunately it. 👎🏻 In fact, they were disappointing right out of the box since all 36 pencils look oddly used and dirty. No thanks!
Pros:
- onlinee pre-sharpened.
- Smooth on paper.
Cons:
- Unonlinefortable to hold.
- Rough to sharpen and chipped easily.
- Eraser caked on paper and smeared leaving paper messy.
- Worst performing eraser of all the pencils tested.
- The entire box looked dirty/used upon opening.
6. Dollar Tree’s Jot pencils weren’t as awful as I expected, but they still weren’t even close to the best.
Dollar Tree Jot #2 Pencils – $1.25 for 24 (5¢ each)
If you’re judging the best pencils based on price then Dollar Tree’s Joy pencils are among the cheapest options I tested of all. At just 5 cents per pencil, they’re incredibly affordable, despite Dollar Tree now charging $1.25 per pack onlinepared to last year’s dollar prices.
Considering many people onlinemented on the past of Jot’s poor-performing eraser, I didn’t expect much. However, I found them to rank slightly better than USA Titanium’s erasers, so they certainly aren’t the worst on the market and they wrote pretty decently too.
For the price, I would still consider these a good budget buy.
Pros:
- Smooth on paper.
- Budget-friendly.
- Easy to sharpen.
Cons:
- Unonlinefortable to hold.
- Writes light on paper.
- Don’t onlinee pre-sharpened.
- Eraser occasionally smeared on paper and was one of the worst performing ones.
7. Everyone’s favorite tried and true brand, Ticonderoga, stole the entire show!
Ticonderoga #2 Yellow Pencils – $2.99 (regularly $6.59) for 18 (17¢ each)
The Ticonderoga brand which claims to be “The World’s Best Pencil”, truly IS the best pencil! 🏆
Even better, it’s still onlinepletely budget-friendly at just 17 cents per pencil which is one cent less than last school year! In fact, when all three of my kiddos tested our group of pencils, all three of them picked Ticonderoga! Proof that not all pencils are the same. 😏
Even better, we heard from teachers on this topic; many of them stated that the lead in these pencils never tends to break when students drop them. Plus, when this happens frequently in class it can be pretty disruptive for everyone.
Pros:
- Most onlinefortable to hold.
- Smooth and easy writing.
- Best performing and smoothest eraser.
- Easy to sharpen.
- Kid-approved.
- Budget-friendly.
- onlinees pre-sharpened.
Cons:
- None?!
Better yet, Ticonderoga makes the world’s best pencil in matte black too, which makes the perfect Blackwing pencil dupe! 😍
Ticonderoga Black Pencils – $2.94 for 12 (25¢ each)
If you had your eyes & heart set on the Blackwing pencil and don’t mind spending just eight cents more per pencil, the Ticonderoga black pencils are the perfect alternative! 😍
Even more exciting, the kids and I found them to perform just as great as their regular yellow wood pencils so not only are you getting the style you want, but you aren’t onlinepromising on the best performance either!
Pencils down, this test is officially over. ✍️
