I’ve been searching for these bad boys for quite a while, but I happened to find them all at more or less the same time, with some logistical effort.
The A.W Faber Castell TK9515 was love at first sight when I saw it. For me it’s a rare combination of honest and elegant. It’s not fancy by any means, but the no-nonsense branding and gentle taper of the barrel I find irresistible. I found it on a random Spanish website - the seller had listed it for 16 bucks because there was a black stain on the body. I took a chance and lo and behold, it was some type of ink that came off with some vigorous rubbing. No giggling in the back, please.
The white lettering has disappeared, but the engraving edges are still very crisp and if I’m feeling adventurous one day I may try to fill those again (happy to hear from any one who has tried something similar).
Second is the Nestler Professional T in 0.7. I had never heard about this brand until recently, and I could not find any for sale. It’s nothing to write home about - it’s well-made, but doesn’t feel as substantial as it looks, and once it was in hand, I’d say it feels very similar to a Pentel Graph 600. The barrel is plastic and the grip is Aluminium, with small rubber rings.
I stumbled across this on a classifieds site in Bosnia, which requires a Bosnian phone number to make purchases. I found a freelancer in Bosnia who agreed to take on the unusual task of acquiring it for me, as well as this:
The Nestler Kaliber in 0.5. This is…a weird pencil. But good weird. It’s a double knock, and you extend the tip and the lead by knocking the pocket clip downwards. The red push button retracts the tip. There is a plastic sheath/plate on the body which extends an eraser from the back. It’s not as heavy as it looks, but it’s solid enough. As a design I don’t find it particularly cohesive but I LOVE the brass screws on the pocket clip and eraser plate. I thought this was a completely German-made pencil, but the word ‘Japan’ is written on the back (see last photo).
When I’m feeling super brave, I might disassemble it. If any of you has more info about any of these, please share!
