Wisdom Exclusive We worked with General Pencil Co. (one of the last pencil factories in the U.S.) to produce their "Kimberly 9XXB" pencil UNPAINTED.
This being a first pass at this new unpainted product, they arrived to our warehouse a bit marked up from loose graphite that flicked about in the boxes en route - as a result, we reduced the price on this first batch, and will get better at protecting the products during shipping going forward.
3/8" diameter hex
7" long
General Pencil's "Kimberly 9XXB" is special for both the darkness of the graphite, and relative smudge resistance. It's our go to in place of plastic Sharpie Markers.
Unpainted, because paint is plastic, and sharpening painted pencils creates more microplastic pollution, the last kind of microplastic pollution we need.
BIGGER than a standard pencil - requires a larger sharpener or a blade if you're the whittling type - these are an easy whittle; soft and easy to shave.
When a plastic marker or pen is kaput, here's where it will end up:
Landfill - forever
Ocean - until sun + waves + time break it into zillions of pieces of forever lasting microplastics
Litter - Yes, pen and marker litter happens. I have photos (lots of them). Until a car rolls over it and turns the plastic into zillions of pieces of forever lasting microplastics. Those will eventually wash down a storm drain and make their winding way to the ocean to join the rest of the microplastic pollution.
Incineration - That's what the "recycling" schemes are. No one is taking dried up markers and turning them into new markers. Incinerating plastic = toxic gases, more CO2 emissions, and toxic ash.
Wood shavings & graphite
compostable
RETURNS
Free within 30 days of receipt.
If there is an issue with your purchase, please reach out so we can make it right.
SHIPPING
Orders typically packed within 24-48 hours Monday - Friday.
Orders ship via USPS or UPS. Shipping prices are the actual rates we pay (the true cost of shipping from Northern CA. - Sorry Maine!). As we grow, we will negotiate more favorable shipping rates, but for now, we pack every order (plastic-free), load up our cars, and deliver to a post office in a nearby town because our local Post Office refuses to accept or pick up the “large” number of packages we have outgoing on a normal basis.
Thanks for your patience while we navigate how to scale what we’re doing!
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I made this purchase. Definitely looks cool and the way they are sharpened when they arrive, they do make some nice fine lines. I thought, hmmmm, a pencil? Won't it just fade? NOPE. I've used it quite a few times in place of a fine tip marker and it hasn't smudged or faded. I even tried to erase it, not going any where. Now it's just training my brain to use it and not be afraid to do so. If I find cool stationary, my major problem is using it! I'm excited to try more of Wisdom Supply products. Academic calendar is on it's way.
I am a grandmother with kids in multiple schools located in various states. I have passed on your information to the mothers and directly to schools when possible. I am aware that some good education is happening in schools about recycling but there is so much more to teach and discover!
And, I am inspired by your determination to take your positive dream from thought to reality!
Hi Barbara - thanks for such a nice message (we totally agree that there is MUCH more to learn and discover) :)
If you want to email me the names of your grandchildren's schools and their zip codes, I'll give you discount codes for each school (families get $5 discount on every purchase, and the school EARNS $5 credit on every purchase). It's a great way to introduce new people to the concept of reducing school waste.
Reach out anytime!
Heather Itzla
Founder
heather@wisdomsupplyco.com
This big chunky pencil in its sanded natural wood is an aesthetic experience in and of itself. (I sketched a shout-out to the grain pattern in my drawing.) It's like driving an old truck and then meeting power steering. I got a couple of these, supposedly for a stocking stuffer, but when they arrived (promptly and safely, might I add) I just couldn't resist a test drive. I grabbed an art card and whipped this out in a few minutes. (Now, bear in mind that I'm not a great artist, and graphite is not my big medium.) I could have gotten the entire point as black as the dark streak, but I was in a hurry--and frankly finding my ideal pressure. Confusing me was the comparative lack of smearing, as advertised! Do *not* sketch with this baby if you expect your line to be easily erased--once you put it down it tends to stay down.No other soft graphite I've ever seen performs this way.
Note the hatching in the back; this took a couple of goes in the big hole of my sharpener to maintain the point I wanted, but I think the line variation adds something more than my fine-line markers would. But perhaps the star of the show is the pencil streak--see how evenly laid down that is? The pencil did the work here. A *lot* of fun to draw with and will soon be one of your go-tos.
Introducing the newest edition to our favorite set of zero-waste writing essentials -
Climate Beneficial Alpaca Husher: Shorn from alpaca raised and farmed as part of intentional soil and ecological restoration programs. Undyed / 100% Compostable.
*Produced in small bacthes - limited quantities avaialble
New features based on teacher survey feedback:
+ Monthly At-A-Glance Expanded to two page spread accompanied with a full notes page
+ Months visually tabbed to easily flip to current month
+ 6 columns per weekday - 3 columns per weekend day
+ Optional header line for subjects
+ Perforated corners
Highly requested additional note pages.
We received a number of requests for additional notes pages in the Weekly Planner, but this year the page count was increased a full 16 pages due to the inclusion of monthly spreads throughout the book. Adding 4 more notes pages (requires increments of 4) pushed it beyond our wallet zone with paper availability scarce, and costs at record highs.