The Uni Emott line has become recognizable for its minimal exterior aesthetic and its wide range of sign pen options. What was a new discovery was the the Emott Mechanical Colored Pencil Sets. There are currently three set available: Tropical, Refresh and Nostalgic ($13.50 each). Each set features four colors and a tube of lead refills. Lead refills can also be purchased separately ($3.50 each).
The Tropical Set ($13.50) was an impulse purchase. The colors seemed like they had been selected just for me. The set includes the four mechanical pencils and a set of replacement leads in a white plastic desktop holder. The pencils and the lead holder snap into the display holder making if a lovely set to keep on your desk.
In drawing, I noticed that the pink and green colors were softer and went down on the paper more easily than the orange and purple which felt like they were harder cores. It did make me curious if, in the other sets, some of the colors would be smoother and softer while others harder. I prefer a softer, creamier core in my colored pencils.
In most mechanical pencils, because the cores are so much thinner than in a wood-cased pencil, the leads do tend to be much harder. That said, I was delighted with some of the Emott pencils having softer cores.
I tested the erasability and I would have to say my results were poor. Though, normally speaking, most colored pencils are not erasable so its not a make-or-break for me. The colors are describe as water resistant which is more in keeping with most colored pencils and should work well when combined with watercolor or water soluble inks and markers. Way more fun than erasable, IMHO.
Overall, the set is a bit more expensive than a simple set of wood-cased pencils. Most wood-cased pencils sets of 12 -24 pencils start at about $20 (and go up to about $40) from brands like Prismacolor, Blackwing, Faber-Castell and Tombow Irotijen. If cost/value is a priority, I would recommend sticking to classic wood-cased colored pencils. If novelty and cute packaging (and mechanical pencil option) is more your speed, than the Emott pencils might be appealing. As curious as I am about the softness of the other colors from the Emott line, I am not sure its worth spending $13.50 for four pencils when I have literally hundreds of wood-case pencils I could use instead. Final opinion: cute but spendy.
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