My childhood pencils are green: Evolution 650 France HB/no2 Conté (Bic) pencils[1] These are virtually unknown in the US, but they are fantastic. The best part

My childhood pencils are green: Evolution 650 France HB/no2 Conté (Bic) pencils[1] These are virtually unknown in the US, but they are fantastic. The best part is the synthetic material they use for casing instead of wood. It is a joy to sharpen (the reviewer mentions a synthetic smell to go with it, but I never recalled there being any). [1]http://www.penciltalk.org/2006/03/conte-evolution-wood-free-pencil http://www.penciltalk.org/2006/03/conte-evolution-wood-free-...