Why has the Musgrave Pencil Co. Tennessee Red become one of the must-have pencils for the more graphite-inclined among us? For starters, have you seen it?
This is one of the most beautiful pencils on the market, without question. The natural look isn’t everyone’s favorite - I do love a colorful paint job myself - but the way this one is executed sets it apart. The way the cedar slats are produced and assembled gives each barrel a unique look, which is then topped with a clear matte coat to really bring out the color. To seal the deal, the gold ferrule, white eraser, and red imprints bring the entire package together.
Eastern Red Cedar was originally used by Musgrave up until the 1970’s, when the company transitioned to the more common California Incense Cedar. Only in 2020 were they able to bring Eastern Red Cedar back into the lineup in small batches for the Tennessee Red.
I think the Tennessee Red is the softest, but the Blackwing Soft and Balanced cores may be darker. It’s close. I will say that the HB of the Mitsubishi 9850 is nothing like the Tennessee Red “HB.”
As awesome as this cedar is, and as good as this pencil looks, the graphite core and writing experience is really the only thing that matters with any pencil. The Tennessee Red is sold as a #2/HB pencil, but almost anyone who uses them will tell you that these cores are soft and dark, making them feel like at least a B, if not softer. And honestly, that’s what kept me from using them for the longest time.
Below: Before, and after. Decent point retention for such a soft core.
Tastes change, and like how my reliance on Extra-Extra Fine fountain pen nibs has morphed into a comfort zone more in the Fine range, my pencil choices have moved from the H side of the ledger to B. It’s not because I am old and have bad eyes (allegedly,) but that I get more enjoyment from seeing the marks, colors, and shapes that wider and darker lines provide.
That said, if I were taking pages of notes with a pencil, the Tennessee Red would not be my first choice. It’s a bit too soft for me in that scenario, but for notes, lists, and doodles? Absolutely.
Some cores are slightly off, but not too far to prevent their usefulness.
One interesting thing about the Tennessee Red is the challenges Musgrave has making them into the perfect, consistent pencil that we all expect. To their credit, they own those challenges up front:
Most of our reviews of this pencil have been overwhelmingly positive, but it hasn’t been immune to production challenges. Getting the pencil slats uniform is ideal for running them through the machines, but this was difficult as our supplier wasn’t used to prepping slats for pencils. For perfectly aligned cores, it’s crucial that each slat is cut perfectly symmetrically. As such, you may notice in your packs some slightly off-center cores. This won’t affect the ability of these pencils to write beautifully or to sharpen. But we do note that if perfectly aligned cores are of the utmost importance to you, this pencil may not be your best choice.
I appreciate this so much.
Quality blades, like in the KUM Masterpiece, had no trouble with the Red.
The other interesting fact they mention is that the preferred method of sharpening a Tennessee Red is with an electric sharpener. The what now? Am I some kind of heathen over here? To their point, Eastern Red Cedar is a denser wood, so you might have more of a challenge with smaller hand-held sharpeners. I use desktop hand-crank sharpeners, like the Uni KH-20, and have no issues putting a good point on the pencil.
All Natural.
At $14 per dozen directly from Musgrave, the Tennessee Red is almost in the instabuy category for those who love classic pencils. Your boy here loves them so much, he travelled to England and paid over twice that price for some of that good stuff. And I’d do it again.
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
