Lyra Super Ferby unlacquered 18 in a tin

This set holds 18 Super Ferby pencils in a reusable metal tin. Each shaft is triangular and left unlacquered, so the surface is bare, untreated wood rather than a painted coating. The pencils measure 17.5cm and carry a thick 6.25mm lead that lays down strong, highly pigmented colour across the whole set.

The three sided shape guides small fingers into a tripod grip, which helps children who still find round pencils hard to hold steady. The chunky 6.25mm core needs little pressure to leave bright colour, so early scribblers get results without pressing hard, and the wider barrel is easier to grasp than a slim pencil.

Unlacquered means the wooden barrel keeps its natural surface with no coloured varnish over it. You see and feel the raw timber instead of a glossy coat. The lead colour still shows on the sealed end so you can pick a shade, but the shaft itself stays plain, bare wood.

The 6.25mm core is described as break-resistant, so it stands up better to firm pressure and the odd drop than a thin pencil lead. That said, any pencil can break if stepped on or dropped point down, so it helps to store the tin flat and keep the points from taking hard knocks.

Because the barrel is much wider than a standard pencil, it will not fit a normal sharpener hole. Use a wide, jumbo style sharpener sized for chunky pencils. A twin hole sharpener that includes a large opening works well, and turning the pencil rather than the tool gives a cleaner point on the soft, thick lead.

The metal tin keeps all 18 pencils together and travels well, which makes it a tidy present on its own or paired with a sketchbook. The full colour spread covers a wide selection of shades, so a child has plenty to work with from the first day without needing to top up single colours straight away.

Lay the pencil at a low angle and build the shade in light layers rather than one hard pass. The thick, highly pigmented lead blends well when you overlay two tones, and pressing a little harder on a second pass deepens the colour. Keeping a rounded point gives broad fill, while a sharper tip picks out detail.