StikkiWorks Deluxe Chalk Keeper

Submitted by Lo Yuk Fai on Mon, 2009-09-07 01:45

Despite the advent of whiteboards since 30 years ago, blackboards remain a common item in our everyday life, especially for teachers and students. Even in wealthier places like Hong Kong, they're still found in many primary and secondary schools. The main reasons, I venture to guess, are that they’re entrenched, and the low acquisition cost of the writing tools – Chalks.

However, as you may already know, chalks are not very user-friendly. In fact, they pose certain health concerns. First and foremost, their dust is dirty, and more troublesome, they could cause respiratory issues. To address this, manufacturers have introduced “dust-free” chalks, whose “dust” is heavier and tend to fall, instead of becoming airborne.

But still, they’re dirty. And if you write with one, your fingers will get “whiten”, and dry (from washing), and then, skin tears and callus. There are solutions to address this as well. One of them, which I discovered during my “chalk pursuit” to be detailed later on, is to put a thin plastic film, during production, around the chalk so that your fingers will not get in touch with the calcium sulfate directly. These chalks are more costly through.

The other solutions include putting on a glove or some adhesive plasters, but these are not very nice either if you write for long times. It’s also possible to cover the chalk with a tissue, or small cloth.

And, one can use a chalk holder.

There are some inexpensive plastic holders on the market, but they wear down quickly under heavy use, and so cannot hold the chalk firmly. And I set out to find a better one.

This is the one I bought at last. (By the way, thanks to Mardel, who alone of the merchants I contacted, offered a reasonable shipping option and rate.)

The packageThe package

Lifetime warrantyLifetime warranty

It feels solid, much more so than the plastic ones. If you prefer heavier writing tools, you will probably appreciate its heft (45g), as it has an “all-steel design”.

The holderThe holder

The inner tube is constructed in one piece, with cuts in the front separating the tube into 6 blades.

The holder at the frontThe holder at the front

A brightened image to show the cuttingA brightened image to show the cutting

With the button pressed down, the blades protrudeWith the button pressed down, the blades protrude

However, when I try to fit my chalk into it, a serious problem arose – The chalk was too thick (or the holder was not thick enough). The diameter of the chalk was 12mm.

I set out to find slimmer ones. First, I went to Jusco, there was only one choice and it was of the same thickness.

Then, I went to Popular, and found some which were 11mm, and they were those that were coated with thin plastic films as I've mentioned earlier. But, they're still too thick.

I was prepared to place a mail order for some Crayola, before I found some 10mm at a small stationery store. And hooray! They fit!

The chosen oneThe chosen one

From left to right - The 12mm, the 11mm (note the reflection caused by the plastic film), the 10mmFrom left to right - The 12mm, the 11mm (note the reflection caused by the plastic film), the 10mm

The holder with the chalk inThe holder with the chalk in

Now, the real evaluation begins - Will it stand up to everyday use? I shall update this page in due course.

P.S. The sticker can be removed, I just peeled it off and used some rubbing alcohol to clean the residue glue.

The holder without the stickerThe holder without the sticker

Update on 2010-04-30

The Elite weren't very good, my friend complained that they had too much grit inside. Shortly after that, another friend of mine helped me to find some Crayola in Hong Kong, but they broke too often.

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