Writing with a Blackwing is like swabbing a pad of butter across warm toast.
ThePalomino Blackwing 602is my favorite pencil.
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But I dont specifically care whether or not the original pencil was better.
Relatively cheapa dozen pencils cost around twenty dollars.
Is it worth that much more than a common pencil you might buy at an office supply store?
I dont know your heart.
But for me it is worth it.
The lead is soft, but not too soft.
That approximates the experience of writing with the Blackwing.
And yet, pleasingly, it doesnt feel too soft.
It doesnt smear very much like a charcoal pencil.
It is, much like myself, the correct amount of softness.
Sharpening the pencil with a knife is crude, but also works.
If consistency and minuscule accuracy is a top priority, you should absolutely opt for a mechanical pencil.
The Blackwing is not for tiny marks.
It is for the broad strokes with which we annotate daily life.
It feels good between my fingers as I fiddle with it.
It feels, as far as pencils go, luxurious.
The eraser is fine.
After years dominated by writing with pens I find that I rarely erase anything anymore.
A hack in itself, perhaps: dont erase your mistakes.
(Fascinating aside: it ispredominantly an American convention to top pencils with erasers at all.)
The eraser is interesting looking, flat rather than round.
The hexagonal shape of the pencil shaft itself also aides in roll prevention.
But the obvious question at hand isnt really what is the best pencil?
Its why use a pencil at all?
There is a satisfying tactile relationship with the paper that you dont get with most pens.
Writing with a gel pen is practically like swiping the glass screen of a tablet.
(There is, perhaps, an amount of nostalgia at play.)
It feels like it matters.
I prefer to write with thePalomino Blackwing 602.
Its my favorite pencil.
