Pencil Things

A realist's review of the legendary Blackwing 602

I'm sure those pencil enthusiasts out there know what I'm talking about. It is the Holy Grail of Pencils. What the DeLorean is to cars, is what the Faber Castell Blackwing 602 is to pencils. It's the hard-to-find, insanely-expensive, out-of-production pencil.

And many people out there give it a perfect 10 rating.

A popular review of the Blackwing, which has captured the attention of such sites as Boing Boing (here and here) is pencilpages.com's review, "The Blackwing 602 - Final Chapter."

An excerpt:

"What is so special about this pencil that its devotees will accept no substitute and make them willing to spend $250.00 for a box of them? It has a sleek and unique design, and if you've ever used one, you know it is a very smooth-writing and easy to use pencil. Its famous slogan "Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed" is no exaggeration. It is also the last of a line of pencils featuring a distinctive rectangular ferrule with a unique, replaceable eraser. I am no artist, but I know that professionals rely on quality and consistency in the tools they use, and the Blackwing was one that could be relied upon.

The Blackwing was originally manufactured by Eberhard Faber. When Faber-Castell USA (F-C) bought Eberhard Faber (EF) in the 1980s, the pencil continued production with the E-F name, but some were also produced with the F-C name on them. Either way, the pencils were made with the same 4B lead formula. During the 1990s, the company was bought by Sanford Corp., one of the world's leading manufacturers of writing instruments of all kinds. Sanford is also the owner of the Paper*Mate and Berol brand names, as well as many others.

The Blackwing continued in production until 1998 and has not been made since. It was originally reported that production ceased because the machine used to make the unusual ferrule broke down and the company did not want to fix it. This is not the entire story. In June 2004 I met with personnel at the factory where the Blackwing was last made and got the real scoop."

Click the link to read the rest of the story.

I took the financial plunge. I got on eBay, scoured around, got aggressive with my bidding, and scored a Blackwing. I will admit, it is a nice pencil. Maybe the nicest I've used before. But it certainly isn't worth $25.

First, the graphite. The slogan "Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed" is true enough. It feels like there is a high amount of wax in the lead to make it just glide across a piece of paper, but the line is dark and significant, which is usually indicative of a harder, rougher element. I was impressed.

Understandably, the eraser is old, as the pencil I bought couldn't be any newer than 10 years. The commodity of being able to take the rectangular eraser out and turning it over, though, improved the performance -- I just used the side that hasn't hardened with exposure to air. The shape is innovative, and gives a good wide angle with which to erase effectively.

One thing I like about it is the extreme glossiness of the paint coating the barrel. Even jostled around in my aforementioned various pencil boxes, the patina never got dinged, scratched, or otherwise blemish the Blackwing. It looks good, a bit like a shark with its not-quite-gray, not-quite-brown coat.

A positive review all around. I am impressed with the performance of the Blackwing. I might pay $5, or even $10 per pencil, but $35-$40 per actual pencil? I think not. Recently, eBay had a lot of 144 Blackwings, and that sold for about $1400. I almost bid on it, thinking that I could then make a fortune by splitting up the lot and selling individual pencils. But I stopped myself -- I love pencils, don't get me wrong -- because I couldn't bring myself to make a major (for me) investment in this particular writing instrument.

One of my joys of pencils is the fact that they're cheap. Even top-quality products like California Republic's various pencils aren't any more than a couple bucks apiece -- and that's at the higher end. If I go out and splurge on a couple unique pencils for my collection, my wife isn't going to get mad. I'm not collecting antique fountain pens, after all.

I think that maybe the Blackwing's hype is super-inflating the price. Its extremely high quality performance has been expressed by writers and artists alike, and sites like BoingBoing and other lesser meme-spreaders caught on. That's certainly how I heard about it. Like Tickle-Me-Elmo and, most recently, the iPhone, the Blackwing is legendary in the world of scribomechanica enthusiasts.

My recommendation is that if you are serious about your pencils, and you want one, just go ahead and buy one. It's worth the experience, and in the bigger scheme of things, it isn't too much. But don't use it often, and treasure it. For your daily writing, use something else, something cheaper. Break out the Blackwing when you want to start a conversation.

-Andy Welfle

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EDIT: Welcome BoingBoing readers! Feel free to look around and contact me if you know of any products you want to be reviewed.

Pencil of the Month Club -- Volume II

Pencil of the Month Club, Vol. II, No. 1, will be mailed November 10th. to members enrolled by midnight, Wednesday, October 31st. (POST REVISED 9/12, 9/16, 9/26, 9/27,10/1)

Enroll now at Pencil of the Month Club.

Each monthly Pencil of the Month Club subscription package will contain 2 to 3 interesting pencils and sometimes a pencil accessory. The contents will be an eclectic mixture of pencils and related "things" that I find interesting and think you will, too. Even an item from the other side, like a pen, may wiggle in! As with Volume I, from time-to-time various manufacturers will contribute an item to be included with the mailing. And as before, I will include a letter with my comments about all included pencils and accessories.

The price will be $6.00 per month. Billing to your credit card will occur monthly for 12 months, or until you or I call a halt, which either of us may do at any time. For those subscribers who enroll during October, you will notice that your shopping cart lists your subscription, but at no charge. The charge to your credit card will occur on/about November 1st.

Subscribers who enroll in November and thereafter will be charged immediately upon checkout. The enrollment month's issue will be mail forthwith, with eleven more Issues to follow.

This subscription amount will cover postage and mailing costs and provide enough money to work with so that I can choose pencils and things from (A) a broad price range of products, and (B) which may be heavy, bulky or delicate, oftentimes requiring more costly packaging and postage. It will also help cover postage for items manufacturers give us for distribution to Club members. My wife is quick to point out that the subscription price does not cover labor costs. She knows. She is the Pencil of the Month Club labor!

KUM USA is giving the first 192 Pencil of the Month Club subscribers a CORREC-TRI pencil sharpener. This KUM sharpener features a precision-milled magnesium alloy metal sharpener with a high-carbon steel blade. There is a pencil hole cover to make sure that your pencil case stays clean. And the all-purpose translucent triangular eraser allows erasing without smearing and with little effort. KUM USA supported the first edition of Pencil of the Month Club by giving us the wonderful pearl Ellipse sharpener and now this! Thank you Lauriana and Otto!

Enroll now at Pencil of the Month Club.

We also will offer a Limited Edition for $9.00 per month. The Limited Editon will include all that is in the regular edition, plus a vintage pencil and/or a special pencil to see, to hold and to use! American Pencil Company's Venus Velvet is an example of a vintage pencil. Mitsubishi Pencil Company's Hi-Uni is an example of a special pencil. I characterize a pencil as "special" if it is unavailable to individuals living outside the pencil's country of manufacture, or it is unreasonably expensive to acquire. But PencilThings.com will purchase special pencils from other international retail pencil businesses and distribute one to each Limited Edition member -- a co-op purchase, in effect. Limited Edition enrollment may be limited to about 50 subscriptions, due to the great difficulty of obtaining vintage/special pencils in sufficient quantities to satisfy a larger group.

Don't even ask! We will not announce, hint at, or otherwise divulge what is to be in an upcoming Club mailing. About a week after mailing an issue we will publish our included letter on this BLOG. (Oh well, truth be told, any one of us involved in publishing the Pencil of the Month Club would blab everything for a Blackwing 602.)

What I now seek are your comments and suggestions. We all had a lot of fun with Volume I -- much of it due to your input. So, tell me what you think and what you want. Post your comments right here for all to see and to add to. Your comments and suggestions will certainly result in improvements to the Club.

Don Bell - Proprietor, PencilThings.com

POST REVISED 9/12, 9/16, 9/26, 9/27, 10/1

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FAQs

International Subscriptions: As always, we welcome International subscribers. The prices for International subscriptions will be an additional $2.00/month to cover additional postage, special handling and Customs Declaration (PS Form 2976).

Repeats from Volume I. There will be a few repeats from Volume I. Over time, we need to repeat some items so that new subscribers may experience the same thrill of discovery you old timers have had.

Product Availability. We intend to make sure that all pencils and accessories mailed to Pencil of the Month Club members will be available for purchase at PencilThings.com. Many pencils mailed to Limited Edition members will not be available for purchase, and the others will be available only in very limited quantities. We will extend to Limited Edition members a private invitation to purchase any extra stock of vintage and special pencils remaining after distribution to subscribers.

Back Issues. A limited quantity of back issues will be available as a regular product item at PencilThings.com. We are unlikely to have back issues available for the Limited Ediition because any extra pencil stock probably will be purchased by Limited Edition subscribers.

Gift Subscriptions. To purchase a gift subscription, simply choose a different "ship to" address than your own "ship to" or "bill to" address. PencilThings.com will not include an invoice or packing slip in Pencil of the Month Club packages, so no price will be shown -- but neither will comments you may make on your order. You can eMail support@pencilthings.com with a sentiment you would like included with the first gift issue. We'll type it out on a nice Clairefontaine card -- using our manual antique Corona portable typewriter -- and sign it on your behalf. Alternatively, you can send your own card for us to include in the first gift issue. Send it to: PencilThings.com - POMC, P.O. Box 2067, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Club Stationery and Business Cards. As suggested by several members-to-be, we will publish comments on special Pencil of the Month Club letterhead. And, we will include a Pencil of the Month business card with each mailing.   

Refunds: If you are disappointed for any reason, please cancel your membership. We will cheerfully refund your money for the current issue's charge, and gleefully break your pencils.

Payment Options: Only credit card subscriptions can be accepted. PayPal does not yet have a method to support a pay-monthly subscription purchased via ProStores -- our eCommerce engine. That's an interesting irony, because the eBay/PayPal company owns ProStores! And sorry, but we cannot accept checks, purchase orders, money orders, cash or other forms of payment because they do not yet work with the ProStores subscription module.

"I never though a simple pencil would mean so much to me."

Dear Don,

I received my order of pencils, and I am very happy with them. Of course, I really like the Rhodia. I would like to order a box of them when they come in.

I taught English classes to children at the junior high, senior high, and college levels for about thirty years. Every once in a while when shopping, I would come across some high quality pencils, I would buy a box and then display it proudly on my desk at school.

Whenever I had to sign a hall pass or tardy slip, I would reach for the box and pull one of the pencils out with such flair and drama, everyone in the class would turn their eyes to me to see what I was up to. Invariably, one of my students would ask what kind of pencil I had, and I would cup my hands together at my lips and project an echoing whisper out to the class, “Magic. It’s a magic pencil.”

Reactions were always varied, but whether it was a college class or seventh graders, I always got responses. Some were moans, some were smiles, but always, everyone was interested. There develops in every child, and matures in every adult who was once a child, an interest in pencils. Strange, isn’t it?

When I was teaching, the magic pencils would always mysteriously vanish. (After all, they are magic.) When you purchase a pencil, you have to accept the fact that you will pay for it, but you will never own it. Vanishing mysteriously is a character flaw that is just in the nature of being a pencil.  They’re like a stray dog that will tag after the last person who shows them the slightest interest.

After a few years of teaching, I recognized that the pencils would be much more valuable if I took control of their fortunes. As I would walk up and down the rows of students writing compositions, sometimes one student might stand out as having an especially difficult day, crumbling up paper after paper or just simply staring down at the blank page. I would offer suggestions and encouragement, and if nothing seemed to work, I would ask them to stop by my desk as they were leaving. The last student leaving the classroom on those days would always be smiling, smiling broadly and clutching a magic pencil that he firmly believed would make his homework easy.

I retired about eight years ago when I was age fifty. Of course, I did not want to retire so young. One day when I was teaching, I had to laugh at myself when I couldn’t remember a favorite student’s name. In fact, everyone in the class laughed at me. Because our school was so small, this was perhaps the fourth or fifth class that I taught these students, and it seemed so stupid that I could not remember my favorite’s name.

A long story short—within a few months, I could not remember the names of any of them, and I was hospitalized with a bizarre neurological disorder that I have lived with these last seven or eight years.

One of the anomalies of this rare condition is that for the first three or four years I couldn’t move my arms with out risking a seizure. I have continual improved, quite slowly, and every day I am a little bit better.

Don, I read your note on my invoice that I chose a nice variety of pencils. I am writing this long note to let you know your pencils and you are a part of a celebration. You see, I have gone for almost eight years without the ability to hold a pencil. Recently, I had a dramatic improvement and I can now hold a pencil and write for the first time in almost a decade, and that is full cause for celebration with first-class, highest quality, eye-catching, smooth as a baby’s butt, jumping-up-and-down-joyous, GLORIOUS PENCILS.

Sir, I do love your high quality pencils. I do love them. I never though a simple pencil would mean so much to me.

Thank you,

Christopher K----- Northwood, Ohio

Published by permission  |  Don Bell, Proprietor

Pencil holders reviewed

There is just something about a wooden pencil. Sure, they don't have a retractable tip or a cap. If you try to put it in your shirt pocket, it falls out easily because there is no clip to hold it there. Even if it stays in, you sometimes end up stabbing yourself with the tip or dirtying your shirt because of the exposed graphite.

Let's face it -- wood case pencils aren't portable. But that doesn't stop us from using them. It brings us closer to nature, closer to the fundamentals of the mechanics of writing. Graphite and wood combined in one tube.

But this post isn't about the pencil. It's about a solution to your portability problems.

When I go to work, I like to take a selection of pencils with me. Sometimes I feel like using my Helix Oxford. Sometimes the Palomino is the best one. I am fickle, and want to have a selection there with me.

While I was at Office Depot one day, I looked around for the pencil boxes of my youth. It was a wooden or plastic affair, with a sliding door (much like what is on a garage). Unfortunately, I didn't find one, but I picked up something similar to what's on your left. It worked great! I put all my "good" pencils in there, along with an eraser and my KUM left-handed sharpener.

After some time, I found that because everything was all jumbled together, the lead got everything dirty. I had to wipe off my pencils before using them, lest I get graphite on my hands.

I spoke with Don, and he agreed to send me a selection of pencil boxes. Below is a review of these boxes.

Ian Nicholas Handmade Pencil Box
(Product Page)

This is one of the prettiest pencil boxes I have ever seen. Part of a series by artist Ian Nicholas, each box is handmade and has been intentionally "worn" to give it a look like it's been used and loved for many years. Sort of like a pair of new "vintage" jeans.

Size-wise, I find the box to be a little too small. I can't put brand-new pencils in the box; they won't fit. I have to wait until they've been sharpened five or six times before the length has been diminished to lay it in. There is a handy little compartment on the end for an eraser or something, but I'd just as well have it taken out so I can put a few unsharpened instruments in there.

But if you're someone who has just a few pencils in their repertoire, so to speak, this box would be perfect. It is attractive, it is quirkly, and it is bursting with personality. Unfortunately for me, it is bursting with pencils, because I have too many to put in it. But it's fun to just look at.

At $24 it's pretty steep for a mere pencil case, but then again you are getting something that was hand-made, not mass-produced. Pencil Things sells eight different styles, all with a different theme. The artist also has a different gift items. Check out his site here for more information.

Mummy Tin Pencil Box from the British Museum

(See Product Page)

What the Ian Nicholas box has in quirkiness, this box has in coolness. I guess I've always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, and this tin sarcophagus-shaped box bears all sorts of hieroglyphics, bright pictures, and a bears a little bit of history of the mummies on display at the British Museum.

As a pencil box, it works pretty well, too. The tin casing is durable, and capable of quite a beating. It is tall enough to accept unsharpened pencils, too, which is a plus for me.

I do have to complain about the fact that since it isn't rectangular in shape, there is all sorts of wasted room, especially in the "shoulders." I realize, of course, that it's not supposed to be rectangular, that you would lose the effect of the mummy shape. But first and foremost, it is a pencil box.

I think that I prefer this over the handmade box. It feels a little more substantial, made out of metal, and it is taller to accept the longer pencils. And at $10.99, the price isn't bad. Remember, you're getting a dose of HISTORY with your pencil box, son.

Pencil Things sells an assortment of four designs with different mummy themes. For other cool British Museum gift-shoppy things, check out their site.

I'm still looking for my ideal mode of transportation for my pencils. At home, I keep my collection in a Frank Sinatra cigar box, which is awesome, but isn't good for stuffing in my messenger bag and taking to work with me. I still think back to the days with the thin plastic boxes with the sliding door, and I still look in the school supply sections for new incarnations of it that aren't TOO blatantly child-like. After all, I have a reputation to uphold. I can't be dumping all my fine quality pencils in a cheesy case.

-Andy Welfle

Tombow Mono 100, Mono R and Mono J pencils are coming to PencilThings.com

PencilThings.com is going to offer Tombow pencil varities not otherwise available in the United States, or anywhere outside of Japan. for that matter. They are: Mono 100; Mono R; Mono J; and 8900 HOP. In addition, we will offer Tombow colored pencil sets and erasers. We are beginning with the Mono 100, Mono R and Mono J, each in HB lead degree.

Tombow MONO 100. This pencil is designed for the widest range of professional writing, drafting and drawing uses. It is Tombow's flagship model. Tombow says that this pencil shares the same lead as the Tombow MONO, which is currently available in the United States. The body of the MONO 100 looks quite different from the current MONO pencil. You can see a picture of it at and read comments at the "paper and pencil" BLOG.

The MONO 100 is manufactured in 14 degrees: 6B 5B 4B 3B 2B B HB F H 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H. The pencils are boxed one dozen per degree, and the pencils and box are printed and packaged for sale in Japan. Our initial supply will all be HB. We think we will be able to sell this pencil for about $2.25 each.

Tombow MONO-R. This pencil is designed for professional drawing and writing.

The MONO-R is manufactured in 7 degrees: 4B 3B 2B B HB H 2H. The pencils are boxed one dozen per degree, and the pencils and box are printed and packaged for sale in Japan. Our initial supply will all be HB. We think we will be able to sell this pencil for about $1.25 each.

Tombow MONO-J. This pencil is designed for professional drawing, drafting and writing.

The MONO-J is manufactured in 9 degrees: 4B 3B 2B B HB H 2H 3H 4H. The pencils are boxed one dozen per degree, and the pencils and box are printed and packaged for sale in Japan. Our initial supply will all be HB. We think we will be able to sell this pencil for about $0.75 each.

If you have facts, anecdotes and/or personal knowledge about these pencils, please share them by posting a comment.

The acquisition of the made-for-Japan Tombow pencils and accessories is a major step for PencilThings.com. It ranks right up there with our decision to bring Mongol pencils back to the U.S. market and to offer the Helix Oxford pencil. While our commitment to Tombow is substantial and aggressive, we will pay very close attention to the comments and suggestions our U.S. and International customers make.

For example, among the three pencils we are starting with, there are yet 27 more degrees of hardness to consider! What should we do next? We are thinking that we should next bring in the Tombow 8900 HOP in HB, some erasers, and the Mono 100, Mono R and Mono J pencils in either 3B or 2B lead degrees. We lean towards 3B. We will appreciate reading your suggestions.

The quantity of these three pencils we will have on hand will be limited. If you are interested in reserving one dozen of one or more models, please send an email stating your non-binding intent to sales@pencilthings.com.

Anticipated arrival date is October 15, 2007.   |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things