Blackwing Matte Pencils - 12 Count

Do you like to really see what you wrote, not have some grayish ghost of pencil lines? These are great. Fun to use. Fit in a standard pencil sharpener. The wider eraser at the end provides great coverage for quicker erasing. Be careful not to grind them away in your electric pencil sharpener. The wood and core grind smoothly. Better yet, use a manual sharpener - you’ll enjoy doing it and your pencils won’t disappear in the sharpener. Gorgeous and solid box. Wish I could figure out some useful purpose for it rather than condemning it to the recycled cardboard bin.

I've never been a pencil aficionado, finding that over time, graphite eventually streaks and smears all over the paper it's used on. These do the same, it's the nature of graphite.That being said, I heard about the Faber Blackwing, it's discontinuation, and how obsessed people were with it (selling for *stupid amounts of money* on eBay). Then I saw these Palomino Blackwing pencils, and heard they were supposed to be fairly close to the original. I figured I'd try them out, and see what all the fuss was about.While there's no rubberized coating to assist handling or comfort in grip, the graphite is one of the best I've ever used. It's super soft, so it wears faster than "normal" pencils, and makes a dark mark. The eraser is one of the vinyl type which won't damage your paper, unlike the (usually pink) rubber ones found on most pencils.The only criticism I can find with the pencils is with the eraser holder, or ferrule, in that while the eraser can be replaced completely, I believe they're intended also to be advanced in the holder to make more use of the piece before being replaced. The little metal strap that clips into the unique ferrule is smooth against the eraser, so if you advance the eraser it will just slide back in to the original position. I fixed this by driving a tiny sharp awl into the clip, creating a sharp hook on the inside, digging into the eraser. Now it holds no matter how I fix the eraser into the clip.Keeping a point on one of these will require constant maintenance. The graphite is extremely soft -- apparently the softest in the Blackwing family of pencils. There are other graphite hardness levels available. I have some Blackwing 602s arriving soon that are made of harder graphite that I'm looking forward to trying. I've also just found out about the Blackwing Pearl which is supposed to fall in between these two.I suppose artists will find these more useful than I do, but I do enjoy writing with them, and actually enjoy writing my usual task lists and project notes.

Are you a pencil guy (girl)? Just love the way good quality graphite feels when it's going on a quality paper?If that question seems somehow ludicrous to you, then don't buy these pencils. Get a nice gross of Dixon Ticonderogas and never worry about having to decide on what pencil to use again in your life. You'll thank me for that advice later. Ticonderogas are great pencils.On the other hand, if you thought: "Yeah!" Then you should probably just go ahead and buy these Blackwings. You're probably the kind of person who takes tremendous care in your writing instruments for the return of that awesome "feel" of ultra-smooth graphite going on paper. The graphite on these things is so smooth you can hardly believe it. I'm not sure how they do it, but they are significantly darker than a typical HB pencil but maintain tip sharpness as long as a Ticonderoga. It's crazy.The finish on the pencil is a fantastic matte black. The finish feels good in your hand.The eraser (replaceable) is much nicer than most. It's very similar to a sanford white eraser. The only way it could be better is if it was more like a black pearl eraser, which IMHO is the best hard eraser available.Yes, these pencils are expensive. But if you've made it this far in the review, you will find it worth the money. These pencils will last you a long time and you'll enjoy using them throughout that time.

There's something magical about these pencils. They just feel so nice and soft. Because they are soft, they do get used up faster, but it's worth it. I use them for graphite drawings. I also really like how you can adjust the eraser, too.

I love these pencils, they require very little pressure when you use them and the eraser shape is way better than a round one. This is my second box I’ve purchased. Weird story - I’m living in Germany for a while and they have these pencils on the Amazon.de website and they cost $90/box! Good thing I can order them from the states because I do not want to do without them, they are that good.

These are amazing! I didn't know that ONE pencil could go from black, BLACK to very light. It is now my one pencil that I carry with me for all plein air painting excursions to do my value studies before I paint. I no longer have to carry multiple. I use it for most of my other sketching projects, as well. They last a long time unless you are drawing a lot every day! They are a bit pricy, but it's been a year and a half, and I haven't even used half the box!

Smoothest pencil you will ever use.It is very pricey considering it’s a pencil but this pencil is known for its smoothness and texture.If you think about it, nowadays percentage of you ever using pencil is low (unless you’re in that field or you are a student) because of it, its not worth to buy this pencil. But at the same time, it is dang cool to have this pencil.So therefore if you want to experience the top of the line pencil, try it.