Matte Pencils, Soft Graphite for Writing & Drawing, 12 Count

If I could date a pencil, I would date this pencil. Holy crap.. this is an amazing writing/drawing tool. A coworker first gave me one of the gray ones (602, I think) and I thought I was in love.. About 6 months later he gave me a natural one and I realized that I didn’t know what love really was until that moment. I swear these pencils are magic! Smooth and dark without hurting your hand. I like the extra firm over the softer ones because I tend to have a heavier hand when making marks so the tip seems to last longer. That being said, I wouldn’t cry if I was given the gray ones because there’s not a massive difference in performance…..but the natural are definitely my favorite.

I used to swear by the black ones, but these are slightly harder yet just about as dark, and the lines are cleaner. Excellent for writing music, specifically, but also words, and drawing, which people are probably doing more often than writing music with them. Which is too bad. A lost art, writing music. People still do it! I do. To what end, I have no idea. But these are the pencils to waste your life with, if that's your plan! The quality is just spectacular, and the graphite is >chef's kiss<. You really do get what you pay for. Three dollars for a pencil? Worth every penny-cil.

I have to preface this by saying I am not a big pencil user since most of the time I must use a pen for work purposes, and for legal documents I use a fountain pen. However, I read this neat story about a fellow who ran a pencil company who bought the rights to the Blackwing pencil name. The previous maker had stopped production, likely due to reducing demand. However there have been a very loyal group of pencil enthusiasts clamoring for the Blackwing (Paying up to $10 a pencil!!!) And this fellow went and made a reasonable facsimile. It's amazing how there were online discussions about how great these pencils were and then another group putting them down because they were not exactly the same. So, I decided to test them out. I was actually very impressed with how good they were. I especially like the 602 over the original. The appearance and attention to detail are excellent, and the wide eraser is a good touch (I erase a lot). So I compared the 602 to some of the much cheaper standards like Ticonderoga, Staedtler, Mirado black Warrior (all 2HB). I preferred the 602 and I think it was not just subjective. The lead feels softer than the rest, with a darker line, but wore just as slowly. It feels smoother than the rest with the exception of the Staedtler. So I sent a few to my son who is a middle school teacher this year. He hardly gets excited about much, but he went nuts about these. He really thought they were great. He said it made his week (yikes, over a pencil?) So are they worth nearly 2 bucks each? For me, yes. I wont break the bank by buying a box that will last me years, and when I need a pencil (tax time and conceptual planning) I will reach for these. Update: I still think these are the best pencils available and I found a way to improve them. I erase an awful lot and sometimes I just don't have a separate block eraser. The included eraser is much bigger than the usual round eraser. If you are good with a razor you could measure the size of the removable stick eraser and cut out a replacement from something like a Pentel polymer or a black pearl eraser and keep in erasing with a partly used pencil. All in all it's still worth the price.

These are hands down my favorite and potentially one of the best doodle/all around sketch pencil out there. While they are certainly pricier, they are worth it. I’ve had my original set for years and I still have 6 pencils I haven’t even touched yet. I knew these would be my go tos for years to come so I bought another set. Different style, but same lead quality as the previous ones I have with the black eraser. Reasons why I live these: 1 lead does not break easily in any sharpener. I only had the lead break once and that was because I really screwed up the angle of the blade to the pencil and was really rough with it. I have been able to sharpen these in electric, Long point, and metal sharpeners along with an X-Acto knife 2. They feel good to hold. Like seriously I feel my brain and hand are more in sync with these pencils and they just help with the work flow of my drawing getting it from my mind to the paper. Easy to hold and control the pressure. Not to mention the way the eraser end is made, it still allowed me to draw with a semi awkward grip even when it was a literal stub (ie no more pencil left and just the pointed part). This allowed me to use it until the last possible moment 3. The lead glides so nickels on all paper types. I’ve drawn in Bristol and papers with tougher textures and the pencil glides so well but still providing enough friction for control. A great all rounder based on the pressure you use allowing you to lightly doodle to drawing darker outlines to even basic shading. All with one pencil. Makes it great as a traveling tool when you want to practice or get tough ideas out. 4. It erases pretty cleanly. The erasers work reasonably well given not as well as my kneadable or vinyl erasers, but for use with just this pencil, they get the job done. The shake of the eraser allows for more control in the size of the area you want to erase and you don’t need to use a lot of pressure. Not to mention you can pull it out and extend the eraser when you have rubbed it down too much. Though depending on how much you erase, they don’t feel they will last the full life if the pencil itself.

I love to draw and I love to draw with Blackwing pencils! They are wonderful; easy to blend, to erase (not that I need that of course), and the perfect density.

If you are looking at the Palomino Blackwing series, my recommendation is that you just buy one of them and try it. I looked at these for a couple of years, tried other pencils, then tried these. This series of pencils is the best pencil, but perhaps not the best value. By series, I mean the whole Blackwing series: the 602, the Pearl, and the regular Blackwing. The Blackwing 602 has the hardest graphite lead of the bunch - close to a regular HB but a bit softer. The Pearl has an even softer lead. And the regular Blackwing itself is even softer than the Pearl. I use pencils to write and edit documents all day, and the 602 is the only one of the Blackwing series I can really use. The other two are too soft for my taste. They all produce a beautiful, even line. How do the 602s measure up against my other favorite pencils: the Palomino HB Palomino Graphite Pencils - HB Eraser Tipped Blue - 12 Count], the Mirado Black Warrior [[ASIN:B00443G2JC Mirado Black Warrior Pencils - HB #2, Black Matte Barrel, Dozen(sold in packs of 3) , the Palomino Forest Choice ForestChoice Graphite #2 Pencils - 36 Count and the Staedler Rally Graphite #2 Staedtler Rally Graphite #2 Pencil, 12-Each (9122-2B12) ? The Mirado Black Warrior has a harder feel to the lead than the other ones, closest to the HB pencils used in a school. All the others are a bit softer. The 602s are the easiest to write with and, even though I have to sharpen them frequently, the graphite holds up a bit better than any of the others - even better than the Black Warrior. I think the 602 just sharpens easier. The eraser on these pencils is also better than what I find on the other pencils. Is it worth the money? Ah-ha. It's up to you. The closest competitor for my tastes is the Palomino HB. It's half the price but 80% as good as the Blackwing 602. If I were buying a gift, I would go for something in the Blackwing series, but I would probably check out the entire selection of pencils and gift boxes available at pencils.com. The price is about the same but the shipping is more reliable. Whoever packed my recent Amazon shipment just threw the Pearls and the 602s in a bigger box with my other items with no extra wrapping. Come on - it's an expensive item, folks! A rubber band would have been nice, if not a piece of plastic wrap. The box for the Pearls was crushed by another item and every pencil was outside the box and somewhat damaged in the shipping. I'm sure Amazon would have graciously accepted a return, but it would be nice to just have it shipped properly to begin with to avoid the hassle. Since the Pearls were too soft for my taste anyway, I ended up passing them on to a starving artist friend who eagerly accepted them.

I’m an artist that works in graphite. These are the absolutely the highest quality pencil I have ever used. They are soft and extremely easy to work with. When sharpened with the BlackWing sharpener, the point is long with a very sharp point. I have no need to ever try another graphite pencil!

Better than regular pencils but you do have to sharpen often…..love the changeable erasers so you really get to use the pencil longer as the others always lose their eraser by drying out and getting old. Thus , many times pencils are disgarded….not with Blackwing. 👏👏

602の書き心地は別格だと思います 本数が少なくなったので、注文しようと調べたら、5割増しの価格になっていたので 代替えはないかと、uni HI-uni mono と試したのですが、 目を瞑って書くと、何度やっても602を当てることができてしまう まだmono100を試していないので、それがだめなら・・・・・・ってところですね

Excelentes lápis.

They feel like silk when writing with them. The story regarding their usage by other important people has the inspiration role. They deliver what they state and from my perspective they inspire to chanel my thoughts from mind to paper. I would recommend this product for the experience that it provides

Is a pencil just a pencil? I have to say I used to think like that but I’ve been drawing for several years and tried a variety of pencil makes – Tombow, Derwent, woodless, mechanical. Loads of types and they’re all different. I attend a life drawing session every week and on one a friend gave me a Blackwing 602. She explained that she’d had to buy a box of 12 because she couldn’t find them sold anywhere individually. I liked it so much I bought a box of 12 myself. It’s a great sketching pencil and has the ability to draw lightly (like an H or HB) yet produce dark lines (like a 2B). It’s a real hybrid pencil, smooth to use and glides well over the paper. I use 170gsm Artway Studio Cartridge paper and it’s the perfect pencil. Another excellent feature is the rubber, which can be moved out as it wears and performs like a proper rubber, not like the rubber tips on those school HB pencils. It’s well shaped and a great asset to the pencil. It also stops it rolling off an uneven platform! The pencils are quite long at 20cm compared to others (Derwent are 18) so make sure they’ll fit in your pencil case and I like the fact that they come in a robust box with a nice design. I think I’ll stick with this brand for the foreseeable future. I like it a lot and I think that even at over £2.25 per pencil it’s worth the expense. Give it a try.

Ich mache Kunst beruflich und hab schon viel von den eistiften gehört. Es sind auf jeden Fall die teuersten Bleistifte die ich mir bisher gekauft habe aber wenn man mal sich selbst etwas besonderes holen will oder vielleicht jmd von dem man weiß das er künstlerisch ein schönes Geschenk machen will kann man sich die auf jedenfall gönnen. Habe direkt ein paar kleine Skizzen damit gemacht eine hab ich hier auch an gehangen. Die Mienen sind sehr weich und man kann super gut verschiedene Schattierungen damit machen. Der Radierer hinten am Stift ist mega und ich würde ihn mit den Künstler Radierer von Faber-Castell vergleichen gleiche Qualität lvl. Die Bleistifte fühlen sich eher an wie ein B bis 2B vom härtegead würde ich sagen. Ich bin super schnell durch meinen 1. Bleistift durch was aber auch einfach daran liegt das ich echt gern damit zeichne weil es ein angenehmes mal gefühl ist. Dennoch muss ich sagen sie brauchen sich sehr schnell auf da sie eben recht weich sind und ich sie daher öfters anspitzen muss. Der costumer service war super mir wurde direkt die Rechnung per Email zugeschickt und sie waren in kürzester Zeit geliefert. Alles in allem ein kleiner Luxus für das Künstlerherz und für mich das Geld wert aber kein essential :) dennoch mit die besten Bleistifte die ich besitze