Posts filed under Pencil Reviews

Blackwing Natural Extra Firm Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's been quite a while since I've bought new Blackwing pencils (mine still have the Palomino branding), and I've definitely missed out on the newer extra firm core. With the Blackwing Natural, I finally get to try out this more balanced graphite with a lovely natural casing.

Before we get started, here's a refresher on the Blackwing line-up and their graphite/lead grading system.

Blackwing Soft (similar to 3B or 4B) - found in the Matte
Blackwing Balanced (close to 2B) - found in the Pearl
Blackwing Firm (feels like a B to me) - found in the 602
Blackwing Extra Firm (close to HB) - found in the Natural

Blackwing pencils are known for their smooth and dark graphite cores, but I'm sure I'm not alone in being a little annoyed at their refusal to use the standard graphite grading system. It exists, and it works! Anyway, since Blackwing pencils normally run on the softer/darker side, I was excited to try this lighter, firmer core found in the Natural.

To me, the extra firm core is similar to an HB, but just a smidge darker. It's really hard to directly compare it since different pencil brands are slightly different in terms of how they categorize their graphite hardness levels.

I'm really partial to Mitsubishi Hi-Uni and 9000 pencils, and I've been really happy with how the Blackwings compares to them. They all feel different and unique, and the Natural is a really pleasant pencil to use. The tip stays sharp for a normal amount of writing, but the line is a bit smoother and darker than other HB pencils. It's a perfect middle ground for me in terms of a great general writing pencil. I love a super dark and soft pencil, but they just need to be resharpened so quickly. And on the other hand, really hard pencils don't put down a satisfyingly dark line when writing. Finding a great compromise in the middle is a great discovery for those general writing tasks.

The Natural features a cedar casing with an indiscernible amount of finish on the outside. It looks (and smells) like a raw, unfinished pencil, and the gold lettering and ferrule matched up with a gray eraser contribute to the chill aesthetic.

Ever thought that the softer, darker Blackwing cores are a bit too soft or dark for regular writing? The extra firm core is a fantastic option for the middle-ground HB hardness wrapped up in a classy cedar package. You can pick up your own pack of Blackwing Naturals for $27, or you can grab a single pencil for $2.50 to see if it works for you or not. Happy to add this extra firm core to my rotation of Blackwing pencils!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on August 2, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Blackwing, Pencil Reviews.

Tombow Mono Graph Lite Mechanical Pencil Review

Is there a more underrated stationery maker than Tombow?

Their product lineup is not the biggest, and they don’t cover every corner of the stationery world. They are more Zebra than Pilot, for comparison. But everything they make, especially in the sub $10 price point, is outstanding. Often, that product is the best in its category.

Is the Tombow Mono Graph Lite Mechanical Pencil the best in its category? If not, it’s close. When I pick it up and use it, I smile. Sometimes stationery is that simple.

Oh, did I mention this is a $3 mechanical pencil? That’s right. This pencil would be right at home on a students desk as much as it would be on the drafting tables of an architectural firm. They still have those, right?

Why do I like this mechanical pencil so much? Design execution. You’d think companies wouldn’t obsess over a $3 pen or pencil, but the ones that do are clear. The plastic barrel is light and smooth. The rubber grip hits in the right spot and feels nice. The fixed lead pipe is long, but proportional to the overall length of the pencil. The clip color is designed to match the barrel across the lineup. And finally, a Tombow staple, the eraser doesn’t have a cap, it twists to extend and retract.

If I can overthink a $3 mechanical pencil this much, they must be doing something right.

*The stock 0.5 mm Tombow graphite is crisp and firm - exactly what I’m looking for. Written on the* *Kobeha Graphilo Square Notebook*.

This isn’t the first time I’ve gushed over a Tombow mechanical pencil or ballpoint pen. Their woodcase pencils and brush pens are pretty darn good to. They also make my all-time favorite color pencil in the Tombow Irojiten, so yeah, you could say I’m a fan.

Tombow isn’t the largest stationery brand in the world, but not everyone needs to be Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour to be important. Sometimes, three friends loading in and out from their Econoline every night, heading from Athens to Asheville to Amherst, is exactly what you need. Like a Tombow.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on July 17, 2023 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Tombow, Mechanical Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

Delfonics x Pentel Sharp P205 Mechanical Pencil Review

Long-time stationery fans are certainly familiar with the Pentel Sharp series of mechanical pencils. On the market for over 50 years, they are a classic workhorse mechanical pencil, used by students, artists, professionals, and general stationery lovers like myself.

Why do I like this pencil so much? It is lightweight, with a narrow plastic barrel that tapers towards the metal nose cone. The entire feel and shape of this pencil is designed to disappear into your hand and provide exceptional control and sight lines from the tip. With this design, it became one of the most popular technical pencils ever made.

Over the past decade or two, Pentel has leaned into special editions for the Sharp series, mainly in the Japanese market. I’ve been able to add a few to my collection, and am always on the lookout for more. An orange barrel had always eluded me - unless I wanted to go the eBay route - until I spied this Delfonics x Pentel Sharp at Vanness Pens.

The product color is listed as red, but it is clearly a reddish orange in my book - even leaning more to the orange side of the spectrum. I purchased my favorite 0.5 mm lead size for those fine, fine lines, but it is also available in an 0.9 mm.

While the barrel color made the purchasing decision easy for me, I was curious about them working with Delfonics for this pencil. Pentel has dabbled in collaborations, most notably with Craft Design Technology, who has taken many of Pentel’s classic designs and reimagined them into a premium brand. This more direct collaboration with Delfonics surprised me in its simple styling, and is not something I recall seeing much of from the brand.

It wouldn’t shock me if these types of “Brand X Pentel” collaborations were more widely available in Japan. Delfonics, a Japanese brand themselves, is mostly known for their paper goods and stationery accessories, so collaborating with a big big brand on a popular product - even if that collaboration is a simple barrel stamping - is a good match for both.

For my money, Pentel has the best mechanical pencil lineup on the market. There are single pencils, like the Rotring 600 or Uni-ball Kuru Toga, that may be better, but as a full collection from top to bottom, no one does it better than Pentel. They are consistently high quality, fairly priced, and feature my favorite stock graphite in the Pentel Super Hi-Polymer. Even the eraser is top-notch.

The Pentel Sharp is an all-time stationery great. The only downside I can list is that the barrel may be too small and light for larger hands. Even the price is right, at under $6 for standard editions, and around $8 for limited and special editions, and collaborations like this one.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the classic black P205, or the pale blue of the P207. But these bright colors - I’ve added more since acquiring this one - are the ones I want living on my desk.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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