Posts filed under Pencil Reviews

Blackwing Pencil Extender Review

I love Blackwing Pencils. Blackwing accessories? Well, that’s a different story, with varying outcomes.

When Blackwing first launched their paper lineup, via various notebook styles, they were well received. They did a great job with the release, and I even found them to be fountain pen friendly. They continued to update formats and styles, and have remained excellent over time. I’m not sure how many other Blackwing accessories I can say that about-especially on the first iteration of products.

The Blackwing Point Guard was my first odd experience with a new Blackwing design. The concept is great, as I already used various pencil tip protectors, but this one was was sized oddly at launch. More specifically, some of the Point Guards didn’t fit on Blackwing Pencils. They were too tight to use. Blackwing quickly corrected the issue and made it right, but I filed that information away in the back of my brain.

I would need that info on the launch of the Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener. I had heard there were blade issues on launch, which caused poor pencil sharpening, so I waited a bit for that to shake out. Apparently, I didn’t wait long enough, as I got one of the bad ones. Once again, Blackwing made it right by providing replacement blades, and now the sharpener works as intended.

To first mention the focus of this review-the Blackwing Pencil Extender-at this point probably makes you think there is another technical flaw with this product. There isn’t. But what compelled me to buy this product in the first place is how ugly it is. There is no sense in sugar coating my thoughts on that aspect. But is it a good product, despite my thoughts on the physical design? Let’s find out.

The goal of any pencil extender is literal in two senses: to extend the life of a well-used, and now short, pencil by extending the usable length of the pencil in your hand. If you have a product you love, you want to squeeze every last bit out of it, right? You wouldn’t toss out your favorite ink with 25% of the liquid left in the bottle, would you? No! You would grab a syringe and drink up all the ink until there was none left.

Blackwing pencils give me the same feeling. They are some of my favorites, and I want to use up every centimeter I can. Pencil extenders can help with that. They aren’t a new product, but most are built for pencils with a traditional round ferrule. Circular diameter extenders, like the simple Peanpole from E+M, slide over most traditionally-sized ferrules. The standout design element of Blackwing pencils, the rectangular ferrule, prevents this type of extender from being used. You can remove the Blackwing ferrule if you have a favorite traditional extender, if you like.

To solve a problem of their own making, Blackwing engineered an inelegant solution. To use the Blackwing Pencil Extender, you remove the existing eraser inside the existing ferrule, slide the rubber end of the extender into the now-open ferrule, and toss the eraser into the bin. There is nowhere else to put it. Nor should there be-traditional extenders cover the eraser as well.

Overall, it … works?

I mean, it does. If I’m sitting in that design meeting at Blackwing HQ, I’m thinking yeah, this is great. Ship it! But in the broader scope of their usually sleek and refined lineup, it stands out to someone like me who obsesses over this type of minutia. I can use it, but I can’t unsee it.

So Mr. Pen Addict Opinionated Design Guy, how would you fix this? I wouldn’t. Not every problem needs a solution. Blackwing designed the most iconic pencil on the market. Just like I can spot a Lamy wire pen clip from a mile away, the rectangular Blackwing ferrule is a timeless design. The Blackwing Pencil Extender breaks line of sight on that most important design element. The Extender exists to solve a 10% problem, not a 90% problem, which is an area rarely worth designing for.

Wooden pencils are beautiful because of their disposable nature. Grab one, sharpen it, use it, sharpen it, and so on, right until it is too short to hold in your hand. What now? Who doesn’t love pulling out a fresh, unsharpened pencil from the box? I promise that last inch of pencil won’t hold it against you for throwing it away.

The Blackwing Pencil Extender is a Superfan choice, not a universal one. If you are invested in the Blackwing ecosystem, then $10 is nothing in that context. I’m going to keep mine around, but I’m going to paint it, or sticker it, to at least make it more fun. Maybe that’s the key to unlock the joy of this product.

Now, where is my silver paint pen?

(I bought this product from Yoseka Stationery at regular retail price for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 26, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Blackwing, Accessories Review, Pencil Reviews.

Mitsubishi 9850 HB Pencil Review

I’ve known for years that the Mitsubishi 9850 HB Pencil was good, but maybe not necessarily great. I think I’ve been selling it short: it is great.

I guess I’m fortunate that I didn’t review it previously, as it has stood the test of time on my desk, in competition with dozens of other pencils that have passed through my hands. Good products rise to the top in this way. Usage is a good scoreboard.

In previous pencil reviews, I often grabbed the 9850 to use for comparison. Only when recently reviewing the Kitaboshi 9606 HB did I realize I had never done a proper review of the 9850. I went looking for that review because as I was testing pencils, I realized the 9850 was better than all of them. That included the Blackwing 602, a default favorite pencil.

There was no review to be found.

I found praise for it as a side note in other posts, but only against these other pencils did I finally realize how special the 9850 is. Am I going to tell you it is the best pencil on the market? No. But I’m not going to not tell you that, either.

Pencils are difficult to compare directly to one another. Graphite cores are an obvious differentiator, but sometimes they are tough to tell apart when they are the same grade. Heck, they are sometimes identical, as I discussed in the aforementioned Kitaboshi review. I like a dark core, with a balance between smoothness and some feedback, plus good point retention. That’s honestly not too difficult to find between several brands.

Freshly sharpened with the Uni KH-20 (left,) and 300 words later.

Aesthetics matter, too. The 9850 is a classic, general-use design, while other popular brands like Blackwing and Caran d’Ache have more premium fits and finishes-with prices to match.

This is all to say that when accounting for everything-quality, style, comfort, experience, price-the Mitsubishi 9850 might be the best total package on the market.

I do hedge a little bit, because there are a few pencils I prefer style-wise over the 9850-the Blackwing Eras with the Extra Firm core, and the Tombow Mono 100 HB, for example. But are they better than the 9850? I wouldn’t go that far.

The Mitsubishi 9850 has been around for decades, and is the standard by which all office pencils have been measured. It should be the standard by which all premium pencils are measured as well.

You can pick up the 9850 for $1.40 per pencil at JetPens, or grab a dozen from St. Louis Art Supply for $10.95.

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Posted on November 21, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Mitsubishi, Pencil Reviews.

Kitaboshi 9606 HB Pencil Review

Is the Kitaboshi 9606 HB Pencil good enough to replace the hugely popular Blackwing 602, for half the price?

This is going to be a fun exercise today. And the least interesting part of it is that Kitaboshi manufactures Palomino and Blackwing pencils. More on that in a bit. Until then, what is the Kitaboshi 9606?

Kitaboshi is a well-respected Japanese manufacturer, making pencils in Tokyo since 1951. Pencils.com gives more insight into their history, including their providing of Incense Cedar wood slats from Cal Cedar.

The 9606 is Kitaboshi’s take on the traditional Japanese office pencil category, as seen in products like the Mitsubishi 9850 and Tombow 2558. The barrel is a classic burgundy shade, with gold foil stamping on one side-with name, model, graphite grade, and “General Use” imprints-and silver foil stamping on the opposite-stating “Academic Writing,” and a second HB stamp. I haven’t seen this type of dual-color, opposite-side, stamping before, but I guess Kitaboshi wanted to have their bases covered.

From a performance side, they certainly do. This is a smooth, dark core with good point retention, all while not being too firm. That’s a good stock definition of HB, but there is often core grading variance between brands. I’m surprised with most Japanese HB pencils at how soft they pretend to be, while not having to sharpen them constantly, as if you were using a 4B core to write a novel with. The excellent point retention disguises the softness.

The 9606 is a great all around pencil. Clearly, it is ideal for academic writing or general use-the barrel says so-but yes, it’s great for every day writing, and has enough range to be used for drawing, sketching, and more.

As with many standard Japanese pencils, the Kitaboshi 9606 is priced right at $1 per pencil when bought as a dozen. For a pencil of this quality, it is a fantastic value, and an easy recommendation.

So, that whole manufacturing thing-are Kitaboshi cores the same as found in Blackwings? I made this comment in my Muji 2B Pencil Review:

“Surprisingly, the Blackwing Pearl was a close match for the Muji. The core felt similar, and the color and smoothness on the page was similar.”

Turns out, the Muji pencils are made by Kitaboshi, too! Three grades of the standard Kitaboshi Cedar Pencil are available. Hmmmmmmm …

So, the final question: Is the 9606 going to replace the Blackwing 602 for me? No. The Blackwing design is turned up to 11, and I’m happy to pay the premium that requires. This question is similar to the one I asked last week about the Zebra Sarasa Nano. Two great pens, and in that case I chose the cheaper of the two. This time, it’s the opposite. And that is no knock on either selection I didn’t make. It’s merely an aesthetic choice. If the insides are the same, I’ll pick the outside I prefer most of the time.

In the broader sense, the Kitaboshi 9606 deserves to be selected more times than not. The performance dictates that, and the price seals the deal. It’s a great pencil.

(St. Louis Art Supply provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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