Blackwing Natural Pencils, Extra-Firm Graphite, Clear Cedar, 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.

Firstly, this review is for the Blackwing Natural, and I use it it drawing. The pencil is well balanced and it's one of the few pencils that has an eraser I'll actually use. The eraser shape let's you get into small areas and erases cleanly. Now onto the pencil lead. I would compare the lead somewhere around a typical HB. It reminds me a lot of Hi-Uni graphite (my typical go-to pencil line). I generally use Japanese 2H to HB pencils for sketching as it holds its point longer and erases cleaner. And this does not disappoint. It is capable of dark strokes around B softness with moderate pressure, but can leave very controlled light lines (reminiscent of 4H) with light pressure. The graphite is still quite smooth for being as firm as it is and wears well. Sharpening experience: the wood is harder than your typical Dixon or Tombow wood and you can feel it when sharpening. However, when using long point sharpeners (I use a Kum, highly recommend) it sharpens cleanly with the wood being smooth, perfectly symmetrical, and the graphite takes an excellent point without chipping or breaking. These pencils have quickly impressed me and are a pleasure to use. Are they worth the cost? Well, the jury is still out, and I'll see after I use my first box. But one thing is for sure: despite the cost I am still enjoying every second of using these pencils.

These pencils are high quality. The wood is smooth and sharpens nicely. The lead is robust and makes a very dark mark but erases well. The eraser doesn’t wear down too quickly and is replaceable.

These were the preferred drawing pencils of the Looney Tunes legendary artist and director Mr. Charles M. Jones. If Chuck Jones used them - that was good enough for me. Be that as it may, Blackwing pencils are the best sketching pencils I've ever had. They hold a point extremely well, the lead is a wonderful consistency and the wood body is top-notch construction. These aren't cheap, but you are definitely buying the highest quality for the money. Highly recommended.

My 5th grader has to take a lot of notes and fell in love with these pencils because of how smoothly they write and how well the erasers work. Highly recommend!

The pencils are wonderful. Thank you! Unfortunately the packaging was sticky and unclean (thus only 4 stars) — but I deal with it.

I don't care what they cost...I am buying them..

We appreciate how the graphite feels as it glides across the paper. The weight is balanced and the smooth use is why this is our new Go-To pencil. Easy to sharpen as well.

Blackwing pencils are superb! Love writing with them, I recommend them to everyone. Excellent product

Ottime, soltanto un po' costose, il prezzo non è migliore al acquistare in grande quantità, continuano a costare lo stesso prezzo che a singolo pezzo.

Je suis enseignante en dessin depuis quelques années. J'ai une assez bonne expérience avec le matériel sur le marché. Ce crayon est une coche au-dessus de certaines marques, surtout le Faber-Castell et Derwit (décevants), mais côte-à-côte avec le Staedtler. Malheureusement, il n'existe pas dans la gamme des H et B. Je dirai que "naturel" se rapproche du 3B. Ses aplats sont acceptables, il glisse bien, le graphite est de bonne qualité. Le coup de coeur est son efface. C'est la meilleure efface de crayon que j'ai utilisé dans toute ma carrière de dessinatrice. Il devrait exister une façon de réapprovisionner lorsque l'efface est erodée.

Blackwing pencils are awesome, however, due to the images, I mistakenly thought I was buying a range of different pencils with varying leads. This is a box of 12 identical pencils. The Natural Pencil was not suitable for my needs, so they were returned.

Steinbeck loved the 602, and I think he would have liked the Natural also. Holds its point for a long time. Absolutely beautiful aesthetically, and the smoothest writing experience I’ve ever had.