Pencil Smackdown: General's Kimberly 2B vs. all the Palomino Blackwings

A historian and scholar of art and tattoos accustomed to the Blackwing needs a pencil for the archives that doesn't have an eraser.  I do not have a huge collection of wooden pencils, and I am more of a mechanical pencil gal, but I thought maybe the General's Kimberly 2B might suit.

Any fellow stationery nerds? I use Blackwing pencils, but they're no good in archives, as they have erasers. What's a good alternative?
— Dr. Matt Lodder (@mattlodder) May 17, 2014

How does the Kimberly compare?  Being a fan of 2B lead, I only have the Kimberly in 2B.  Writing with it is enjoyable.  The point is quite long-lasting.  The graphite is not as dark, but the pencil makes a wonderful noise on the paper (one sheet of paper on my wooden clipboard, shown).  The graphite does not smudge, except just slightly from very deliberate rubbing.

The Blackwings, all three, are favorites for wooden pencils and are well loved by many.

Left to right:  General's Kimberly 2B, Palomino Blackwing 602, Blackwing Pearl and Blackwing.

The side-by-side comparison of the Blackwings to the General's Kimberly makes me second-guess my earlier suggestion. Perhaps it would be better to get a saw and cut the ferrule off the Blackwing?

Oh, what we will do to and for our pencils! 

Sharpening a Palomino Blackwing Pencil

The Palomino Blackwing, the relaunch of the famous Blackwing Pencil

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Kum makes a special pencil sharpener with the Palomino Blackwing brand.  It is a 2-step long-point sharpener.

Getting started sharpening the Palomino Blackwing pencil with the Kum Palomino Blackwing sharpener is an exciting experience.

The wood comes off the pencil in a delicate curl.

The curl makes a crown.  The sound of this sharpener cutting the wood is fantastic.

When the lead hits the stop, we are done with the first step.  Notice that the blade did not cut the lead,  only the wood.  Notice how the blades are replaceable?

Next we sharpen the lead with the second blade.  It only takes a few twists to put a fine point on the pencil.

All done.  A perfectly sharpened Palomino Blackwing pencil.

Mechanical pencil with heart and soul

I recently chanced upn an opinion piece from The New Yorker, written in 2012 by former staffer Mary Norris, about her pursuit of the perfect pencil.

While ultimately she landed upon the Palimino Blackwing, which is a wonderful pencil, she made a statement in her piece that has set me back:  "Someone at the office suggested I try a mechanical pencil, but I found it soulless."

I am sure that there are plenty of pencils in this world, not to mention mechanical pencils, that are difficult to find a personal connection with.  That said, I am saddened by such a blanket statement.  Who would say such a thing about a pencil?

To Mary Norris, author of My Life in Pencils, if you are ever googling yourself and happen upon this, I would like to introduce you to my pencil soul mate.  It is a mechanical pencil.  It is the Alvin Draftmatic.

I have written many thousands of pages with an Alvin Draftmatic, so I know it well.  I prefer a bold line, so I use a 0.9mm lead, and I change out my lead based upon the weather conditions and the type of the paper I am writing on. 

The Alvin Draftmatic has many fine qualities:

It is the exact proper weight, size and dimension for my hand.

The plastic barrel warms slightly while being used and feels like an extension of my mind, not a tool.

The knurling is perfectly milled and does not cause calluses on my fingers, even with extensive use for days (or weeks, or months) on end.

The clip is easy to remove (I don't want a clip on my pencil at all).

If the paper is right, I am using a good wooden clipboard, I am comfortably seated, and I have the proper lead, I can write for hours in complete joy without hand fatigue.

I trust this pencil.  I have used it for years and it has not failed.  The mechanism has not broken.  The pencil is solid, sturdy and dependable.

Finally, it is a pleasure to write with.

In my view, that is the making of a pencil soul mate.

Not all mechanical pencils are created equal.  The Alvin Draftmatic is a mechanical pencil with heart and soul.

5th grader on Alvin Draftmatic: "It stands out from other pencils"

My young friend Bruce recently changed to a new elementary school where he is now learning the art of longhand writing.  I can't imagine that kids don't learn cursive in schools these days, but it is true.

Since Bruce is learning cursive, I thought it would be a much more enjoyable experience if he had a proper pencil.  I got him an Alvin Draftmatic 0.9mm and a package of 2B lead.

Bruce likes the pencil.  He wrote me the most wonderful card.  I am certain that this is the best card that I have ever received.

Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 0.9mm Review

Upon the recommendation of a family friend, I ordered a Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 0.9 mm pencil.  It seemed to have many of the qualities that I appreciate in my standard and favored pencil, the Alvin Draftmatic.  It has an elongated lead tube that allows me to see what I’m writing, fine knurling that provides a good grip without making my fingers calloused, and a thin barrel that is easy to hold.

I appreciated the concept of having a separate pencil for HB lead than from 2B lead, so I could easily tell the difference in my pencil case.  (The one flaw in the Alvin Draftmatic is that the lead indicator spins and is not useful at showing which lead is actually in the pencil.)

I was reluctant to write my thoughts until I gave the Rapidomatic a fair trail run, and I am glad I did.  This pencil has a problem that is now driving me crazy.  I may even remove it from my pencil case (it is that serious).

The lead advance seemed to be working fine for the first few weeks, but after less than heavy use the lead advance mechanism within the pencil began to fail.  Pressing the lead advance button at the top of the pencil numerous times doesn’t push much lead through the pencil.  I actually have to grab the lead and pull it out manually with my fingers.

Koh-I-Noor, why have you broken my heart?

This pencil has a second problem, though it is less serious.  The clip was very hard to remove.  Clips on pencils may be a pet peeve singular to me, but I really man-handled the pencil to get that clip off.  I ended up scratching the barrel as the clip was pried off.

Getting my hands on this pencil was also really hard.  Why?  Are they no longer manufactured?

Now that I think about it, and as I am writing this with the Koh-I-Noor, my hand is starting to cramp.  I am seeing impressions from the knurling on my fingers.  I am holding this pencil way too tight.  This is not the experience of pencil writing that I am looking for.

Sorry Koh-I-Noor.  The Rapidomatic can’t touch the Alvin Draftmatic as my favorite pencil.

My pencil case; a cradle for every pencil

When you love your pencils like I do, you can't have them rattling around in the bottom of your handbag, or worse yet, left at home in a pencil cup.

A pencil case that gently cradles each pencil so they don't roll off a table top.  It will also prevent pencils from getting lost, as an empty sleeve means that you still need to put your pencil away.

In my pencil case, I keep 2 mechanical pencils.  Right now it is loaded with an Alvin Draftmatic 0.9mm with 2B lead and a Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic 0.9mm with HB lead.  (2B lead is for writing on rainy days and HB lead is for using on sunny days).

I also have a stick eraser.  This is because I would never use the eraser that is included on the end of my pencil, except in emergencies and under dire circumstances.  An eraser isn't really necessary, but its a little extra just to make me feel special and prepared for anything.

The fourth slot in my pencil case is for lead.  I don't use the barrel of my pencil to store extra lead for several reasons.  Extra lead makes a rattling noise inside the pencil that sends me to distraction when writing.  Lead can get jammed in there, potentially leading to anxiety.  Also, I prefer to load my lead down the front of the tube at the writing end (I'm a muzzle loader), and not through the breach, so I don't even want to pull the cap off the end of my pencil...ever.

If you tape two packages of lead (Pentel Super High Polymer 15 pcs) end to end, it fits nicely in my pencil case.  When I need to refill my pencil, I have the lead right there.

My pencil case, shown here, is an Aston Leather Finger Style Quad Pen Case.  It comes in several colors, and I have it in tan.  I have been using this pencil case for several years and I have nothing but positive things to say about it.