Designer Toolkit: Palamino KUM Blackwing Sharpener

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Two steps. One sharp point.

Designer Toolkit is a new weekly series on Sketchbook B that will highlight an analog tool that designers should be using.

 

Why designers will love the Blackwing Sharpener:

Compact and convenient. If you decide to start using wooden pencils, you'll also need a sharpener. I assumed all handheld sharpeners were garbage because I've never had a good one. The Palamino KUM Blackwing pencil sharpener is a convenient little sharpener that does a great job.

Two holes. The Blackwing Sharpener features two holes — not for two different sized pencils — but instead because sharpening is a two step process. Step one sharpens only the wood. Step two sharpens the lead. The result is a clean, sharp and long point.

Auto stop. You know how electric pencil sharpeners have "auto stop" to keep you from grinding up your pencil. The Blackwing Sharpener has auto stop, too, making it impossible to over sharpen your pencil.

 

Things to know:

Spare blades. The Blackwing Sharpener ships with an extra set of blades. So if you ever feel like your blades are getting dull, you can easily replace them.

Different colors. The Blackwing Sharpeners are available in black and orange. They are also essentially the same as another sharpener by KUM that comes in blue and red, but without the Blackwing branding.

Obviously. The Blackwing Sharpener will work on any pencil, not just Blackwing pencils.

 

How much?

The Palamino KUM Blackwing pencil sharpener is available from Jet Pens for $7.40.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he wonders why it took him so long to rediscover wooden pencils. Follow Bob on Twitter and Instagram.

Designer Toolkit: Blackwing 602 wooden pencil

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A unique looking pencil

Designer Toolkit is a new weekly series on Sketchbook B that will highlight an analog tool that designers should be using.

 

Why designers will love the Blackwing 602:

A bold, dark line. The Palomino Blackwing 602 is a wooden pencil that provides a bold, dark line. The lead is relatively firm and the point lasts longer than with other pencils. It’s a great all purpose pencil for taking notes or sketching.

Replaceable erasers. Blackwings have replaceable erasers. So you don’t have to worry about using the entire eraser and making the pencil practically unusable. Bonus, you can “hack” your pencils and replace the erasers with colored ones. I’ve got some green erasers that I love.

There’s just something special. If the last pencil you used was a yellow #2, you’ll fall in love with the process of using a wooden pencil. With the 602, there is something special about the smell of the wood, the process of sharpening and smooth grey lacquer finish. It’s a really enjoyable experience that you don’t get from mechanical pencils.

 

Things to know:

Range of pencils. The 602 is part of a range of pencils offered by Blackwing. The original Blackwing is soft. The Blackwing 602 is more firm. And the Blackwing Pearl is somewhere in between. Blackwing also has a subscription service with limited edition versions, some of which are very cool.

You’ll get your hands dirty. I forgot how dirty wooden pencils could be. Graphite all over my hands and in my pencil case. I finally put all my pencil stuff in a separate bag to keep my pens clean.

Get to the point. You’ll need a pencil sharpener. And while any sharpener will work, I recommend the Blackwing long point sharpener, a two-step manual sharpener that delivers an awesome point. Fits great in a pencil bag and costs $7-8.

 

How much?

Blackwings are around $22 for a box of 12. You can get them at a variety of outlets online, but I recommend JetPens or buying from Blackwing direct. JetPens also has colored erasers if you want to customize your look and sharpeners if you need one.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he writes things... in pencil... in a notebook. Follow Bob on Twitter and Instagram.

Beyond Moleskines, Field Notes and Sharpies

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Finding the best tools for designers

Designers love their Moleskines, Field Notes and Sharpies. And all of these are great tools. Go to any meeting of designers, look around and that’s pretty much all you see.

But about a year ago, I discovered the Pen Addict podcast and an entirely new world of pens, pencils and paper. A range of outstanding tools for writing and sketching that I never knew existed. Modern fountain pens. Japanese pens you can’t get in the standard US retail channels. Nice mechanical pencils. Wooden pencils. Sharpeners. New notebook brands.

Very few designers seem to know about the range of options that are out there and I really think designers would enjoy these writing instruments.

So I’m starting a new weekly series: Designer Toolkit.

Each Friday, I’ll profile a pen, pencil or paper product and tell you why designers should try it out. (The first post — about the Kuru Toga mechanical pencil — is already up.) And since many of these materials aren’t available in your local office supply store, I’ll let you know where you can get them.

These new tools may or may not replace your Moleskines, Field Notes and Sharpies. But they will open up a whole world of tools that you didn’t even know existed.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he talks too much about pens and pencils. Follow Bob on Twitter and Instagram.