Quick Look: Different Grades of Blackwing Graphite (Plus a Bonus YouTube Video)

Blackwing doesn’t use either of the typical graphite grading scales in their pencils. Instead of numbering them 1-4, or H, F, HB, B, etc., they’ve designated their different graphite formulations as “X-Firm”, “Firm”, “Balanced”, and “Soft”, with each core given its own standard production line pencil and rotated through the limited edition “Volumes” line. Last quarter’s Volumes release (Volume 2) even introduced a new “XX-Firm” formulation that’s the closest Blackwing has ever come to a true HB/No. 2 pencil. To date, it’s only available in this special release pencil.

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The two extremes. “Soft” graphite at top compared against the XXF Graphite in the Volume 2, compared against the Tombow HB.

I love Blackwing pencils because even their “lightest” shade of graphite is relatively dark. As a fan of dark pencils, I regularly use most of the standard Blackwings, as well a full pencil chest of their special editions. Despite the darker core, Blackwings retain their points well - even the soft graphite in my favorite “Blackwing Matte” with low-smear performance. My second favorite would probably be the “X-Firm” Blackwing Natural, but that’s more an aesthetic preference than anything to do with performance!

For a fun bonus, check out our latest YouTube video which dropped today, where I look at the Blackwing Pencil Extender and how it works.

As of last month, the T.G.S. Curated Shop is an official Blackwing retailer! We carry the full range of pencils, accessories, and even paper (the excellent “Illegal Pad”) in our curated stationery shop, which is how the site gets supported.

Thursday Drops: All the New Pens and Inks So Far, Plus Pen Storage! (And Maybe a Giveaway?)

2024 has been a whirlwind of a year. So much has happened in the past five months, including four pen shows, countless new releases, and shipping LOTS of orders! To recap a bit, we still have some remaining stock of 2024 new releases and special editions, and will restock as we can. We’ve also been swimming in a bunch of new arrivals as our shop expands, including everything posted Tuesday (Patalino and Kept cases).

Overall, this has been a great year for Lamy and Kaweco releases. I’ve personally enjoyed the new Kaweco pens, particularly the Art Sport, and TWSBI has been regularly releasing excellent new color/trim combinations to the point that I sort of wish they would slow it down because my own pen cases are getting full!

Finally, don’t miss the giveaway included in yesterday’s post on the line of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks! You can win a bottle of “Cassis” or “Strawberry Jam” - red of course!

1. Kaweco Sport Piston Filler Fountain Pen. We have some remaining stock of the initial release of the Kaweco Sport piston filler, which ships in a set with a vintage-style bottle of blue ink. Check out my YouTube video in which I walk through this fun new addition to the Kaweco lineup!

2. Kaweco Collection Apricot Pearl Sport Fountain Pen. This year’s Kaweco Collection features a translucent AND pearlescent orange acrylic. It’s a beautiful pen and a great addition to the “Collection” Sports.

3. Kaweco Art Sport Fountain Pens. I want to see Kaweco do more with the Art Sport line. The “Terrazzo” finish has been inked up and in my pen case pretty much non-stop since these arrived late last year.

4. Blackwing Volumes 710 “Jerry Garcia” Edition. These colorful matte-finish pencils feature Blackwing’s softest core, which is coincidentally my favorite.

5. Traveler’s Company “Tokyo” Limited Edition Pencil. We have a handful of this year’s limited edition Traveler’s Company Pencil, though the notebooks and refills remain sold out and subject to re-order.

6. Lamy Safari “Pink Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” Special Editions. These are two of my favorite Safari releases in a long time. It’s been difficult to choose a favorite between the two, but Pink Cliff is the one that’s stayed inked up. We also have both limited edition matching inks available.

7. Lamy AL-Star “Fiery” and “Aquatic” Special Editions. These turned out to be some pretty stunning finishes. The AL-Star lends itself to nice blues and reds, given the brushed metal construction. We also acquired a shipment of prior years’ editions as well.

8. TWSBI Special Editions, Including the Caffé Bronze ECO. TWSBI has been on a tear this year, and we have stock of nearly all recently released special editions that include the ECO Caffé Bronze (with bronze-toned trim!), the ECO “Dark Sapphire”, the ECO Creme and Rose Gold, and some remaining stock of the Kai Piston Filler.

9. Tom’s Studio Pens. We have all sizes of the Lumos Fineliners back in stock, some remaining colors of the Studio and Studio Pocket, and a fresh restock of the pre-ground fountain pen nibs, including the Architect!

10. Tom’s Studio Fountain Pen Inks (Also Suitable for Lumos Pens). We now carry the full line of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks (currently at 19 different colors), per the note above and yesterday’s post that walks through the entire lineup!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of the brands featured here.

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We’re giving away two of the colors pictured here! Check out yesterday’s blog post and our Instagram account for details!

New Arrivals: Raymay Patalino Cases and SlideNote Covers!

We’ve had some requests for additional pen and pencil cases, and have been looking at bringing in reasonably priced options appropriate for everyday carry. While at NYNow back in January, I came across this line of flat stationery cases by Raymay, from their “Patalino” line. Available in three colors and two different sizes, these cases will hold your pens, mechanical pencils, scissors, rulers, and even feature a pocket to hold a large eraser or case of mechanical pencil leads. I like these cases because they pack flat at only 1” thick, making them very convenient for travel and modular packing that you can easily move between bags. The “Small” case starts at $15, and the “Large” sizes at $21. We also have higher-capacity rectangular pouches from the “Kept” line.

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All three colors are currently available in the large size, with black and blue available in the smaller size.

We’ve also had some requests to bring in binders and covers that fit the Clairefontaine looseleaf french-ruled sheets (as well as the other A4 looseleaf and pad-bound paper that we carry). We now have SlideNote covers in the A4 size, which will hold approximately 30 sheets of most A4 paper using a convenient clip binding that allows you to easily swap out and/or rearrange pages.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks for all your support!

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Thursday Drops: Blackwing Jerry Garcia Pencils, Pencil Extenders, Eraser, and the Pentel Kerry!

I don’t know about you, but I personally think Blackwing has absolutely nailed the past handful of releases. Volume 2 featured a “cracked” glow in the dark finish, with an extra-firm graphite that I personally really enjoyed. That said, this latest Jerry Garcia-themed release features a matte finish with Blackwing’s softest core, which is my personal favorite of all the various Blackwing graphites out there so I’m loving this one as well.

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All of the Blackwing accessories look great in the new white finish!

It doesn’t stop there: We now have the Blackwing Handheld Erasers (really big and soft and erase quite nicely!) and Blackwing Pencil Extenders, as well as more of the one-step long-point sharpeners. Both the Handheld Erasers and Long-Point Sharpeners all come in three different colors (black, white, and grey) so you can make yourself a matching set. Finally, if you’re looking to try out Blackwing for the first time, or searching for a gift for a Mom, Dad, or upcoming graduate, the Blackwing Pencil Essentials Set is back in stock. It has one of each pencil from the standard line, along with a one-step sharpener and a pencil cap.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all Blackwing products.

1. Blackwing Volume 710 Jerry Garcia Pencils. It took me a while to get some of these in, but I wasn’t going to pass them up given that they feature the soft graphite, which is my favorite of the Blackwing cores.

2. Blackwing Volume 2 Limited Edition Pencils. The Jerry Garcia pencil above followed Volume 2, which not only has the awesome cracked glow-in-the-dark design but also features a specially formulated extra-firm graphite, for those who love an HB or F grade pencil.

3. Blackwing One-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpeners. Blackwing’s excellent long point sharpener, which only requires one step to achieve a nice, slightly curved point, is now available in three colors: black, grey, and white.

4. Blackwing Pencil Extender. Blackwing has been on a tear with their accessories lately, and this pencil extender attaches to the ferrule of your Blackwing Pencil, giving you a nice way to use up that jar of 1” Blackwing stubs!

5. Blackwing Handheld Eraser. Not a fan of the integrated Blackwing eraser? Or most integrated pencil erasers, for that matter? I love this new soft handheld eraser by Blackwing, in three different cases. It’s giant and refillable.

6. Blackwing “Illegal Pads”. One of my favorite legal pad products is Blackwing’s take on the classic legal pad. Available in traditional ruled (complete with the line down the middle!), graph, and dot, this paper even handles fountain pen ink well.

7. Pentel Sharp Kerry Mechanical Pencil. Currently only available in grey, though more colors are in the works! This .5mm mechanical pencil features a capped design that protects the tip while the pencil is in your pocket, yet still allows you to click to advance the lead when posted.

8. Pilot Explorer Fountain Pens in New Colors! The Pilot Explorer is easily one of our best selling fountain pens under $30, and we’ve added additional colors: Turquoise, Lime Green, and Silver! These all come with matte black trim and look sharp. (Full matte black pens are back in stock as well.)

9. Pilot Iroshizuku Ink Cartridges. In addition to the full line of excellent Pilot Iroshizuku bottled inks, we now have the full line of available cartridges (which are most of the popular colors).

10. Tom’s Studio Fountain Pen Inks. The Tom’s Studio line of Lumos pens has sold extremely well, as have the fountain pens and specialty nibs. But what about the inks? Tom’s Studio has nearly two dozen inks available, including a pigmented black for those who desire a micron-like experience for their Lumos.

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Be sure to keep checking our Pilot range, as we’re constantly restocking on some colors that were sold out. I believe we have all of the Iroshizuku inks in cartridge and bottle form.

New Releases: Tom's Studio Fountain Pen Inks and More!

Last week we received a large shipment of additional Lumos fineliner pens from Tom’s Studio, including the Lumos Mini! But what I’m most excited about is the arrival of the entire line of Tom’s Studio fountain pen inks, including 18 different colors of water-based inks and one black pigmented ink, which I’d describe as the “Micron-like ink” many of you have been asking about. (The black ink that ships with the Lumos pens is the standard water-based black ink, and is not permanent.) I have my Lumos Mini currently inked up with “Marianas” (No. 14), a deep blue that’s a great color in a fineliner. There are some really nice colors in this line, particularly the blues and blue-greens. All inks come in 50ml bottles.

In addition to the Tom’s Studio Fountain Pen Inks, we now have a restock of the Laban Greek Mythology Inks in all colors, as well as new Pilot Iroshizuku cartridges! The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all inks sold.

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