Blackwings aplenty

Now, we've mentioned Blackwings once or twice before. Maybe a bit more often that, actually. But they deserve it - and you deserve them. Life's too short for bad pencils.

These, though, are thoroughly lovely pencils. Somehow, the rotating gallery of special editions always seem to get the balance right, with graphite which is soft enough to make a nice dark line, but not so flaky that it wears out in two shakes of a lamb's tail. The colourful costumes that they arrive in help to make using one both a tactile and visual pleasure, and once you have a few around, you'll notice that you keep reaching for one whenever a pencil is required. Sure, they're not the cheapest pencils available, but if using them is this pleasant it might be pretty good value for money in the longer term. Why waste cash on poor quality tools that you won't use?

Solid as the products are, Blackwing's marketing genius is part of the recipe, if we're honest. The special editions really are special indeed, and they don't last for ever either; the gorgeous purple Suffragette version is long gone (sorry!). But also featured here are the neontastic Volume 6 and the tank-topping Volume 93, and if you get your skates on there's a still a chance of bagging a few of those. Go!