11th Edition: Blackwing

In the 11th?Edition of “A Commitment to Excellence,” we go west to learn about a company focused on providing consumers with tools to live a more balanced life.??Blackwing makes pencils, paper, and other desk items, and you might be thinking, so what a pencil is a pencil, I can buy a box of 12 for $2.00 at Staples.???Au countraire my good reader, read on to learn the difference and why you should treat yourself.????

I enjoy getting a break from the constant digital world with a good pen, pencil, or paper.??Blackwing was first founded in the 1930s and created pencils used by cartoonists, writers, and musicians because the graphite enabled them to create a better picture or word.??The company faced challenging times in the late 1990s, eventually closing in 2010 when the Palomino Pencil Company bought the rights and began to recreate the pencils and paper.??During the company’s hibernation, Blackwing pencils were selling for close to $40 on eBay.??Talk about having a cult-like following.??

The new owners understood the deep connection to the brand and began to create the original pencil styles.??The main difference between those Staples pencils and a Blackwing is the high-quality Japanese graphite, offering four different graphite strengths depending on your usage, the easy-to-sharpen wood and the rectangular eraser.??The unique erasers are replaceable and extendable.??The worst part of a pencil is having the eraser be gone long before the pencil reaches a nub.??Remember in school when we put those funny eraser hats on our pencils to extend their life???I had to try out a couple of different types of graphite to realize I am fan of balanced graphite.??

Blackwing realized excellent companies do more than make great products.??A portion of each pencil is donated to fund arts education through the Blackwing Foundation.??They support musicians through the Blacking Music label “by providing the best tools for songwriting, but by supporting artists and encouraging music education in our schools.”?

A company that makes products to help us slow down, if you haven’t written a letter or a note lately, take a minute to put the phone down and get out a pencil, there is a unique feeling to the graphite on the paper, and supports the larger community is committed to excellence.??

Check out Blackwing at?https://blackwing602.com

Thank you for reading.?

Blackwing #accommittmenttoexcellence