After scribbling with all my test pencils, I’m not sure I fully appreciate the benefits of concavity.
The one-step can take thick cores as well as average cores. (Better to find out how it performs at the comfort of my desk than when I’m standing on the sidewalk trying to finish a sketch.) First I tried a Caran d’Ache Supracolor water-soluble colored pencil, and it sharpened like a champ! I don’t need or want it to have a concave point that can be used as a weapon, so I stopped a bit short, but I think it looks better than some of the graphite pencil points.įinally, I spotted a Staedtler Mars Lumograph 8B that needed to be freshened, so I gave that a sharpen, too. All three sharpened up with good points.Īlthough I knew that the one-step is intended for use with graphite pencils only, I also knew that any sharpener I carry is likely to be used with a colored pencil eventually, either intentionally or inadvertently. That didn’t work, so I had to use a ballpoint pen to poke it loose. This is where the easy opening and disassembly came in handy: I could remove the blade unit and tap it vigorously against the side of my wastebasket to try to dislodge the broken lead piece. The only casualty was the Musgrave, whose lead snapped while I was sharpening. Next I picked up three other pencils that needed sharpening – a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni HB, a Tombow Mono 100 4B, and a Musgrave Unigraph 2B. I was satisfied, though, that the Blackwings had been sharpened adequately for basic use. The collar looked better also, but still not as smooth as other sharpeners I use. The 211 came out with a better-looking long point without ragged edges and with concavity. I thought the wood, especially at the top of the collar, also looked a bit ragged. The point that resulted is indeed long, but it looks a bit rough and not exactly concave. There is no “stopper” feeling as I’m used to with the two-step KUM, so I took the pencil out several times to see how much I had sharpened. It was a bit tedious to use a hand-held sharpener from the beginning, but the one step’s barrel is comfortable to hold. I also picked out a Blackwing already in use that was in need of sharpening – in this case, a Volume 211. But it was important to test a pencil from its bluntest of all stages (plus I was eager to sharpen that sunny yellow beauty).
Typically with a new, unsharpened pencil, I would not use a handheld sharpener I would shove that baby into an electric. I just happened to have on my desk a brand new, turmeric yellow Volume 3 limited edition pencil dedicated to Ravi Shankar. It’s a simple, elegant design.įor my first tests, I chose Blackwing pencils, of course. When the top is unscrewed, the blade unit is easily removed (you’ll soon learn why this is important), and the large-capacity canister can be emptied. The asymmetrically placed hole apparently bothers some people, but I like it as a design element. Its shape reminds me of my Redline flashlight. The sharpener, too, is all matte black except for the glossy logo. True to Blackwing’s branding and form (and expected for the price of $20), the sharpener comes in a sturdy, matte black box with a drawer that slides out. I know of no other sharpener that can do this except the newish one from Blackwing – the one-step long point. However, the Möbius & Ruppert Pollux seems to be the most popular for producing both a long and highly esteemed concave point. I’ve been using a KUM Automatic Brake Long Point two-step sharpener on graphite pencils for years, and it makes a nice long point, though I don’t think of it as special. So when I first began using graphite pencils more seriously for drawing and writing and became involved in the pencil community, I was fascinated by the deep discussions I observed regarding sharpeners that can produce the longest points. What is all the fuss about a “long point”?įor this long-time colored pencil user, long points are not needed (or wanted) for most colored pencil purposes.
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