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by privong 2618 days ago
This reminds me some of what I've read about Blackwing pencils (originally made by Eberhard Faber Company), which were discontinued in 1998. The originals (NOS) were apparently quite sought after once production ceased. California Cedar Products is now making a "Blackwing" pencil[0] which purports to be the "revival", but there is some criticism[e.g., 1].

I have never used an original Blackwing, so I cannot comment on those, but the new ones are enjoyable to write with. It's similar to the feeling I have when using fountain pens – they're such an improvement for the act of writing that I actively seek out reasons to hand-write things.

The specifics of this chalk story versus the Blackwing story are different, but it's neat to see the passion people have for their writing implements. And that many of these, admittedly higher-quality, versions seem to be unable to survive the decrease in hand-written forms.

As for me, I do prefer chalk to whiteboards. I've always been slightly annoyed at getting chalk on my hands and so think I would have enjoyed using this chalk if I'd had the opportunity. But I see fewer and fewer chalkboards around.

[0] https://blackwing602.com/

[1] https://blackwingpages.com/facts-fiction-and-the-blackwing-e...