There are dozens of Blackwing finishes and special editions, but the line really rests on four everyday pencils: the 602, the Pearl, the Matte and the Natural. They look almost identical in the hand and they cost much the same, so the only question that matters is how the graphite behaves on paper. Pick the wrong firmness and the box ends up unloved in a drawer; pick the right one and you'll see why people get oddly evangelical about a pencil.
The thing that catches newcomers out is that Blackwing doesn't use HB grades. The four core pencils are graded by feel instead - Soft, Balanced, Firm, Extra-Firm - and the names give nothing away. Below is the firmness ladder most comparison pages skip over, then a plain read on which one suits writing, which suits drawing, and which to buy first.
The short answer: the Blackwing firmness ladder
Softer graphite lays down a darker, smoother line but blunts faster and smudges more; firmer graphite holds a point and keeps your page cleaner but writes lighter and needs a touch more pressure. The four core Blackwings are spaced deliberately along that scale:
| Pencil | Blackwing grade | Finish | Darkness | Point retention | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matte | Soft | Matte black | Darkest | Lowest | Expressive drawing, shading, bold signatures |
| Pearl | Balanced | Pearlescent white | Dark | Moderate | The all-rounder - writing and sketching alike |
| 602 | Firm | Gunmetal grey, gold imprint | Medium-dark | High | Handwriting, notes, fine detail, long sessions |
| Natural | Extra-Firm | Bare cedar, matte | Lightest of the four | Highest | Sustained writing, sketch underdrawing, anyone who hates re-sharpening |
Read it as a single sliding scale: Matte (softest, darkest) → Pearl → 602 → Natural (firmest, lightest). That ordering is Blackwing's own published grading, and it is the one fact to anchor everything else to. The "darkness" and "point retention" columns above are the direct, well-established consequence of where each pencil sits on that ladder rather than separately measured lab figures - if you want strictly numeric darkness data, treat these as relative, not absolute.
What actually makes a Blackwing special?
Past the cult following, three things genuinely set Blackwing apart from an ordinary quality pencil:
- The replaceable rectangular eraser. Instead of a round nub crimped on for good, every Blackwing wears a flat eraser held in an extendable metal clamp (the ferrule). Slide it out as it wears, flip it, or swap in a fresh one - so you never bin a half-used pencil just because the eraser has perished. It's the most imitated feature in the category, and still the one most rivals get wrong.
- Genuinely good cedar. The bodies are California incense cedar, the classic premium pencil wood, which is why they sharpen cleanly to a long, strong point without the crumbly, off-centre cores you get from cheap basswood pencils.
- Graded by feel, not by code. Most brands hand you HB/2B/4B and let you guess. Blackwing makes four pencils, each tuned to a job, and asks one question: how soft do you want it? For a lot of people that is the entire appeal.
The rest is heritage. The name comes from the legendary Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602, beloved of animators, novelists and composers, discontinued in 1998 and traded for absurd sums second-hand until California Cedar Products Company revived the line around 2010. The original's slogan - "Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed" - still sums up the soft, fast, low-effort line that the modern range is built around.
The four pencils in detail
Blackwing Matte - the soft one
The matte-black Matte is the direct heir to the soft pencil that relaunched the brand. Its graphite is the darkest and smoothest of the core four: it glides, it shades beautifully, and it lays down a line under almost no pressure. The catch is the same as with any soft pencil - the point wears down quickly and the line smudges if you drag your hand across it. This is a drawing and expressive writing pencil, not a notes-all-day pencil.
Check price: Blackwing Matte (Soft) on Amazon →
Blackwing Pearl - the balanced one
If you only ever own one Blackwing, this is the safe pick. The pearlescent-white Pearl sits between the soft Matte and the firm 602: noticeably darker and smoother than the 602, but far more controlled and longer-lasting than the Matte. It writes well, sketches well, and never feels wrong for either job. The name is well earned.
Check price: Blackwing Pearl (Balanced) on Amazon →
Blackwing 602 - the firm one
The gunmetal-grey 602 with its gold imprint is the famous one, and it is firm by design. It holds a fine point for ages, keeps your page clean, and rewards anyone who writes a lot - notes, journalling, fine linework, crosswords, long manuscripts. It is still smoother and darker than a standard office HB, but it is the most "writer's pencil" of the range. If your hand is light and you want detail and control over drama, start here.
Check price: Blackwing 602 (Firm) on Amazon →
Blackwing Natural - the extra-firm one
The bare-cedar Natural is the firmest core Blackwing and the one people overlook. Its line is the lightest of the four, but it holds a point longer than any of them and resists smudging best, which makes it superb for dense handwriting, technical jotting, and the light underdrawing stage of a sketch before you commit darker grades over the top. If you find even the 602 too soft for daily writing, this is your pencil.
Check price: Blackwing Natural (Extra-Firm) on Amazon →
Which Blackwing is firmest, and which is softest?
Firmest is the Natural (Extra-Firm); softest is the Matte (Soft). The 602 is firm but a step softer than the Natural, and the Pearl sits in the middle of the whole range. Because firmness and darkness move in opposite directions, that also means the Matte gives the darkest line and the Natural the lightest - with the Pearl and 602 filling the gap in between.
Which Blackwing is best for writing vs drawing?
For writing, lean firm. The 602 is the classic everyday writer; the Natural goes a step further if you write small, write fast or hate re-sharpening. Both keep a clean, controlled point through a long session.
For drawing, lean soft. The Matte is the obvious choice for shading and expressive work because it lays down rich, dark tone with almost no pressure - this is why Blackwing comes up so often in "best pencils for drawing" conversations. The Pearl is the sketcher's compromise if you want one pencil that draws nicely but can still take legible notes.
If you do both, no single Blackwing is ideal for everything - which is why the range exists, and why a small variety pack is the smartest first purchase.
Which Blackwing should I buy first?
Three sensible starting points, depending on how decisive you feel:
- You mainly write: start with the 602 (Firm). It is the archetype, and the one most likely to make you "get" Blackwing.
- You mainly draw: start with the Matte (Soft) for the dark, fluid line, or the Pearl (Balanced) if you want more control.
- You're not sure: buy the Variety Set and let your hand decide. Trying the firmnesses side by side teaches you more in ten minutes than any review.
Check price: Blackwing Variety Set of 3 on Amazon →
One catch with the Variety Set: the standard set of three contains one each of the soft Matte (sold here as the "Original"), the firm 602 and the balanced Pearl - it does not include the Extra-Firm Natural. So it samples three of the four core firmnesses, which covers most people, but if it is specifically the firm-end Natural you're curious about, buy that one separately.
The bottom line
Don't agonise. The four core Blackwings are one pencil offered at four firmnesses, and they are close enough that any of them is a pleasure to use - the choice only decides whether you tend darker-and-smoother or firmer-and-cleaner. Writers should start with the 602, artists with the Matte, the undecided with the variety set, and the firm-handed with the Natural. We stock the whole core line so you can pick the right one first time.
FAQ
What's the actual difference between the Blackwing 602, Pearl, Matte and Natural?
Firmness of the graphite, and not much else. The Matte is soft (darkest line), the Pearl balanced, the 602 firm, and the Natural extra-firm (lightest line, best point retention). They share the same incense-cedar body and the same replaceable rectangular eraser; the finishes (matte black, pearl white, gunmetal grey, bare cedar) are mostly there to tell them apart.
Which Blackwing is the darkest?
The Matte (Soft). Darkness tracks softness, so the softest pencil gives the darkest line and the firmest - the Natural - gives the lightest.
Are Blackwing pencils good for drawing?
Yes, particularly the softer ones. The Matte's dark, smooth, low-pressure line is excellent for shading and expressive work, and the Pearl is a strong all-round sketching pencil. Just remember they're a single graphite formulation each rather than a full 9H-9B artist set, so serious tonal drawing usually pairs a Blackwing with a wider-range graphite line.
Why are Blackwing pencils so expensive?
Quality cedar, smooth Japanese-style cores, the reusable clamp eraser, and a fair amount of brand heritage. Whether that's worth it is personal - but on build quality and writing feel they genuinely sit above an ordinary HB.
Do Blackwing pencils use HB grades?
No, and that trips people up. The core range is graded Soft, Balanced, Firm and Extra-Firm rather than by the HB scale. Roughly, the Matte writes darker than a typical 2B while the Natural behaves closer to an HB - but treat that as a guide to feel, not an exact equivalence.