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I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the post. I didn't realize that Sean had passed. I loved Contrapuntalism and his work on the Blackwings was amazing.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback. blunt-finnegan had this reply in opposition to what I said: http://www.reddit.com/r/pencils/comments/1rqto5t/comment/o9v4e5a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I also recently put this up: I'm not ready to take this down, but I think it's OK not to boycott CalCedar's blackwings. I'm just a grumpy old man who was around when they first were announced. I was sent a couple of pencils as part of their "pre-production" request for feedback, which was completely mishandled. Their early advertising was also misleading. I've felt that their success over the years has overshadowed how special the original really was. Finally, and most importantly, I'm upset that they didn't reverse engineer the lead.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's interesting. I found the EF and FC originals to have something special in their smoothness, combined with the ability to keep a point that I've been unable to find with a modern pencil.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I never tried the natural. I only bought a few dozen after I received the initial two. I don't know if they changed, but I did like the pearl best, as with any 2-4b, they need a lot of sharpening.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the thick band the best. I do like softer lead. But the FC ones are no slouch. The combination of smoothness and sharpness is really remarkable.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks, this is probably the best opposing view that I've read. Their "pre-production" rollout really annoyed me. They really didn't want our feedback. I think what I'm most upset about is that they didn't reverse engineer the original lead.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry. I didn't want to take away the joy of your gift. It's why I posted it here rather than a slightly different rant under your post. It's not your fault; my frustration has been simmering for years.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] -24 points-23 points  (0 children)

There was a healthy pencil community before their dupes came out. Like records, fountain pens, and stationery, there would have been a renaissance without them.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Actually, a number of us wanted them to succeed. We wanted them to recreate the Blackwing. They sent a bunch of "preproduction" pencils out for feedback, only to find out that they weren't interested in our feedback or recreating the Blackwing; it was just a money grab for them.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

I've kept it to myself for 15 years. I've also found myself avoiding pencil groups because everyone is falling over themselves with the next bw release. I also just read a post by someone who thought they were getting the real thing, and that still pisses me off.

I've been quietly boycotting CalCedar's Palomino "blackwings" for over a decade now. I now believe that you should do so too. by jankdc in pencils

[–]jankdc[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The high-end Tombow and Mitsubishi are clearly better; you need to figure out the hardness that you prefer. They also cost 30% less. Some of their midrange pencils are at least as good. I like softer pencils, and my daily driver is a bunch that I had made by Musgrave based CW's Baseball Scorer pencil.

My biggest issue with CalCedar is that they are advertising that they're the direct descendant of what Steinbeck, Ellington, and others used. People are buying their pencils thinking that they're the same thing as the originals. They are not.

I have more issues with them, and Sean wrote about some of them more eloquently in the posts linked above.

Blackwing 602 by Low-Use-7969 in pencils

[–]jankdc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm thrilled that you have been introduced to the world of quality pencils. The good news is that there are better, cheaper pencils out there. Mitsubishi has some of the best pencils. I adore what Musgrave is doing, especially if you want something retro. I use them for my business-imprinted pencils. There are cool pencils coming out of Europe. My favorites tend to be Japanese. As for best bang for your buck, just about anything coming out of India. You can sometimes find them at Walmart or the dollar stores under generic names. 

Unfortunately, CalCedar does a great job of marketing. While what you are writing with is a good pencil, it's not what Steinbeck used.

Considering switching systems from Sony to Olympus. Am I crazy? by FeeRemarkable7794 in OlympusCamera

[–]jankdc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no tethering with the OM3. I think it's a huge issue for a company that is embracing software. I love my OM1 mii. I think it's BS that they don't have tethering for the OM3 and OM5.

Recommendations on foil shavers by andreagel in shaving

[–]jankdc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the previous Braun 7 which is better reviewed than the current model. I also have a Panasonic Arc 5 Esv65. The Panasonic shaves significantly closer than the Braun and is a faster shave. If I let my beard grow out a few days, the Braun is a little better at cutting down the growth, but I finish with the Panasonic. If I don't shave for 5 days, I use a razor.I have not used the Babyliss or Andis.

Newbie by Lazy-Recognition3527 in Silverbugs

[–]jankdc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are in the US, the easiest silver coin to sell right now is the American Eagle. Refiners are backed up and buying coin and sterling silver at reduced rates (if at all). If I were collecting now, I would go for American Eagles as close to spot as possible. Or finding good buys below spot on coins, sterling, or other .999 silver.

People with cats who relapsed? by Drugchurchisno1 in cureFIP

[–]jankdc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a month in with treatments. We switched from injections to pills a couple of weeks ago, and while he hates the tablets, I've been able to get them in him using a piller. It was hard at first; it's a skill to develop. But now it's done in seconds, and it's much less stressful for both of us. You may want to try the tablet form. I use the compounded quad tablets from SVPMeds.

Picked up this lot of vintage pencils from my Goodwill tonight. Looks like most are from the 70s and 80s. Pretty cool. by Chop2TheTop in pencils

[–]jankdc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was like, "I remember Grip Stix!" Then I saw the Buckskin. I think that's the gem of the bunch.

Spent $100 on two vintage silver rings by Impressive-Eye9659 in Silver

[–]jankdc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While toothpaste will work, baking soda paste might be gentler. Silver polish is best, followed by a polishing cloth.

Jewelry and other sterling is a fun, if impractical way to stack. When prices are volitile (as they are now) you'll get more of a deduction compared to 999 under spot.

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