Allison Johnson is a reviewer for The Verge who writes about phones and mobile technology. “Occasionally,” she adds, “I yell at your wireless carrier.”
I asked her if there were any items that she especially liked using, and after thinking about it, she eventually came up with… a pencil sharpener.
Where did you first hear about the Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener?
Last year, I told my husband all I wanted for Christmas was a nice pencil sharpener — and he understood the assignment. Initially, I was thinking of the big kind that you bolt to the wall, like in elementary school, but he found this one, and it’s way more practical. It’s small and light enough that I can just carry it around all the time, along with a couple of fancy Blackwing pencils, just in case a crossword puzzle breaks out at any given moment.
Why did you want one?
At some point over the past few years, I noticed that we didn’t have pencils in our house, which I blamed on a lack of pencil sharpeners. Sometimes, you need to make a little mark on a wall when you’re hanging a picture, and you kind of need a pencil for the job. Also, I wanted to get some Sudoku books, and you really need a pencil for those. So that’s why I landed on a pencil sharpener for Christmas. I also turned 40 this year; these things might all be related.
The Blackwing pencil sharpener is small enough to carry around but reassuringly weighty. Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
What do you like about it?
It’s just such a nice little object. It’s reassuringly weighty while still light enough to carry everyday. It has one job: it sharpens pencils beautifully. When the blade gets dull I can order a replacement from Blackwing, and I appreciate a little gadget with a lot of life.
Is there anything about it that you dislike, or that you think could be improved?
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