Now then, the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. (HHGOA)



Regrettably, it’s not actually called the Holy Hand-Grenade of Antioch, it’s called the Blackwing One Step Long Point Sharpener. Wow! It must have taken ages to come up with that catchy moniker.

Reviews have been mixed. Brad @penaddict got a duff one. One of our first buyers did too. To their credit, Blackwing and their distributor replaced both quickly and efficiently.

What do I think?

Wait for it…

Does it demonstrably sharpen pencils better than other sharpeners? No. Not really.

Is it superb value for money? No.

Is it beautifully made, flawless in design and manufacture? Nope.

I like it.

Look, I like Field Notes, which aren’t demonstrably better than other notebooks, nor superb value for money either.

The HHGOA sharpens my pencils and looks pretty cool. So, I like it.

If it’s excellent sharpeners at an astonishing price, that you’re after, then don’t tell anybody I told you, but go here.

20 for £12.99! And they do an excellent job.

Back to the hand grenade. It’s made of aluminium, with a black coating. I’m certain that it will chip and and mark swiftly and definitively. Time in my pencil case will batter it. To my taste, the wear will improve the looks. A bit of faux-vintage, if you will…

The curved blade produces the much-desired concave point, which is shorter than I’m used to from my older two-step long point sharpeners. I have had no quality issues with it at all. It sharpens well and easily.


They'd hate me for saying it, but Blackwing and Moleskine sell nostalgia. Their products are echoes of stationery past. Both brands hark back to windswept and interesting people who used their tools. Steinbeck and his pencil pot, agonising over the lot of seasonal workers. Chatwin scouring the world for his beloved notebooks.

I'd be willing to bet that both bought kit that was cheap and accessible.

There are objectively better notebooks than Moleskine out there. There are certainly pencils that offer better value than the Blackwing, but don't let that worry you. Blackwings are beautiful, as are their accessories. Even if they are make-believe.

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