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Like you, I take a lot of notes in my professional life. Over the years, I\u2019ve developed silly obsessions with the quality of Ampad legal pads<\/a> and National Brand 33-004 notebooks. But I never thought much about pens. I tended to use whatever cheap rollerballs or No. 2 pencils I stole from the office. Until now.<\/p>\n Now, I am evangelical about the implements with which I doodle<\/a>: I have found the perfect pencil and the perfect pen.<\/p>\n These two writing instruments can trace a luminous path through segments of American literature, music and art: the Blackwing 602 pencil and the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen<\/strong>. I use both (and no, you may not borrow them).<\/p>\n The Blackwing 602 is a legendary pencil, originally manufactured by Eberhard Faber. Since its debut in the 1930s, the felicity with which it lays down a mark on the page has converted thousands of pencil pushers into ardent fans. Nelson Riddle wouldn\u2019t use anything else. Chuck Jones used them to draw every cartoon he made. John Steinbeck plowed through as many as 60 a day.<\/a><\/p>\n Artists especially loved the 602 for the darkness of its line. When the pencil went out of production in the 1990s, devotees paid as much as $40 for one \u2014 if they could find them. This prompted Charles Berolzheimer, whose family had been making pencils for decades, to re-create the Eberhard implement in his company\u2019s Palomino Blackwing 602<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a cheap pencil. A box of the regular Blackwing 602s runs about $36 for 12<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> on JetPens, while prices vary on Amazon<\/a>. In comparison, I can get a gross of unbranded No.\u00a02 yellow pencils for less than 10\u00a0bucks.<\/p>\n However, cheap yellow pencils come with no emotional attachment. I\u2019ll use them for garden stakes. I don\u2019t care. I\u2019ll also stab you with one if you touch my Blackwing 602 without wearing a white glove.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I\u2019m not so touchy about my pen, although I am just as effusive in praising the\u00a0Pilot Metropolitan<\/a>\u00a0I use every day. It\u2019s an inexpensive pen, around $22 (with shipping). If I accidentally dropped it into a sewer grate, I\u2019d be mad, but I wouldn\u2019t lose any sleep.<\/p>\n Yet this instrument bears the same sense of legend as the Blackwing 602. Introduced in 2012 as an entry-level fountain pen, the Metropolitan has gained a lot of cred as the go-to daily pen for many enthusiasts. Part of the appeal is that it\u2019s just a good pen. Nothing fancy. No guilloche on the barrel, no weird rituals required to fill it. And it works every time, perfectly, until the very last drop of ink. Just like most other pens.<\/p>\n Except it\u2019s a fountain pen and it\u2019s a delight to use. The difference, as with the Blackwing 602, is in the smallest aspect of the experience: the sensation of writing with a fountain pen. It\u2019s different. To get down to the nitty of it, with a ballpoint pen or a rollerball, you force the ink out of the pen by friction. A tiny little ball drags across the paper, picks up ink from the barrel, then leaves it like a track.<\/p>\n A fountain pen has no moving parts. The ink is right there in the nib, waiting. The slightest touch releases the ink onto the page. You\u2019re not forcing it, you\u2019re guiding it. It takes a lighter touch so you can write faster with a fountain pen \u2014\u00a0and your penmanship will likely improve. You might even add a flourish to your signature.<\/p>\n For more fountain pen options, read Analog Attorney\u2019s \u201cFountain Pen Obsession Starter Kit<\/a>\u201d and \u201c5 Best Fountain Pens Under $40<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n How will an expensive pencil or a cheap fountain pen improve your professional game?<\/p>\n Writing in Psychology Today, William Klemm cited a study<\/a> that concluded writing by hand, particularly in cursive, improves the brain\u2019s \u201cability to learn functional specialization\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad \u2014 that is the capacity for optimal efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a study in Applied Cognitive Psychology,\u00a0it also helps you retain and recall information down the line.<\/p>\n Writing, as opposed to typing or dictating, helps make you smarter. <\/em>So\u00a0while you could get smarter using any old Bic in the building, why not use a luxurious instrument?<\/p>\n Illustration \u00a9iStockPhoto.com<\/small><\/small><\/p>\n \u2022 Handwritten Notes Build Real Relationships<\/a>Perfect Pencil: The Palomino Blackwing 602<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>\n
Perfect Pen: The Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen<\/h2>\n
![\"perfect](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Pilot-Metropolitan-Fountain-Pen-770x495.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Why Writing by Hand Actually Matters<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\nBest of Analog Attorney<\/h2>\n
\u2022 Cheap Notebooks for Expensive People<\/a>
\u2022 Best Fountain Pens Under $40<\/a>
\u2022 Analog Attorney Gift Guide<\/a><\/p>\n