We've been longtime fans of the Blackwing 602 pencil. We find the Blackwing red pencils pick up where the 602 leaves off, and come in handy for making special notes,  marking in the margins of books, or marking up a manuscript.    

Made by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company from 1934 to 1988, Blackwings have been cherished by luminaries like Quincy Jones, Stephen Sondheim, Truman Capote, and Chuck Jones. In an interview with The Paris Review, John Steinbeck praised the Blackwing 602: "I have found a new kind of pencil—the best I have ever had.” Revived in 2011 and made in Japan, few writing instruments offer such a storied legacy Blackwings.