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Comment by ChuckNorris89 | Hacker News Reader

>Is this just because my grade school used cheap low-grade chalk?

Most likely yeah. I remember reading here about the fairytale that is Japanese chalk and that US professors were hoarding it. I assume it must feel orgasmic.

We didn't have that kind of opulence in Eastern Europe. Chalk and blackboards here sucked ass, including the cleanup process students were responsible for. Schools switched to whiteboards and markers ASAP.

Although much easier to maintain, whiteboards and markers have shitty contrast, especially if light or reflections hit them at the wrong angle. Matte blackboards were much better at absorbing light and unwanted reflections which I guess is why they're still used today.

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Hagoromo does feel pretty nice to write with. It’s thicker and it writes smoother than standard chalk. It also has some sort of coating on the sides so it doesn’t get everywhere. It doesn’t break easily when dropped.

It’s good but not hilariously better than decent chalk.

I find that because of the coating you have to pick a side that you’re going to write with, and this small amount of mental energy is a small roadblock. It also seems shorter than regular chalk, although this could just be that the pieces I use are used frequently!

I think I watched a video on it a long time ago and seem to recall that professors immediately break the chalk in half before using it. I don’t remember why.

I regularly use Hagoromo chalk on a personal chalkboard and I always break new sticks in half before use. For me, it feels more comfortable to use smaller pieces than large ones. It allows me to hold the chalk with more fingers, and avoids the awkward position where you have to hold the chalk like a pencil with a few inches of chalk resting on your hand. However, some friends swear by full, long sticks, so it's very much a matter of what you're used to.

Personally, I always was afraid of breaking the long chalk while writing, which would have caused the far end to fall to the floor and break into many small pieces. So why not be safe and write with a shorter stick.

I don't know anything about japanese chalk but in general you should break chalk in half because that makes the chalk not scratch with a high pitched sound when used.

As a Hagoromo-using professor: its biggest advantage to me is that it erases much more cleanly, so that after a few passes over the board you can still read the new writing instead of it looking like writing over half-erased writing.

That’s a great point that I forgot to mention. I’d reckon a large reason for this and its other benefits is how soft the chalk is.

While it's not manufactured by the same company anymore, a Korean company bought the formula and sells it on Amazon now! [0] So, you, too, can see what the hype is all about, if you want! At $0.39 per piece of chalk, it is, indeed, expensive. But, it is also a much different experience from writing with ordinary chalk.

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[0]: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01HDNUXBW

> All Hagoromo chalks are well coated to prevent hands from coming into contact with chalk dust when using. Never have to worry about stained, dusty hands when using chalk ever again

You mean not having messy hands after writing on a blackboard is a thing? You mean my whole life was a lie?

FWIW, there are such things as chalk holders, also called chalk chucks.

(As a tongue-twister, do you now have chalk chuck shock? :)

I vaguely remember some pieces of chalk in my school having paper wrappers on them. Those were a bit less messy.

> I remember reading here about the fairytale that is Japanese chalk

Specifically Hagoromo chalk, I think

I probably read the same thing and bought some of the more recent Korean-purchased version, and it _is_ quite wonderful.

I've always hated whiteboards; when I leave something up on my chalkboard for a few days/weeks, I can still erase it. If I need more cleaning, water works. I don't need some foul smelling, expensive, concoction to clean the damn thing. (Yes, I know the "tricks" of toothpaste or drawing over the stains; the latter counts as "foul smelling, expensive", however.)

Any dust that gets on my clothes (never happens, but a common complaint), is removed with my hand easily enough.

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