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.

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!

Specifically Hagoromo chalk, I think

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

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

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

Definitely yes. Good chalk and good boards sound completely different.

Newer boards came rock solid, and when they met a hard granule in a chalk, it made unbearable sqeaks and clacks.

* If I use harder pencils("F" or "H" where the standard pencil is "HB" and softer pencils are "B"), they erase more cleanly, give more friction so I get better control, and break less. Going softer makes them dark but there's a big tradeoff involved in the other respects.

* When I was growing up gel pens were still pretty new and ballpoints were the best option for lefty ink writing in most instances. However, now pretty much everything is a hybrid with quick-dry ink. If I had to pick one all-rounder it would be the Uni 207 Plus+.

* The standard ruled filler note papers are mostly terrible - thin, with a crummy, uneven texture. This means that they can't be used with all pens effectively because roller or fountain ink will go right through. Getting anything slightly heavier and smoother(even a graph paper pad) makes for a better experience.

* To learn to hold pens and develop muscle memory, do a lot of blind contour drawing, and use the various different kids' art supplies to vary the process. The reason why this works well is because blind contours make you navigate the paper by feel alone, and the specific feel of each tool changes your approach - pencil, crayon, brush, marker, chalk all have differences in how they're best held. So you end up being very sensitive to the differences, which makes you better at drawing as well as using the most effective grasp for the task.