Why Hagoromo Chalk Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider

Hagoromo has been described as "the Rolls-Royce" of chalk." The formerly Japanese, now Korean brand's chalk is known for its smooth consistency, vibrancy, and being nearly dust-free. But the brand almost disappeared in 2015, which sent its loyal fans into a frenzy, buying up lifetime supplies before the factory shut down. Luckily, Shin Hyeong-seok, a Korean schoolteacher and former seller of Hagoromo chalk, formed a relationship with the company's president, Watanabe Takayasu, and decided to take over. The transition wasn't easy, but Hyeong-seok's dedication to Takayasu's original formulas and methodology kept the brand alive. But is that enough to ensure its future? We visited Sejongmall, where Hagoromo chalk is made, to find out.

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Why Hagoromo Chalk Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider

[KamiCorp]

I actively use this chalk daily for work.
It does cost 5x more than many other brands, but it also:
- Produces less chalk dust
- Doesn't rub off onto your hands
- Easily cleans off with one or two passes of a wiper, rather than most others that need to be washed off with water and stick around for ages
- Has a richer, brighter colour and is easier to see.

All of those reasons is why I use it and never regret paying the premium for it.

[RonenOsden]

I love the common factor with almost every one of the "So Expensive" videos being how passionate makers and users are about the products. Really makes me want most of the items, even when I have absolutely no use for them.

[EmmaBGames]

I LOVE when ambassadors of the brand only ask for the brand's products in exchange for being an ambassador; it shows the true quality of the product and that the ambassadors are true believers in it and the company. Amazing.

[cloudy]

I think it's really cool that a Korean company wanted to preserve Hagoromo's legacy when other Japanese companies just wanted to buy the brand and get the recipe for themselves. The Japanese-Korean relationship has troubled histories and memories that continue even to this day but it's oddly heartwarming to see stuff like this, even if it's over something arguably insignificant like chalk

[snix]

13:16 "even though chalk may disappear, the best product should disappear last."

Damn, now I'm being emotional for chalks. 😂

[CreativismeOfficial]

Imagine studying all your life to become a math professor, only to be interviewed about chalk

[lolkthnxbai]

Fountain pen users completely understand the pleasure of finding something that is a joy to write with to the point where it makes you want to write with it more.

[luluraeven]

I went to a Japanese elementary school. All my teachers used Hagoromo. I fondly remember the privilege of writing on the board and being tasked to clean the dusters.
I can say from experience, the writing experience is far superior. It feels buttery as the pigment clings to the blackboard and glides, the color payoff is far greater than any other brand, and cleaning the board is so much easier.
Japan has a long standing love of stationery and innovation, but I'm glad the new South Korean owner has kept the authentic methods and kept the legacy going!

[alvaro.lozano-robledo]

Thanks Business Insider for the chance to participate in this documentary!! 😅 😊

[zelbarbero]

I remember the former owner of Hagaromo chalk talked about his passion for making these products and the sadness in his eyes are reflected when he revealed that he was closing the company, but was hoping a buyer would continue his business. Glad that a South Korean company bought it and kept the product alive.

[Talik]

Oh man. I'm only 1 minute in, and just listening to it hit the chalkboard a few times I can tell why it's so expensive. I bet it never squeaks either.
Look how VIBRANT that color is!!

[MoonLitChild]

When they did the episode on Blackwing pencils, I'd been gifted one by a friend who didn't know there was a following behind them, but I went on to buy a whole box, 36$ for 12 pencils. I'm a seamstress, so when I design new things, I'm always drawing and erasing, drawing and erasing, and nothing erased cleaner than a Blackwing, so I 100% get the following Hagoromo has garnered. There are some things that once you use them, nothing else will do, even if you have to save up to buy them.

[kwaaaa]

I just love it when people geek out on the gear they use. It's appreciation of the tiniest details for the tools you use and how it impacts your art/craft.

[UnliRide]

One other benefit that's not mentioned - you can wear dark clothes while using this chalk and not worry about white dust peppering you all over.

[chloehennessey]

My aunt is a math teacher. I just ordered her a box of white and a box of multicolored Hagoromo. It’ll be her start of the new school year gift.

[Rathurue]

I've used these before, and for the liquid ingredient I my guess is between two things: tapioca starch or rice starch mix.
There's a subtle sweetness to the chalk (and yes, I tried to eat it before) that you can taste if you kept a small piece inside your mouth, which might be because those starches gets broken down into sugar by amylase enzyme in your saliva.

[xxfloppypillowxx]

I mean I'm normally the "is the price really worth it?" kind of person but you cannot deny the quality of lines it produces. Like I didn't know that a chalk line could look so good nor have I ever seen a chalkboard that is that clean that wasn't brand new.

[freeman]

I love how this is sort of a sequel to the episode by Great Big Story showing how the Korean company is running the place after the original owner sold them the recipe and machinery

[NanashiCAST]

this chalk is literally the only reason you would use a blackboard over a whiteboard now

seeing so many hagoromo chalk in one place activates my neurons and put me in happy place

[tomwhite]

Given the history between Japan and Korea, it's genuinely fantastic to see a business from one nation being continued with the same passion in the other.