STAEDTLERMars Technical Mechanical Pencil Set, Blue, (788 SBK4)

I’ve been using this brand and model of pencil for tile installation for 19 years. It performs very well. I’ve had many last a whole year or more marking on walls or concrete floors. I was a union tile setter in Southern California for 34 years and on many projects did their layouts for the other tile setters. This is the only model of pencil I’ve used for at least 19 years. It clips to my shirt collar for easy retrieval. The leads are thick and don’t break or wear out easily when marking on concrete. When needing to do finer marking on paper you just lengthen the lead by pushing in the button on the end and pulling out the lead. Hold onto the lead when pushing because it will slide right out and break on the ground. Completely remove the lead and insert it into the small hole in the push cap. Twist the pencil back and forth between your fingers and apply a little pressure to the lead and continue until sharp. About 20 twists or less to achieve a sharp point. You can also pull off the cap while leaving the lead in the pencil but it tends to wear out the push cap holding mechanism quickly so it falls out of the pencil when turned upside down. Be careful when lending it out because in my experience they never seem to find their way back to me.

This item performs the task of mechanical pencil very well. The thick 2 mm lead is very strong and can be easily pointed for fine work. The Body of the Pencil is well made and quite durable. The single drawback for the item would be the need to purchase refills on-line for the most part. Although some art supply stores and some very large office supply stores do carry the refills.A single refill will last as long if not longer than a standard wooden pencil. And there are various hardness refills that will improve or reduce the longevity of the refills. I would have preferred that the pencil worked more like a traditional mechanical pencil with one click of the top advancing the lead a set amount. But it works like a simple holder, when the top is depressed the lead is free to advance any distance, thus it requires two hands to adjust the length of the refill outside the pencil.And there is no built in eraser so one has to carry an eraser or else make no mistakes. The cap on top does have a cutting blade to re-point the refill when it dulls. A necessary tool if one prefers detailed and precise lines.For the price this is a really good 2mm set.

As an artist, you will eventually reach a point where a number 2 pencil holds you back. At that point, you will either go with a mechanical pencil or the traditional 2mm drafting lead holder. I do not know why this product is labeled as a technical mechanical pencil. Trust me, it is a drafting lead holder.The product is amazing. I can assure you that when using a Staedtler sharpener that the 2mm lead holder can actually achieve a much finer point than a .05 mechanical pencil. I should also point out that a stick of 2mm lead lasts a lot longer than a stick of .05mm lead. For drawing construction lines on a set of prints or for roughing in a sketch I recommend the 4H lead. For fine detail work I recommend or print drawings, I recommend HB lead.You will need a brush of some sort to wipe off excess graphite on the page. The Staedtler white plastic eraser seems to be designed with this lead holder in mind for it erases mistakes flawlessly.Purchase one and try it out; you will soon see why the Staedtler 2mm Lead Holder has been the penciler's tool of choice for millions of artists and draftsman.

This is a slim pencil. Easy to hold. The lead is long and lasts a long time. No sharpening needed. I love that there is a canister of lead refills included. The lead is smooth and light. It works great for my guidelines. Thank you for a great product!

Its great and nice to use, make sure to go to your local art store and buy some HB or 2B lead. The default 2H lead it comes with, hard to erase and too light. Also every time I have to sharpen the lead, feel's like I'm going to have to take the garbage out. Takes a bit to get it sharpened to the point and emptying the F*ing lead shaves. Overall, great holder, I just don't like the cap sharpener idea.

I LOVE this lead holder! I absolutely hate writing with normal pencils, and I break the lead on mechanical pencils because I write kind of hard. I was shopping for school supplies and If I hadn't seen this pencil here on Amazon I would have never thought to start using these. I had previously always assumed Staedtler products were really expensive and just for mechanical drawing or drafting, but it is great for school or everyday use too! I'm not made of money, so I was like.. "am I about to drop $6 on a pencil?" WORTH IT, NO REGURTS.This kit is so awesome. Great deal on the price, and perfect for someone like me. The lead included writes super smooth, WAY better than any other pencil I've used. And it doesn't make that gross scratchy feeling that a wood pencil does on paper. The included eraser doesn't tear up paper like a pink eraser does, even if you erase a few times.The included lead is very nice, but for my taste it was kind of light so I purchased some Staedtler 2B lead. That is a darker lead and I love it; absolutely perfect, and writes like a dream. I did confirm with an art supply pro that it will work on Scantrons for school tests as well.When I was considering purchasing this kit I read a review on here from a person that said standard Staedtler leads won't fit in this lead holder. They are incorrect. The 2B lead I bought is the standard size and it fits, so I think maybe they were doing something wrong. (FYI: The lead included in this kit is the standard size anyway.) Just wanted to note that, because it confused me since I had never owned one of these before. So no worries, if you buy this kit - YES, standard size Staedtler lead fits in it.

These work excellent for small earring balls.