STAEDTLER Mars Technical Mechanical Pencil Set, Blue, (788 SBK4)

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.

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.

I've not used other lead holders, but I've used Staedtler's wood drawing pencils (the Lumograph line) and those are quite good. As it turns out, the Staedtler leads I use with this lead holder are also quite good, and this is one of the less costly lead holders. I don't like the little lead pointer inside the top little part, and I replace it with the color-coded version from the Staedtler lead packs that tell you which lead is inside. I've used the 2H leads that come with this package, as well as 2B leads and non-photo blue leads. This lead holder works well enough, and I even bought a second one. The polymer eraser included is just like any other polymer eraser.

It's a nice package and all. The extra leads, eraser, and built-in lead pointer are a nice value. However, I prefer the Staedtler Silver Series (925 25-20 or any in the 925 series), for the simple fact that it's automatic (each click advances the lead predictably like most mechanical pencils). With the Mars Technico, it's not as convenient since the whole lead or at least too much lead can slide out if you try to advance the lead one-handed. So I would get one of the 925s instead if you want 2.0mm, and just buy any of the extra stuff in this Mars package separately, especially a dedicated lead pointer. For me it's worth the added expense. And if you're using this equipment for a serious hobby/career you're gonna want a bigger supply of those included extras anyway.

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 lead holder (read that right: this shouldn't be marketed as a "mechanical pencil") is perfect for any artist or drafter. It's lightweight, but sturdy enough to stand up to years of usage. And with few moving parts, the only reason I'd replace this is if I abused or misplaced it. As other reviewers point out, you'll need a separate lead holder for each type of lead you want to use. I bought three: one for 2H, HB, and 2B leads. I keep them all in the "Accurasee Art Pencil Case, Bag, Pouch for Artist Sketchbooks" which also conveniently has a pouch for the spare lead containers. I do wish the set came with leads other than 2H, but I was able to find the other lead I needed fairly easily. I went with this package to get the spare lead holder and the eraser (which is a great eraser, btw!). The other two I ordered were the "Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK" and "Staedtler Lead Holder" which were cheaper at the time I ordered them.

Excellent just what I expected thanks

Es un muy buen portaminas, casi todo es de metal y su agarre se siente muy bien. Cumple perfectamente.

The mechanical behaviour. The grip part. And most of all the lead point sharper located at the top, is fantastic

One of my favorite mechanical pencils. I’ve been using these since I was a student studying architecture, and I’m still using them today. I especially love the built-in sharpener. I’ve tried many pencils over the years, but I always come back to this one

Je suis très satisfait de ma commande elle est arrivé à la date prévu malheureusement j’aurais préféré que tout les articles sois dans le même colis mais à part un qui as étais livré dans un colis séparément ils sont arrivés le même chose je suis satisfait. C’est mon premier crayon professionnel de ce type en une connaissance ma conseiller car il l’utilise pour faire ses dessins manga alors j’ai tenter moi aussi car à force de dessiner avec le crayon à la mine et le pouce mine je casse souvent mon crayons en appuyant dessus mais avec ce crayon sa mine est très solide et quand j’appuie dessus elle se casse pas. Étant donner que sa ne fait pas une quelque jour que j’utilise ce crayon je ne maîtrise pas encore la force de mon appui pour dessiner car je fait des petit trou sur mes feuilles mais j’essaye d’y aller tranquillement. Pour éviter ça. Ce crayon est très utile surtout poor les dessin manga la point de ce mine vous permet de bien faire les ronds et on effacent je me salis plus les doits que avec les crayon à la mine et le pouce mine. Ainsi que son taille mine professionnel rend la point assez pointue pour bien faire le dessin. En voici un exemple avec un dessin que j’ai fait un O.C durent mon cours manga. Je suis très satisfait de ce crayon je vous le conseil si vous aimer dessiner malgré le prix il vaut la pinne. 🙂

Regarded as the benchmark for lead holders.