STAEDTLERMars Tehnical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm (#2) Lead Holder with Built-in Sharpener - Drawing & Sketching Pencil with Metal Clip & Push-Button Lead Advance

high quality writing tools.

Just what I was looking for in a lead holder, I use this for sketching it's much better than the usual mechanical pencil (which I was obsessed with using), the quality is great, the grip was secure, and the weight was night, not too much to make it a hassle to use.

I've got a total of six model 780 holders with various leads around my easels... 2mm leads and holders are the best tools for graphite drawing and sketching. These are comfortable, strong well built holder that are practically indestructible.

There are certain Artists/Engineers that prefer using a mechanical pencil for drawing/drafting. The small widths of the 0.3-0.7 mm lengths tend to keep a sharp point and are great for drawing without stopping every minute to sharpen the point. The drawback to these mechanical pencils is that it also tends to snap on you with the slightest bit of pressure. Besides being annoying it can sometimes leave a mark on your paper as well. Now the 1.0 mm leads are thicker but the points seem duller and they also snap on you when drawing (maybe not as easily or as often). Another drawback with these types of pencils is they often don't come with varying degrees of hardness (9B-9H) as your wood encased pencils often do.Staedtler has taken the best of both and fused them into this Lead holder. At 2.0 mm the leads are very sturdy and can take a greater measure of pressure. For all intents and purposes this lead holder is very similar to mechanical pencils. Although they are the tools I use most often they are not without their drawbacks as well. Here is a summary of the pros and cons IMO:Pros:1. Staedtler leads are one of the best products.2. Very light-weight and comfortable design.3. The thick lead makes it very durable. It hardly ever snaps on me.4. A variety of hardness degrees are available (EB, 6B-B, HB, F, H-9H).5. There is a lead pointer located at the end of each pencil. Therefore you don't have to buy one separately. However, Staedtler does make Staedtler Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads, 502BKA6, which works very well.6. The individual leads are labeled with the various degrees.7. You don't have to worry about unevenly centered lead cores, which can happen with the standard pencil. Resulting in breakage and waste.8. The lead keeps a point longer than a standard pencil. You can create both a sharp point and dull point as needed with the above sharpener.9. Since you are only sharpening the lead, you can save yourself time and money. Whenever you sharpen a standard pencil, you eat away a lot of the wood casing along with the lead.10. Refills are cheaper than buying a new standard pencil.Cons:1. Unless you want to switch out the lead each time you need a different degree, you need to buy a lead holder for each degree you need. (Tip: The staedtler graphite/lead is what I love. There are a variety of 2.0 mm lead holders available.)2. There is a lead pointer located at the end of each pencil. It does pull off to sharpen the lead but it is very small and difficult to maneuver. There is only one type of point to sharpen your lead to. (Sharp point)3. After sharpening your lead, the shavings have to go somewhere. If you don't remember to dump the end, you will certainly end up with a mess somewhere.4. Although the individual leads are labeled with the various degrees, the lead holder itself has no mechanism to let you know which degree of lead you are using. However, Staedtler does provide inter-changeable color-coded pencil ends to mark which lead is in each holder. However, this is only provided with the purchase of 12 count refill leads. (I use tape to identify the different leads. I also bought Paper Mate Foohy Gooshy Grips (73740), which adds comfort to my grip and the color coding helps me to visually see the pencil degree I need.5. No built in eraser. Not always used, but still nice to have.6. Push button advance is a bit of an exaggeration. You push the button and it releases the lead. Not controlled advancements that you would find with a traditional mechanical pencil.I still think that the pros far outweigh the cons. Either which way, I still love the Staedtler graphite and think it is one of the best products for sketching and drawing.

Decent intro to the clutch lead holder world. Has a decently knurled grip, fits well in most hands. Modest weight. Simple and timeless design. I think the actual body of the pencil is plastic, beyond that...I've no real complaints. Great for replacing wood pencils as the lead points very easily.

Where can I start? I have used several Staedtler products since childhood and I can't recall a day of my life without a product from Staedtler. :) Amazingly, I have never tried the mechanical pencils until I received one as a gift not long ago. The reason why I have never considered using them is because I use their line of wooden pencils (2H-8B) for sketching. Well, now back to the product itself: After receiving one mechanical pencil as a gift and loving it using it, I decided to buy two more mechanical pencils, and some 2mm leads (2B and 4B). I now used three mechanical pencils each one of them has a different 2mm lead, HB, 2B, & 4B. Why I like them? For many reasons: 1. Less trees used (always a plus!) 2. same great results in my sketching (as with the wooden pencils). 3. Portability (great for traveling, no sharpener? no problem! ) 4. Love the feel and weight of the mechanical pencil in my hand. 5. All Staedtler products are of great quality and their products design are fantastic!. I can see the company takes great care in delivering great products to the consumer... ( and no, I am not associated with this company in any way. I am just a happy and faithful customer that grew up using their products since childhood) Now, I can't imagine myself without using their mechanical pencils for sketching from now on.

Works better than a wood pencil . Use it all the time for wood working .

Love the design, nice quality and design the lead in there lasts as long as a new pencil.