This pencil range hasn’t been available in the UK for that long and many people aren’t familiar with the Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth company. They have the widest range of grades of all of the pencils and go all the way up to a very black 12B, although grades above a 9B can be hard to source in the UK. The biggest problem I had with them was an inconsistency in texture as they rise up the grading scale. The colours start from a pure white casing for the 4H grade, and then get progressively more grey towards the silvery HB. So, whether you're doing fine detailed illustrations or adding shading and texture to your drawing, we have the right pencil for you!

These pencils offer unparalleled possibilities for spontaneous expression, creating different effects based on the pressure applied and grade of hardness. Whilst factors like strength and reliability are very important when judging pencils, people’s preferences will also be subjective in many ways. I was surprised at how strong and durable the darker grades were considering their softness: they don’t crumble and they don’t smudge too easily. They are the lightest of all the pencil ranges I’m reviewing here and the harder grades make a very fine mark, but I don’t find them scratchy or the graphite overly shiny.s are dependable in other ways too: I always find the leads smooth and never gritty or scratchy and their grading scale is 100% consistent with the shades darkening smoothly and gradually as they rise up or down the scale. For instance, grades 3H to 6H or higher would be usually considered more suitable for graphic or technical/industrial design than for sketching. The grades become darker very rapidly as they rise up through the grading scale, and they end up even darker than the Staedtlers in the softer B grades. I wouldn’t suggest using them for very fine work but for loose and very dark sketching I would absolutely recommend them. I was a little astonished when I opened the tin to see that the pencils have round casings, which is something that I’ve rarely seen except in children’s pencils.

The Pitt graphite crayons are an ideal and very economical medium for working on very large sketches and areas. We won’t ask any questions, you’ll never hear us challenge your decision and we will make sure you won’t have to wait long for your full refund. Derwent are an old British company (although now American owned) and are based in an area near the original Borrowdale mine in Cumbria where graphite was first discovered and was famously mistaken for lead. It turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong: the Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth company was founded back in 1790 and its Austrian founder Joseph Hardtmuth played an important role in the development of the modern pencil made from graphite and clay. The leads themselves shouldn’t break and snap off easily, for example when you press down on your paper or sharpen them with a craft knife.Based in Vienna, Cretacolor produces high quality and innovative pencils which have won several awards.

With its rich and dark lead, it's easy to create bold and dramatic lines, making it an essential tool for artists, designers, and anyone who loves to draw. At first I thought this was quite mad – the point of regular hexagonal casing is after all to stop the pencils sliding around on your desk – but then I picked one up and it felt so lovely, slim and smooth to hold that I was quite won over! Faber-Castell are pencil specialists with an eminent and aristocratic history (they even have their own castle in Nuremburg! They come unsharpened and it’s a bit of a killer on the wrist to sharpen a whole tin’s worth, unless you have an electric sharpener.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.