STAEDTLER Lumograph Graphite Drawing and Sketching Pencils 100G6, Set of 6 Degrees in an Attractive Storage Tin (100G6)

Used the pencil hardness to test brinell hardness of lead alloys...works

Just got them and surprisingly LOVE them and the 8B is the darkest of any brand if you are looking for a really dark black. I actually bought a dozen Conte Extra Fine Drawing Pencil in 2B (French) because they are so black, but you cannot use them until the very end of your drawing as they are waxy and do not lift well, so it is not a good idea to use them for layering until the very end when you are adding the finishing touches to your piece. Also, you need a very light tough otherwise the lead breaks off and can create quite a mess. And to tell you the truth, I did not think that I would like these, have no idea why, but bought them as I was told that the 8B was really dark black, which is a hard value to achieve. So, I would say that statement is correct, and this brand has the darkest 8B of any brand and I have used Prismacolor, Derwent, Faber-Castell 9000, Cretacolor. My favourite being Derwent, as it also has water soluble and coloured graphite which is fabulous. Actually I am not that impresses with Faber-Castell 9000 as they are scratchy and I think damage the paper, and off course make it harder to lift without leaving impressions. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I bought the set of 24 pencils, though I expect that 10 or even 8 would be sufficient. Trying them out, I did find that the darkness did vary as stated. One thing I like is the metal box. It has separate grooves that keep the pencils from rolling around and damaging the points. Also, the degree of hardness is written on all sides of each pencil, making it easier to find what I want. I would buy the set again or just replace the individual dark pencils I will be using the most. The marks are smooth and not scratchy from all the pencils.

Top notch pencils, and sharpeners.

Bought these for my artist Adult daughter in law. Superb quality. She said they are her favorite pencils for drawing portraits. Would definitely buy again.

I’ve been using this pencil for over a decade, and this is must-have item for artist cause we need various sturdiness pencil like H,H2,H4 something like that to draw things in detail or express thinner or darker. So yeah this pencil set is good!

Great set for decent price.

These are great. Wide range of shades. Great price too!

These are currently my favorite graphite pencils. Ive used derwent for years and those are good too but I feel like these are a bit smoother. I primarly use them for graphite portraits. The only thing I like the derwent pencils more for is that I feel like the size of the cores are a bit larger in the derwents than these but I prefer the softer leads in these. Something to know about the Staedtler 7B and 8B is that they do not have that graphite shine, the Derwent 7B and 8B do. This particular set does not have the 7B and 8B but I thought its something interesting to know when comparing those two brands.

This set has a good range of lead varieties and comes in a sturdy storage case. Included is a little booklet that gives you some information about the company, product, other products, and tips for usage. This makes is especially valuable for a beginner. The set is easily portable because of the case; you can just stick it right in your bag or purse, no worries. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to draw/sketch.