Art AlternativesPencil Tin Set, 6-Pieces - Lead Holder, 2B Leads, Built in Sharpener, Kneaded Eraser, Case

I used to have a smaller gauge clutch pencil that I used and loved years and years ago in my drafting class days, and which I lost long ago. I'm getting into sketching and was looking for something with a thicker lead, and saw this on an amazon browsing session. The price is certainly right.I think that this is a tremendous value. The pencil seems well made and has a nice, satisfying weight to it. The mechanism works easily - for those who don't know, how a clutch pencil works is that you push the button at the end which extends the "jaws" out the end where the lead goes, and you then manually adjust the length to your liking. You then release the button and the "jaws" retract and hold the lead in place.The 2B leads that you get are nice and smooth, and can achieve a wide variety of tones and textures. If you're used to drawing with either a wooden pencil or other mechanical pencil this might take some adjustment because it does have noticeable weight, but in a good way (to me).I have no idea how long this will last. My other clutch pencil lasted for many years and never stopped working. I would imagine that with proper care this one will last similarly. Seems to be well made, but how can we really tell with these things?Overall this was a fun little pickup and is well worth the price. I only wish Amazon sold replacement leads themselves. I think ebay is the way to go in that regard.

The pencil has a very sturdy build and a nice cool metallic feel to the touch. Although I'm not sure if its made completely out of metal, it still looks and feels like it, which is good enough for me. The pencil also has a nice weight to it, not too heavy but not as light as a normal mechanical pencil would be. As many have stated, the built in sharpener is not the best, all built in sharpeners are like this (from my experience) but there are all sorts of ways to sharpen the point, just experiment with it. The lead is a 5.6mm which is just as thick as a normal wooden pencil. If your looking to use for detailed work, probably be better off buying a technical pencil that uses 2mm lead, I think staedler makes a couple that are around the same price as this clutch pencil. The using of this clutch pencil took a bit of time to get used to but other than that its a great product for drawing or writing.

Received as a gift, and was so pleased that I purchased another one. Nice length, weight, and balance. I use these types of pencils or "lead holders" almost daily for sketching and art work. The quality of this one is as good as it gets. All brass internal barrel, strong and positive clutch system. Great quality. I took apart my $50 German Kaweco and this $7 Art Alternative and could not differentiate between the two except for the outside barrel composition. It is also interesting to note that all the parts were completely interchangeable between the two. The three 2B soft leads that are included are dense, strong, and of excellent quality. The cap sharpener works great and the tin box is a nice touch. This is the perfect gift for any artist. Lots of other graphite, colored, and highlighter leads are available. Both the 5.5 mm and 5.6mm leads fit perfectly in this pencil. I will be buying a few more for myself as well as for gifts.

A very good buy for the price. The clutch feels sturdy without being too heavy, and tin is handy for carrying your pencils around. The kneaded eraser isn't the best quality but it's not terrible either (just make sure you actually, you know... knead it first. :P I've seen some other reviews around here that were saying the eraser just smears things. You do know how to use a kneaded eraser, right?) I was a little disappointed with the leads. When I saw the three leads in the photo I assumed they would be different hardnesses (like HB, 2B, and 6B or something like that,) but they're all the same. Nowhere on the packaging does it say what hardness they are, but to judge from using them, I think they're 2B. Would be nice if they told you that up front, but oh well. 2B is what I use the most anyway. Now if I can just find some more leads...

I purchased this pencil complete with case and additional lead. It is absolutely wonderful and meets my needs in sketching periodIt also has a little pencil sharpener on the top of the pencil that you could unscrew. I've banged it around a lot where the paint has come off but it still usable.I love it

Absolutely amazing. I could see how there could be some issues. But mine arrived solid. It is metal and has a nice weight. The graphite is smooth and sketching is very fluid. I like the size. Supposedly you can also get color graphite’s for it. I’d say for the price this is a good deal.

I got this as a baby artist's first lead holder and so far it's been great. I like the size and weight of it (it's closer to a crayola marker than a pencil for size and the metal body gives it a bit of weight but not so much that it's tiring to use) and the way the holder pops out alien style to put lead back in is fun. The sharpener in the cap works, just be careful because all those shavings end up in the cap and will go everywhere if you're not careful. A few taps against the side of a trash can seem to clear it out for me.

After messing with it, its a great drafting pencil, but for fine art the lead is too hard.I'd get some 6b, or 4b fills, and it would work nice.Personally I switched to a 2mm Italian lead holder with 4b fills. I combine that with a graphite pencil (6b) and its pretty much all I need.Still, great sturdy product if you just need a drafting pencil. If you're leaning more for classical shading I'd just pick up a softer fill.