Derwent Graphic Mixed Media Blister Pack, Set of 8, Professional Quality, 700661

I buy a tin of these every couple of years and love them. They're well-made and reliable - there are no breaking leads, no flaking or splitting wood, and the graphite is a joy to draw with, especially the softest pencils, which are like drawing with solid super smooth butter. They sharpen easily and well to a fine point with any good sharpener - they're really all I can ask from a pencil.

Great set of quality sketching pencils which do what they say on the tin. Four stars for a couple of reasons: they were not packaged brilliantly so subjected to some force during delivery. This may result in the soft leads being broken inside the pencils, time will tell. Secondly, and this may seem a bit picky, the wave pattern on the bottom of each pencil doesn’t line up when in the tin and the name is pointing upwards. For an artist this is really frustrating and looks messy! You can either have a wave pattern going across the bottom of the tin nicely or the pencil names showing but not both. It’s really annoying but if things like that don’t bother you, you can’t go wrong with the actual pencils.

I’m really pleased with this set of sketching pencils. They run from H which is the hardest in the set to 9B which is the softest. The softer the pencil the darker the shading . I do pyrography and if I’m undertaking a complex design i need to trace the outlines and transfer it onto wood. These pencils are perfect for this. I’ve sharpened a few of them already and had no breakages. I do think if you are sharpening pencils you need to use a quality metal pencil sharpener to avoid crushing the lead especially with this set as the graphite is particularly soft. This is a great set for pencil drawing as you have a big enough range to create some excellent colour differences just by changing your pencil. You don’t need to press on hard to great great coverage. Yes you could buy a cheaper set which I have done in the past but I can feel the quality in these when using them and I’m certain I will be buying more in the future. They come in a nice metal tin too. I’d definitely recommend these pencils.

I guess you could like this pencils. Or find them a use. I admit I am an amateur, but I sincerely don't enjoy using them, I must point out to the pencil mine, either the lead is too rough on the paper or I just don't like the way it draws on it. I am disappointed on not having read the 1-star reviews before purchasing because now I am worried to go on and to try and sharpen it, due to a weak lead.

I don't know what these are like to use, because there were only 3 out of 6 pencils included in the box! It should have contained 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and 8B, but instead it's only got 2H, HB and 8B, with three empty slots where the other pencils should go. Apparently the only option is to send these back for a return and buy another set, which is a lot of wasted effort all round.On the plus side, my Mobius & Ruppert solid brass pencil sharpener fits in the space occupied by the supplied plastic sharpener.

I fully recommend these pencils if you are serious about sketching and design. Excellent quality superior to most other pencils. I have used many before and these are by far superior. Other Derwent products are an excellent choice too. Please don't waste money on cheaper sets s you will only have to keep replacing them due to inferior graphite mediums. The tin is a little flimsy but I put my ones in a standing rack in grade order and not just put in a tub. It's worth the effort for a piece of mind.It's advisable to try each grade on a test paper to see which would suit your need first even though there's a rule of thumb by artist s etc but the choice is yours. The pencils won't let you down. If a little care is taken.

These are excellent pencils and are enclosed in their own tin. There are six pencils and a plastic sharpener. The pencils are in assorted degrees - 2 H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and 8B. The HB pencils for drawing outlines and the B pencils for blending & shading. As with all Derwent products they are good quality and it is often a case of 'getting what you pay for'. They arrived pre-sharpened but once they do wear I tend to use a knife rather than the actual sharpener - this gets a finer point than a sharpener.

Here we are again - another Derwent product that we can't live without.A fantastic set of 24 graphite pencils ranging from 9B to 9H with a couple of duplicates for the more used pencils. A high quality, as expected from a Derwent product, with the graphite not breaking easily. A really smooth finish on paper and very comfortable to hold.Been using these pencils for decades and wouldn't get any others.