Staedtler Blacklead Pencils 2B (Box of 12)

Over the years I have tried every writing instrument imaginable to highlight scriptures and make notes in my Bible. Long ago I settled on a simple pencil because it does not bleed through and can be erased if necessary. A common #2 pencil is typically HB hardness but not quite soft enough, so I found "soft" and "extra soft" (B on the hardness scale). These were the only 2B (softer) pencils that I found. They are high quality pencils and work well on regular and slick paper. The seller was excellent in quality for the price and timely delivery. If you want a good pencil to make notes and underling text in a book and make notes, look no farther than these fine pencils from this stellar seller.

These pencils are a littel expensive compare to the 2b pencils. But I needed it for my son, whose writing was kind of invisible with other pencils. These pencils are dark enough to see his writing. Also, the pencils come allready sharpen, good quality and soft. They are also great for drawing and very functional.

No matter what I or his teacher said, my son wasn’t pressing hard enough with a typical #2 pencil to see his work well. His teacher recommended a mechanical pencil which we tried but it was only slightly better and the lead kept breaking. I bought these as a last ditch effort and they are amazing, very sturdy! These are the only ones he does his homework with now!

I like the pencils. The hex shape, the color, the excellent eraser, all that is very good. But it was my mistake to expect them to be superior to the ol' Dixon Ticonderogas, though. I compared them side by side, and they were almost identical. I have always loved the Ticonderogas, but wanted something softer and darker for music composition. Incidentally, my favorite pencils from the past (King Brand pencils) are no more, now that King Brand itself no longer exists. (They also sold my favorite quartos of music staff paper, and I used to buy reams and several boxes of pencils at their creaky old store in midtown Manhattan...) At any rate, I've been searching for a replacement for those most-excellent pencils, and sadly, these aren't it. I've considered purchasing Blackwing Mattes, but they are just too expensive. I've ordered some Musgrave Songwriters and News 600, and hope they're a closer fit to what I'm looking for. These Staedtler pencils are very good, they are moderately dark and hold a point well. They are just a little bit lighter than the Dixon Ticonderogas, and I just don't think they are worth the extra cost compared to the Dixon Ticonderogas, considering they are almost identical.

This is the best standard No. 2 pencil for drawing. Although this pencil is designed for test taking, I found it to be great for artwork. It writes very smoothly and has a nice dark tone. I just ordered a second box.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: product as described

They write dark enough. That is great.

Some people like Blackwing (which are the only 3B (darker) with eraser, but they cost 4X as much for 12 and are a little more difficult to erase. These write dark enough, darker than a regular pencil, arrive sharpened and are nice and pointy, and have an eraser. What more could you want? They are priced for sharing as well, if you have an orchestra friend who covets yours. Mine has a cylindrical magnet in the photo if you are wondering, and they go into my orchestra bag for rehearsal. I keep one out at home for practice.