I can't begin to say how impressed I am with these pencils. I never knew such coloured pencils existed. I'm so used to cheap naff pencils, generally in floppy plastic cases so that they all move around and fall out easily. When I read the reviews of these, I was sold, and hoped I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, they have exceeded expectations. What a fantastic design of the case (and why on earth has it taken me until I'm 30 to see a company use such simple but effective initiative?). It beats even pencil tins, because once opened, the flap opens up to become a stand. This makes the pencils readily available, no more scrambling around trying to find the right colour, and when closed, the case closes securely - something that tins still don't provide. The pencils are soft and beautifully true to the colour on the coating. Very vibrant. They colour in very smoothly and easily, and also evenly. My experience of coloured pencils has always been scratchy colouring-in straight after sharpening, ending with shiny, blunt and hard going colouring as the pencil wore down. Not so with these, no matter if they're sharp or on the blunt side, they still colour effortlessly. I assume it's the soft lead that enables this. I always associated pencils with hard work, but these are a dream to work with. I was a little sceptical over the triangular shape; I thought it might be a tad painful over prolonged periods, but they're very comfortable to use. As you can see, I'm in raptures over these. The colours available are great, so glad I went for the 24 set and not the 12. The only little niggles I have are these: there is no light shade of pink, which may or may not be a bit problematic if you want to colour white people. There is a tanned kind of colour that might suffice. Not a problem for me as I'm not using them as children might, but using them for work. That said, the range of each colour is very good.
I can't comment on whether they break or not as I haven't put them through their paces in terms of travel... though they got to me through the post and none of them are broken. As the pencils get worn down and shorter, I wonder if they will rattle around in the compartment a bit. I hope then that the anti-break technology will be proven at this point!
I have sharpened one straight out of the box. The triangular shape made my (round) pencil sharpener leave little indentations on the coating. I notice that they've arrived from factory having been sharpened on each side of the triangle. I don't have the time or patience to sharpen these with a knife, so I will settle with the indentations. A small price to pay for such quality pencils. Staedtler have come up trumps.
| Manufacturer | Staedtler |
|---|---|
| Brand | STAEDTLER |
| Model Number | 157 SB24 ST |
| Product Dimensions | 18.8 x 21.59 x 1.52 cm; 240 g |
| Colour | Assorted |
| Closure | zip fastener |
| Grip Type | non-slip |
| Material Type | Wood |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Size | 24 count (Pack of 1) |
| Point Type | Medium |
| Line Size | 0_3mm |
| Ink Colour | White |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 157SB24CB |
| Item Weight | 240 g |
