Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK

There are certain Artists/Engineers that prefer using a mechanical pencil for drawing/drafting. The small widths of the 0.3-0.7 mm lengths tend to keep a sharp point and are great for drawing without stopping every minute to sharpen the point. The drawback to these mechanical pencils is that it also tends to snap on you with the slightest bit of pressure. Besides being annoying it can sometimes leave a mark on your paper as well. Now the 1.0 mm leads are thicker but the points seem duller and they also snap on you when drawing (maybe not as easily or as often). Another drawback with these types of pencils is they often don't come with varying degrees of hardness (9B-9H) as your wood encased pencils often do.Staedtler has taken the best of both and fused them into this Lead holder. At 2.0 mm the leads are very sturdy and can take a greater measure of pressure. For all intents and purposes this lead holder is very similar to mechanical pencils. Although they are the tools I use most often they are not without their drawbacks as well. Here is a summary of the pros and cons IMO:Pros:1. Staedtler leads are one of the best products.2. Very light-weight and comfortable design.3. The thick lead makes it very durable. It hardly ever snaps on me.4. A variety of hardness degrees are available (EB, 6B-B, HB, F, H-9H).5. There is a lead pointer located at the end of each pencil. Therefore you don't have to buy one separately. However, Staedtler does make Staedtler Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads, 502BKA6, which works very well.6. The individual leads are labeled with the various degrees.7. You don't have to worry about unevenly centered lead cores, which can happen with the standard pencil. Resulting in breakage and waste.8. The lead keeps a point longer than a standard pencil. You can create both a sharp point and dull point as needed with the above sharpener.9. Since you are only sharpening the lead, you can save yourself time and money. Whenever you sharpen a standard pencil, you eat away a lot of the wood casing along with the lead.10. Refills are cheaper than buying a new standard pencil.Cons:1. Unless you want to switch out the lead each time you need a different degree, you need to buy a lead holder for each degree you need. (Tip: The staedtler graphite/lead is what I love. There are a variety of 2.0 mm lead holders available.)2. There is a lead pointer located at the end of each pencil. It does pull off to sharpen the lead but it is very small and difficult to maneuver. There is only one type of point to sharpen your lead to. (Sharp point)3. After sharpening your lead, the shavings have to go somewhere. If you don't remember to dump the end, you will certainly end up with a mess somewhere.4. Although the individual leads are labeled with the various degrees, the lead holder itself has no mechanism to let you know which degree of lead you are using. However, Staedtler does provide inter-changeable color-coded pencil ends to mark which lead is in each holder. However, this is only provided with the purchase of 12 count refill leads. (I use tape to identify the different leads. I also bought Paper Mate Foohy Gooshy Grips (73740), which adds comfort to my grip and the color coding helps me to visually see the pencil degree I need.5. No built in eraser. Not always used, but still nice to have.6. Push button advance is a bit of an exaggeration. You push the button and it releases the lead. Not controlled advancements that you would find with a traditional mechanical pencil.I still think that the pros far outweigh the cons. Either which way, I still love the Staedtler graphite and think it is one of the best products for sketching and drawing.

Just what I was looking for in a lead holder, I use this for sketching it's much better than the usual mechanical pencil (which I was obsessed with using), the quality is great, the grip was secure, and the weight was night, not too much to make it a hassle to use.

This pencil works great for drawing. It has a solid metal grip which keeps it firmly in one’s hand. The lead is easy to insert and sharpen. It is more faint than a normal pencil which is good for drawing when you want to add gradual shades, but for regular writing it can be hard to see the letters on the paper. Overall it is a good step up from a regular pencil for those looking to draw and sketch.

I've got a total of six model 780 holders with various leads around my easels... 2mm leads and holders are the best tools for graphite drawing and sketching. These are comfortable, strong well built holder that are practically indestructible.

Works better than a wood pencil . Use it all the time for wood working .

If you want a smooth barrel graphite holder that is fairly tall compared to my Red barreled Koh-I-Noor graphite holder then this is a good option. It is longer than I would like to carry in a short pencil case but it have more aggressive stippling at the fingers for more control. The clutch appears sturdy and the built-in sharpener works fairly well.. HOWEVER, when I sharpen the tip where is all that powder going? There is a small hole in the tip of the holder that receives a 2mm lead. Twist and it does a good job of sharpening the point. It is not so aggressive that you waste a lot of graphite but I don't see an outlet for the dust. All in all its a very good taller than expected graphite holder with a smooth barrel that has good control and a magical sharpener built in that somehow consumes graphite.

Love the design, nice quality and design the lead in there lasts as long as a new pencil.

This is a great entry-level lead holder. It's affordable just like mechanical pencils, but a lot more durable. The casing is all plastic just as other reviewers mentioned, but I don't find it flimsy at all. It will definitely survive accident drops (desk to floor), but the drop itself is unlikely to happen since part of the barrel has been shaped specifically to prevent it.The lead holder came with a single piece of 2H lead - this is really important if you're trying to draw with it - because 2H is hard enough to break if you pressure it to much. The provided 2H lead gives really light lines and should be used for fine drawing. It's easy to erase though. If you want to use this for drawing, definitely get a box of 2B or darker lead with it (which I luckily did). Just beware that since this is a budget lead holder, any pieces of lead you purchase will probably cost more.There's a lead sharpener at the "eraser" end of the pencil - which is really convenient. (There is no eraser.) However, the sharpener isn't as easy to use as you would expect. The hole is quite deep, so if you're used to drawing with a short lead tip, remember to get it out before trying to sharpen it. Also, unlike dedicated lead sharpeners out there, the sharpener on this pencil does not have a place to store the lead residue, nor a second hole to let them out. This means you'll have to frequently remove the lead powder manually by tapping it backwards on some hard surface that you aren't concerned with getting lead spread everywhere.Overall, this lead holder is a great value at its price, but if you're planning to use it "professionally" it might be a good idea to invest in a nicer sharpener and some good quality lead.