Faber Castell 3B Graphite Pencil

I saw the program 'Inside the factory' on BBC2 HD last week, which came from the Faber Castell pencil manufacturing plant in Germany. I was blown away and just had to have one.I am not disappointed. The pencil arrived, on time and I even got an original box, which was perfect for me.

After using cheaper quality pencils since I got back into art last year, I had forgotten what a difference a professional quality pencil makes. And that is exactly what this is. I prefer to use the very black pencils (7-9B) and have found the faber castell 9000 series to be incredibly versatile. I am able to get a depth of shade that was simply not possible with the lesser pencils. At just a couple of pounds per pencil to me this is a total no brainier.

Great pencils for sketching, you can get darker shades into really light shades. FC is a company that always produces great art materials. If your looking for a pencil just for some rough sketches, this is the one for you. It's hexagonal, which makes it was to hold, it sharpens like a dream and erases well. Great all rounder pencil and not too pricey.

Faber Castell is a name that has been around for years and associated with professionals (artists / draughtsmen / musicians etc) who require a bit more than a basic writing tool.This pencil looks smart in its traditional dark green outer coat and is a smoother operator than an HB. Personally I find it easier to see on the page but evidently not as dark as a 2B or higher grade.I wanted this pencil for book annotations and getting hold of a "B" seemed for some reason more difficult than it used to be.Using it makes you feel like a pro !!

I don't know how you can give these pencils anything less than 5 stars really because they're the best ever. So much better than Derwent pencils and I live near there. The lead is harder which to me is better because it keeps longer. They came wrapped really well, like getting into Fort knox. Really pleased with them

A nice pencil, writes smoothly, nice and dark, shades evenly, sharpens well, seems robust. My only (tiny) gripe is that it feels a little light in the hand. I prefer a slightly more solid pencil.

Wanted an 8 b and a 10 b pencil! Found the 8b still looking for a 10b single. Pleased with the pencil,

Excellent top quality pencil for normal paper, but would not write on the back of modern photo prints.