Product reviews pt.3: Staedler mechanical pencils and leads.

Staedler mechanical pencils and leads.

Staedler is known for their drafting products, and one of their most common items is the mechanical pencil. Like most brands, they come in four sizes. 03, 05, 07, and 09. This post will also cover Staedler lead holders, leads, and sharpeners.

The mechanical pencils are a joy to use. The rubber grip makes them more comfortable to hold than other brands, and their thick bodies are the ideal proportion for a tool such as this. Like some modern technical pencils, they have a sliding indicator for lead weight, allowing you to keep track of what weight is in what pencil. This is particularly useful if you are using a large number of these with a large variety of weights. Sizes are color coded, and the overall appearance of the pencil is pleasing. If nothing else, it is a fine example of industrial design.

The only real issue I have with these pencils, aside from the cost, is that they have a higher than expected rate of mechanical failure. I have had to replace 05’s several times. Other sizes don’t seem to have this issue with the same frequency, but perhaps this is just because 05 is my default size for sketching, and therefore those pencils get more extensive use. This issue has come up in other brands as well, such as Pentel, but it is not universal.

All in all, these are my first recommendation when it comes to technical pencils. They look great, feel great,and are mostly reliable.

Staedler lead holders are even more reliable and solid than their mechanical pencils. They may be lacking in aesthetic qualities (though the metal grip on the one to the right does look nice), but overall they are very agreeable. Staedler sharpeners are…well…sharpeners. They’re reliable, but sometimes a bit stiff in their operation.

Staedler lead has a decent level of quality, though it isn’t appreciably better or worse than anything else I’ve tried. If nothing else, you get plenty o refills for a low price.