Faber-CastellPitt Graphite Matte Pencil Set, Metal Tin of 8 Graphite Pencils and Sketching Accessories (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, 10B, 12B, 14B), Pencil Sharpener, Eraser and Blending Stump

New pencils I'm trying out. Excited for something less selective, but with the control I don't get with charcoals. These did not dissapoint. Did a mini sketch to test. Sharpen well.. good darks.. build well.. don't crumble in the sharpener, erase well..and holding sideways at the window, I don't see much relection at all. .. attached..It's a little cloudy out so I also took a sideways flash pic... also attached.. looks pretty good to me! I'm buying some more pencils now :) Sketch done with the 14b and a plastic eraser.

Coming from a digital artist, these pencils were a blast to use. The sharpness was on point, comfortable to handle, and the lines were smooth. For the sketchy style I'm trying to achieve with the texture being just right and the different shades providing me what I needed. For the price it was worth it.

I really enjoy using these pencils. Usually pencil graphite has a sheen to it so it can be difficult to get a really black black in a drawing. These have a matte pencil lead so the effect is very nice! More black!

I stumbled upon these Faber-Castell Pitt matte graphite pencils ("FCP") by accident and took a chance buying them. I'm glad I did. I typically use only Tombow MONO graphite pencils (which, I think are the best). As others have mentioned in other reviews, these FCPs do impart a wonderful, deep, dark black-ness (if you need it). And since they're matte, they add an interesting effect to a graphite drawing. I wouldn't draw using only FCPs (tho, not saying you couldn't or that they wouldn't be appropriate for that) but would def combine with with regular graphite pencil. The leads seem strong (they don't seem susceptible to easy breakage); they sharpen nicely; they do leave obvious ghosting when erased (so apply carefully); but they apply smoothly/nicely (no "crumbs" or specks) and they smudge/shade fairly well (but not as well as regular graphite but that could be a benefit as the FCPs aren't as messy as soft/dark regular graphite). I would recommend these as a supplemental addition to anyone's graphite palette, especially when in need of adding bold dark/black elements to a drawing. NEW UPDATE: To add to my earlier review, I've had a chance to use these pencils steadily for a couple of months. I still like them. But be warned that these particular pencils flake quite a bit after being applied. All graphite pencils have a tendency to flake off of a drawing a little bit over a long period of time (if not sprayed with a fixative). But these seem highly susceptible to flaking over a short period of time. Just be prepared to either: (i) use a workable fixative as you progress on your drawing; or (ii) if waiting to use a fixative until the drawing is finished, be prepared to go back over/re-do areas of your drawing if you're wanting to have the strong black tone that these pencils can provide. Cheers!

I started drawing this dog and realized my 6B just wasn't going to do the job. I ended up ordering this whole set of Pitt graphite B series and used the 14 B for the darkest part. Very pleased with the results but there is more shine than I would like. I would recommend.

Love the new graphite pencils! Love the case and the simple accessories that came with it.

Wanted to test these out to see what the difference was between these and the 9000 series. So I ordered the 11 piece set. Let me tell you now, I seriously didn’t think it was gonna be any different, but I was wrong. The B-scale grades in these Matte pencils were even better than the 9000 series. The blacks went on like charcoal. Hardly any metallic shine when light hits it. So smooth and inviting. These pencils will make you want to pull them out and draw. As for the wood casing, it seems to be the same as the 9000 series, except these have a nice black paint finish instead of the usual green we are use to seeing in most Faber Castell pencils. Yes, I know that green has almost became a trademark For Faber, but this Black is definitely a nice change on the paint finish. But once you use these, you won’t care what color of paint they used on this set. You can also rest assure that the grading scale is dead on with them. I figured that since they used a different type of matte graphite, that it might throw off the grading scale somewhat. But the only difference is that you will be getting a much better black out of these. I would highly suggest any artist out there that hasn’t tried these, to pick up a set immediately and test them out. You won’t regret it. Even if you are new to the art game and want a set of pencils that aren’t your basic drawing pencils, this is a set you should pick up. I recommend them to everybody now. Don’t get me wrong, I still like my 9000 series, but these are a step above them. I’m just kinda hoping to see more scale grades in the future in this Matte version. I know, most of us hardly even use all the different scales anyway, but it’s always cool to have them in your collection. I’m going to be buying a couple more sets of these. One set is going to be kept back in my massive pencil collection that I have been putting together for a few years. Listen, (Mitsubishi Hi-uni) and (Koh-I-Noor Toison D’or) May be the greatest wood case pencils ever made, but I gotta say this Faber Matte set is definitely ranking up right along side with them. I’m sure you will agree once you use them also.

nice pencils and good matte black color.