Let me get the caution out of the way first. Mine came with lead pre-loaded in each pencil. I thought, "great, 13 leads each instead of 12. They were all like 4B. No way I got a used set because they were factory sharp. I started into a value drawing and the lightest one was kicking out crazy dark lines, so I checked them all, and they were the same hardness and value. So if yours come preloaded, just do a quick value comparison by scribbling each, light to dark, side by side on paper. if they're all the same value, that's not ideal. Pull those leads from each pencil (easily removed and reloaded via the business end with the clicker on the other end pressed in) and load 4B into the darkest, 2B into the next darkest, HB into the middle, 2H into the second lightest, and 4H into the lightest one.

I find these very comfortable and balanced to work with. They seem well-made and sturdy, good metal guts and hefty without being burdensome. It's incredibly handy to have the difference in value represented by the color of the pencils themselves. Seemingly great quality leads included, although I haven't tried many brands.

The case is a cowhide construction, but "pleather" on the outside, not leather. I guess it's suede holding it all together. It's still really nice and attractive. Solid case. Zipper is incredibly smooth.

I could not be happier. This set is an incredible value. Every bit as good as something you could piece out at an art sore for triple the price.

This set is so nice and writes very well. Ample supply of leads.

As a person who breaks more mechanical pencil leads than I purchase love the thick pencils that allow me to write without the constant snapping

INITIAL REVIEW: I learned mechanical drawing/drafting as a teen, both in Jr. High (70's) and on the job from my father, who is an engineer. I grew up using 2mm lead holders, but never had 5 of them to easily keep light/hard, medium/medium, dark/soft leads ready to go without swapping leads in and out of the one holder I had. Having one holder for each of the supplied 4H Light/Hard, 2H MedLt/MedHard, HB Med/Med, 2B MedDk/MedSft, &4B Dark/Soft is so handy when you're working on initial cutting in with harder leads and darkening or shadowing with softer leads. I also never had a handy leather case to keep all the holders, leads, erasers and other accessories handy. This is a very well designed set and arrived in excellent condition, no complaints. PRE-LOADED LEADS: My holders all came pre-loaded, but not as some complained "all 5 pre-loaded with the same hardness". My holders had 1 of each hardness loaded into the holders, just not in the right sequence, with the darkest lead not being in the darkest holder, but that was easy enough to fix just by swapping them around. EXTRA LEADS: My set came with 5 preloaded (1 of each) and 12 extra pieces of 4H, 2H, HB, 2B and 4B, all in 5 handy, easy to use cases. There's also a tube of color leads containing 36 color leads (looks like 2 each of 18 colors!!). Nice! SHARPENERS: There are 8 sharpeners included; 5x1pc in the top of each lead holder cap, 2x1pc small black lead sharpeners (one numbered 3 and one numbered 15) and 1 file board. I also keep my Staedtler Technico sharpener handy for personal preference. We were raised to use a file board for fine sharpening, but plenty of options for lots of choices. CLICK: Unlike the lead holders I grew up using, these click to advance like a mechanical pencil, a small increment at a time as you click, though you can push and hold to release the lead all at once like a conventional lead holder and push it back in the same way. CLIP: The clips are simple but seem strong enough and slide up and down the holder easily enough to allow you to adjust their position but not so easily that they'll be sliding about willy nilly. ERASERS: Tested normally, no complaints. CASE: I bought it thinking it was PU leather, but if I'd read closer, and read the other reviews closer, it does look, feel and smell like real leather, as advertised. A bonus for me! ZIPPER: Zipper is smooth and easy, no sticking, comes with leather pull tab. The feel of it reminds me of the zippers of old and looks to be brass. LEAD HOLDER GRIP/WEIGHT: I very much like the grip (knurled but not overly rough-to-the-touch) and the weight (light but not flimsy-feeling). If you prefer the weight of a brass body holder, these will feel light to you, and if you prefer plastic, these might feel a touch heavier. So, based on initial tests, I'm more than 100% satisfied as the set is of higher quality than I expected when I happily placed the order. GREAT value for your money. If my assessment of anything changes after more use, I'll update here. I rated durability high based on how things are put together, but will also update that after more testing and use.

Just what I was looking for. 2.0mm is the best. Love the case.