I am a teacher and an artist and am picky about what pencil I use on the daily for both writing and quick sketches. I got this pencil as a novelty not expecting it to actually be a good functional pencil. However, it is of very good quality for general use. The pencil that comes with it it comparable in darkness and hardness to a Mitsubishi 9850 and just a bit harder than a Blackwing. It maintains its point well so I haven't had to change it yet even though I've been using for a few weeks. The eraser is a surprise, I generally find pink erasers to be poor quality, dry, and smeary. But this one is very nice. It is medium soft, erases well, and doesn't smear. The tip is protected when closed (obviously) and the closed pencil fits nicely in a fifth pocket. The diameter is about the same as a Bullet Space Pen so it will fit in a pocket organizer designed for that. The brass case is already developing an attractive patina. This pencil should be sharpened with a hand sharpener or knife, it doesn't fit very well into a crank due to the metal collar. If you want to put a drawing pencil in it, a round Ebony fits (you'll just have to cut them to length). I am very happy with this pencil and highly recommend it.
