Swanson Tool Co CP216 AlwaysSharp Refillable Mechanical Carpenter Pencil, Two Pack, with 8 More Replacement Black Graphite Tips

I don't have too much use for a carpenter's pencil as an electrician, but I've found myself making marks I've needed to remove once every so often, but not frequently enough to carry around a normal captenter's pencil and a sharpener. I grabbed this because it alleviated my need for a sharpener and my worry for carry wear and tear from being in my tool belt. I didn't expect much out of the cartridge tips, I thought them like normal mechanical pencils, that I would snap them 3 or 4 times while writing a paper, but these tips are sturdy,I've been using it for all my marks, and haven't needed to change the first tip in the month I've had it. Then to find the second pencil is fully loaded with tips too, and they give you a bunch of more replacement tips. I'm certain I'll lose both these mech pencils before I could ever dream of going through these tips. This is a no brainer buy for me. I can't speak for carpenters, but from what I've seen, even for them, skipping out on this is just old dogs who can't learn new tricks.I'm gonna give the other pencil to a carpenter friend in a company mine works with often, and I'll update on it in a few months on how much he likes or dislikes it.*edit*I just found out on accident that the led tips are double sided, literally doubled the already excessive amount of tips they give you. I feel like I need to mail them another $5 to not feel like I'm robing them blind. The value for this pencil is endless. ( Though I do have to admit I found this out because the led tip came out while I was using it, so that could be a problem for people used to regular carpenter pencils). Oh and my carpenter friend likes and loves it. He keeps and uses it because it makes clean razor thin marks every time. but he can't use it for writing because of the shape of the tip.

Very happy with purchase and this was exactly what I needed.Thank you very much

These are my preferred marking implement. They work like the old popper pencils that I used to have in school so many years ago, you pull a lead holder out from the front and insert it into the back to push a fresh holder up. In addition to that the leads in the lead holders are reversible so before you pop out a lead holder pull the lead out of it and flip it around and you get double use from each holder.My biggest gripe of these pencils is that the pocket clips suck. I have 2 places I'll principally keep the pencil on me in the back of my hat or in my pocket; when you keep them in your pocket invariably the small plastic clip breaks off and the slick rectangular pencil falls into your pocket. I with the clips were stronger of someone made a replacement because once the clip breaks the pen loses a lot of its utility and ease of use. I find myself putting them in retractors and attaching them to saws so that there is always a pencil there which means swiping leads becomes a pain.These mark well and are EZ to keep sharp, the lead is soft enough to mark on most any surface but hard enough to last and not break up with use.

I’ve been a carpenter for years and these pencils are the best when the letter runs out. You just pull it out and put a new one in. It’s my favorite pencil.

Works great for you construction projects.

The pencils are well made. The replaceable lead is a nice touch. No more whittling on a carpenters pencil to sharpen. Make a nice line.

When I bought these I was not exactly sure how they worked. What they are is a hollow piece of plastic, filled with 10 or so individual little lead holders, that each hold a small piece of carpenter's lead (carpenter's lead is long on one side, not round). As you use the lead, and you get close to the little plastic holder, you pull that piece off, insert it at the top, and push, and the next little plastic piece with lead in it, comes out for use. Thus, there is no sharpening.I bought these because I was doing a project and if you are like me, you need 2 or 3 of everything, because I was constantly leaving my pencils, rulers, pliers and so forth in whatever location I was not at, thus having to go back and forth a hundred times. So, I got these to leave one in the shop and one in the room under construction.They work fine, but seem like a novelty and I doubt a carpenter would use them. I ended up buying a box of carpenter pencils with the sharpener as well, and use those more. The main difference is these are sharpened along the edge, so they can draw a finer thin line - to get that with a carpenter pencil you would need to hand shave the lead with a box knife (which I have done). This device eliminates that step - it is almost always going to be sharp (as soon as it loses sharpness, you will be to the edge of the little holder and just push the next one through).3 stars because from an environmental and packaging point of view, this is about 90% plastic, and 10% lead, and you get less lead than a regular pencil. Hence, my statement about pros - they will go through these things like a kid in a candy store and so the better deal for them is the actual pencil, which has more lead.- mike

I use a mechanical pencil which is good, but the lead brakes easily if lumber is rough. That is why I got this pencil which will solve that problem.