Faber-Castell Grip 2001 HB Pencils - Pack of 6, 117697The Forest Stewardship Council

I bought a pack of these for my 5-year old, who has difficulty holding the pencil in the 'beaky' position (the term that her teacher uses to describe a proper tripod grip). These are perfect for that purpose. Firstly, the dimensions are different from a normal pencil: it's almost triangular in cross-section, so it's easy to put the fingers in the right place. Secondly, the repeating dot pattern really does help improve her grip (which is surprising, since it seems to be just a layer of slightly thicker paint).In fact, they are so good, I have nabbed one for my own use. A great pencil for sketching and drafting. They sharpen easily, and the lead never seems to break. Really impressed. Will buy again.

The triangle shape of this pencil, with little bumps for greater grip, helps children learn how to hold a pencil properly. This makes writing easier (and less painful) as they progress to pens.

These are the best pencils I have found! I work in school and have found that some of the children with sensitivity difficulties and have autistic traits/are autistic really benefit from the textured barrel to support them holding a pencil and having stamina to write. Personally I buy the eraser caps (Faber-Castell - don't waste your money on cheaper copies) so have the perfect combination for making notes, working with children etc.I will continue to purchase these pencils above anything else I have found on the market.

I love these pencils, they are simply the best pencils on the market. They are easy to hold, write well and never break. Well worth the money.

I bought these as back up pencil but have only used one as yet found it smooth and very good colouring medium

I do a lot of writing and for some odd reasons - I don't like writing with ink so I use pencil. I wish I had known about the product long before now. Best value for money, extremely comfortable to hold / use. I will buy it again and again.

As a carpenter one of my pet hates is poor quality pencils. There is nothing worse than sharpening a pencil only for the lead to pop out just as you get a good point (particularity if this is the 3rd or 4th attempt). This happens a lot with cheap run of the mill pencils as they tend to get dropped a lot on site and the lead cracks/breaks inside on impact with the floor so when you come to sharpen them it can be a really frustrating experience.Thankfully I don't suffer this problem any more using these Faber ones everyday for second fix/finish carpentry. I love the shape and quality and the grip really does work. They are often dropped and sometimes from a good height but I have yet to suffer the dreaded cracked lead syndrome. Happy days. :o)

I read the reviews for these and initially bought them for my son to improve his handwriting, and as we have hard floors hoping they'd last longer than cheaper pencils where the lead breaks every time they're dropped. But I have since given these to my builders after reading the carpenters reviews and they are most impressed too. Best pencil they've used in 25 years!!!