Yet Another Mike had mentioned these pencils a couple of months ago, and I recalled the comment when I recently found some for sale. Thanks, Mike.
From Faber-Castell, we have a slightly different type of pencil. It uses oil rather than wax as the binding agent.
The advantage is that this pencil type creates lightfast marks that don’t require a fixative.
The three asterisks on the pencil indicate the marks will last over one hundred years in museum conditions!
It also has some interesting properties – sharpening to a point is easy, and that point stays strong – unlike many alternate formulation (pastel, charcoal, etc.) artist-oriented pencils. The pencils are also very smooth and manageable in the hand.
They are offered in five degrees, Extra Soft through Extra Hard.
The five degrees on Strathmore Windpower Sketch 89g/m2 paper:
The pencils are attractive, priced no more than regular graphite pencils, and definitely capable. Do you use them? If so, why did you choose them?