Most "best artist pencils" lists name the same five ranges and never say why one beats the next. We sell every grade of all of these, so the comparison below is built on what actually separates them on paper - how smoothly the core lays down, how dark the soft grades really go, and how evenly one grade steps to the next - not on the back of the box. Get the range right and you stop buying pencils you never reach for.
Seven ranges earn a place: two Japanese and one German flagship that set the benchmark, a Swiss luxury outlier, two German workhorses that punch above their price, and an American classic for the darkest blacks. Each links through to its page in our shop, where you can see the price and buy.
What actually makes an artist pencil better than a school one?
A school pencil and an artist pencil are both just graphite, clay and wood. The difference is in the tolerances, and you can feel all three of these within the first few strokes:
- Graphite purity and milling. The premium ranges use more finely ground, higher-purity graphite with fewer grit particles. That is what people mean by "smooth" - the core lays down without the faint scratchiness of a cheap lead catching on the tooth of the paper. Grit shows up as tiny skips and the odd bright fleck in a dark wash.
- Grade accuracy and consistency. On a good range an HB is the same HB pencil to pencil and box to box, and each step - HB to B to 2B - is an even jump in tone. Cheap ranges drift: two "2B" pencils can read a full grade apart, which turns value-building into guesswork.
- Core centring and bonding. A well-centred, properly bonded core sharpens to a long, clean point without crumbling or sitting off-axis. Faber-Castell call their process "SV" bonding; Staedtler talk about a break-resistant bonded lead. The payoff is the same either way - fewer snapped tips and points that hold.
None of this is marketing. Sit a school HB next to a Hi-uni HB on the same paper and the gap is plain: the artist pencil is darker for the grade, smoother, and far more even. If you want the full picture of how the lettered scale works - and why the Japanese ranges read a touch softer than their European equivalents - our guide to pencil grades breaks it down.
The seven ranges, ranked by use
1. Mitsubishi Hi-uni - the benchmark for smoothness and consistency
If you only try one premium range, make it this. The Hi-uni is the flagship of Mitsubishi Pencil Co. (the "uni" stationery brand, no relation to the carmaker), and it is the range most professionals default to. The graphite is exceptionally finely milled, so it lays down with a smoothness nothing else here quite matches, and the grade-to-grade consistency is the best on the market - 22 grades from 10H to 10B that step almost perfectly evenly. The soft end is genuinely dark: the 10B is about as black as a balanced production pencil gets. It is the dearest of the Japanese pair, and worth it.
Best for: portrait and realist graphite work; anyone who wants the smoothest, most predictable line. Watch for: the price, and that the very soft grades wear fast - the trade-off for that smoothness.
Check price — Mitsubishi Hi-uni →
2. Tombow Mono 100 - the Hi-uni's rival, a fraction cheaper
The Mono 100 is the Hi-uni's closest competitor and, for plenty of artists, its equal. Tombow's high-purity graphite lays down every bit as smoothly, and to my hand it has a slight edge through the mid grades (B to 4B), where it feels a touch creamier. The range runs 9H to 6B - 17 grades - so it is shorter at the soft extreme than the Hi-uni, but for most drawing that spread is plenty. It usually undercuts the Hi-uni on price, which makes it the value pick among the true flagships.
Best for: tonal drawing and shading where you live in the H-to-4B band. Watch for: a narrower soft end than the Hi-uni if you want the very deepest blacks.
Check price — Tombow Mono 100 →
3. Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 - the studio standard
The Lumograph is the pencil most art schools hand you, and it has held that place for decades for good reason. It is made in Germany, the bonded core is genuinely break-resistant, and it sharpens to a long, durable point that suits line work and detail. As a full range it is one of the widest going - 12B to 10H, 24 grades in the tin (we stock the singles from 8B to 6H, with the complete ladder available as the tin of 24). The feel is firmer and slightly more toothy than the Japanese ranges: less glide, more control. That suits anyone who likes to feel the paper. Staedtler also make a Lumograph Black with added carbon for matte, much darker results - a different tool for a different job.
Best for: precise line and architectural drawing, students, anyone who wants points that last. Watch for: if you crave that frictionless Japanese glide, this will feel drier.
Check price — Staedtler Lumograph →
4. Caran d'Ache Grafwood 775 - the luxury option that earns it
The Grafwood is the Swiss outlier: thick, beautifully lacquered hexagonal barrels, each grade a different shade of grey so you can grab the right one by colour alone. It is the most expensive range here by some margin, and it is more than jewellery - the graphite is superbly smooth, the soft grades are rich and dark, and the build quality is the best on this list. The range runs 9B to 4H, 15 grades. If you want a pencil that is a pleasure to pick up as well as to draw with, this is it.
Best for: artists who want a premium object as well as a premium core; gifting. Watch for: the price, and that it stops at 4H if you do fine technical work in the very hard grades.
Check price — Caran d'Ache Grafwood →
5. Faber-Castell Castell 9000 - the value workhorse
Introduced in 1905 and still one of the best pencils you can buy for the money. The Castell 9000 - the dark-green hexagonal classic - is the European workhorse: a firm, reliable, well-centred core with Faber-Castell's bonded lead, in 16 grades from 8B to 6H. It is not the smoothest or the darkest, but it is consistent, it costs a fraction of the flagships, and it does everything competently. If you are buying your first proper drawing pencils and do not want to spend Hi-uni money, start here.
Best for: best all-round value; a first serious set; sketching and studies. Watch for: a firmer, less luxurious feel than the Japanese or Swiss ranges.
Check price — Faber-Castell 9000 →
6. Lyra Rembrandt Art Design - the quiet over-achiever
The Rembrandt Art Design rarely makes these lists and probably should. It is a German-made artist pencil that sits just below the flagships on feel but well below them on price: smooth enough, dark enough and consistent enough for serious work, across 9B to 6H. Think of it as the step up from a school pencil that does not commit you to flagship spending - a genuinely good range the bigger names overshadow.
Best for: students and hobbyists who want artist quality without the flagship premium. Watch for: it lacks the glide of a Hi-uni or Mono 100, but at this price it is not trying to.
Check price — Lyra Rembrandt →
7. General Pencil Kimberly 525 - the American classic with the darkest soft grades
The Kimberly is the long-standing drawing pencil from General Pencil Co. in New Jersey, and it has one trick the others cannot match: the soft end runs all the way to 9XXB, an exceptionally soft, intensely black grade that is hard to find anywhere else. The overall range goes from 9XXB up to 6H. The feel is a little waxier than the Japanese ranges and the consistency sits a notch behind the flagships, but for very dark, expressive work - and for the sheer reach of that 9XXB - it deserves a spot. Good value, too.
Best for: deep blacks and expressive shading; anyone curious how dark a wood-cased pencil can go. Watch for: slightly less grade-to-grade consistency than the Japanese pair.
Side-by-side: the seven ranges at a glance
Grade spans below are what we stock, with the full tin noted where it reaches further; full manufacturer ranges can differ slightly by market. Character notes are our own, from comparing the grades directly against each other.
| Range | Origin | Grades | Character | Best for | Price tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Hi-uni | Japan | 10H–10B (22) | Smoothest, most consistent; very dark soft grades | Realist & portrait work | £££ |
| Tombow Mono 100 | Japan | 9H–6B (17) | Creamy, smooth mid-grades; flagship feel | Tonal drawing & shading | £££ |
| Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 | Germany | 8B–6H singles; 12B–10H (tin of 24) | Firmer, controlled; long durable points | Line & technical drawing, students | ££ |
| Caran d'Ache Grafwood 775 | Switzerland | 9B–4H (15) | Luxurious build, smooth, grey-shade barrels | Premium object & gifting | ££££ |
| Faber-Castell Castell 9000 | Germany | 8B–6H (16) | Firm, reliable, well-centred; best value | All-round / first serious set | £ |
| Lyra Rembrandt Art Design | Germany | 9B–6H | Good smoothness & tone for the money | Students & hobbyists stepping up | £ |
| General Pencil Kimberly 525 | USA | 9XXB–6H | Waxier feel; the darkest soft grade (9XXB) | Deep blacks & expressive work | ££ |
Price tiers are relative to each other (£ = cheapest, ££££ = dearest), not absolute prices - those move, so check each product page for the current figure.
Which is smoothest, which is darkest, which is most consistent?
This is the question people actually want answered, so here it is plainly, from comparing the grades head to head:
- Smoothest: the Mitsubishi Hi-uni and Tombow Mono 100 are in a class of their own, with the Caran d'Ache Grafwood close behind. The Hi-uni edges it overall; the Mono 100 is arguably smoother through the mid grades. It is genuinely close, and a matter of taste.
- Darkest soft grades: two answers. For the deepest grade in a standard range, the Hi-uni 10B is about as black as a balanced production pencil gets. But the General Kimberly 9XXB pushes further into very soft, very black territory that almost no other wood-cased range offers. If outright darkness is the goal, see our guide to the darkest pencils.
- Most consistent (grade to grade and box to box): the Hi-uni, with the Staedtler Lumograph a very close second - both step evenly through the scale and vary little between pencils.
The honest summary: for most artists the choice between the two Japanese flagships comes down to feel, not measurable quality. Buy a single grade of each - an HB and a 4B make a good test pair - and let your hand decide.
Are premium artist pencils actually worth it?
For serious or regular drawing, yes - and the maths is simple. The gap between a school pencil and a Castell 9000 is enormous and costs almost nothing. The gap between a Castell 9000 and a Hi-uni is real but smaller, and you pay several times more for it. So the value curve looks like this:
- If you draw at all seriously, jumping from school pencils to a proper artist range is the best few pounds you can spend. The Castell 9000 or Lyra Rembrandt clears that bar instantly.
- If you draw a lot, or sell your work, the flagships earn their premium. The consistency alone saves time - you stop fighting your tools and the results are repeatable. A portrait artist will feel the Hi-uni's smoothness in every gradient.
- If you are casual or just starting, do not spend Grafwood money yet. Buy a mid-range set, find which grades you actually use, then upgrade those few to a flagship.
One caveat worth stating: smoothness and softness wear faster. The very thing that makes a Hi-uni soft grade lovely also means it needs sharpening more often than a firmer Lumograph. That is the trade, not a flaw.
The best full set for a complete grade range
If you want one box that covers the ladder rather than buying grade by grade, the sets differ in how wide a range they give you:
- Widest tonal range: the Staedtler Mars Lumograph tin of 24 (12B–10H) is the most complete single box here - the full art ladder in one go, at a sensible price.
- Best flagship set: the Mitsubishi Hi-uni art set of 22 (10B–10H) is the complete Hi-uni range in a presentation box - the one to buy if you want the best, full stop (and a superb gift).
- Best value all-rounder: the Faber-Castell Castell 9000 art set tin of 12 (8B–2H) gives you a working spread for far less, ideal as a first complete set.
- For deep blacks: the General Kimberly set of 12 gets you into the very dark soft grades affordably.
Our advice: most people do not need the full 22 or 24 grades. In practice a working artist lives in about six - say 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and one very dark grade - so a 12-pencil set covers nearly everything, and you fill the gaps as single grades later.
You can also browse the whole graphite pencils catalogue or shop by maker in all brands.
FAQ
What is the single best artist pencil range?
The Mitsubishi Hi-uni, for most people, on the strength of its smoothness and its unmatched consistency across 22 grades. The Tombow Mono 100 is its near-equal and a little cheaper. If budget is the priority, the Faber-Castell Castell 9000 is the best value pencil that still counts as a true artist range.
Are Japanese pencils really better than German ones?
"Better" is the wrong frame - they feel different. The Japanese flagships (Hi-uni, Mono 100) are smoother and glide more; the German ranges (Lumograph, Castell 9000) are firmer and give more control and longer points. For tonal and portrait work many prefer the Japanese feel; for line and technical work the German feel often wins. Both are excellent.
Which pencil gives the darkest black?
Among standard ranges, the Hi-uni 10B is about as dark as a balanced production pencil gets. For something darker still, the General Kimberly 9XXB pushes further into very soft, very black territory. See our darkest-pencils guide for the full comparison.
How many grades do I actually need for drawing?
Far fewer than the full range. Most artists work mainly within about six grades - commonly 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and one very soft grade. A 12-pencil set covers nearly any subject; buy individual grades to fill the few gaps you find in use.
Do I need to buy a whole set to start?
No. Buy two or three single grades of a range you are curious about - an HB and a 4B are a good test pair - and see how the pencil feels in your hand before committing to a full set. Single grades are inexpensive and tell you everything.
Where can I buy these artist pencils in the UK?
Each range above links to its page in our shop, where you can see every grade we stock and check the current UK price.