Comparison Koh-i-Noor Mondeluz Set of 12 vs Koh-i-Noor 5201

— Pencil. Pencils that are sold separately. These can be both traditional pencils (slate lead in a wooden casing) and mechanical devices (see "Collet Pencil"). By appointment (see below), the vast majority are graphite; of the coloured ones, they usually sell either the same collet models or the original versions with a multi-coloured lead.

— A set of pencils. Sets that include several pencils — from 2 or more (for more details, see "Items in set"). Sets can be both coloured and graphite (see "Suitable for"). In the first case, separate pencils differ in colour, such sets are designed for coloured drawing. Graphite sets, in turn, consist of pencils of different hardness (see below), they are intended for drawings and for works of art in the graphic genre, when the thickness and saturation of lines are of great importance. Note also that pencil sets can be supplemented with pastel crayons.

— Crayons set. A set that includes several crayons for drawing, usually multi-coloured. Outwardly, crayons fundamentally differ from pencils in the absence of a body — the whole product is actually one continuous writing lead (except that in some models it can be enclosed in a thin shell, such as paper). In addition, they are usually thicker, and the manufacturing technology is different. Note that this type includes both “dry” crayons designed for blackboards, asphalt, etc., and pastel sets designed to...work on paper and similar materials. For ease of use, crayon sets can be equipped with a specific modification of a collet pencil (for more details, see the relevant paragraph below).

The number of main items in the set (see "Product Type"). The main items are actually pencils or crayons; accessories like sharpeners, caps, etc. are not taken into account here.

In the case with pencils, the minimum number of items in a set is 2, while the maximum varies depending on the purpose of use (see below). Sets of graphite pencils of more than 20 units already belong to the premium class, in colour there are options for several dozen, and in watercolor sets (see "Watercolor pencils") the number of shades can exceed 120. In all cases, the more pencils in the set — the wider your options for choosing the currently required one. However, the cost of the set increases accordingly.

By default, crayon sets are only coloured, there are usually at least 6 items in a set.

— Graphite. Only pencils can be made graphite (not crayons — see "Product Type"). Such pencils have pure graphite-based leads, without dyes, and write with a specific grey colour. They are used for drawing works, auxiliary technical illustrations (for example, diagrams in the abstract), for paintings in the graphic genre, and for drawing the initial contours of a future work. Note that in traditional (non-collet) graphite pencils, the lead can have different hardness — see below for more details.

— Coloured. Pencils that use dye leads and differ in colour from the graphite ones described; also coloured by definition are all crayons (see "Product Type"). Such products are used in all types of drawing, where colour plays a decisive role — from painting to diagrams; there are even markers for highlighting text fragments. Note that there are double-sided coloured pencils that have different colours on different sides. And colour sets can be supplemented with graphite pencils.

Pencils of a specific design: a pen with a collet clip (hence the name), where interchangeable refills are inserted.

The main advantage of collet pencils over traditional ones is reusability and economy. It is enough to buy such a pencil once — and then it is enough just to replace the set of leads; and the leads themselves are used almost completely, without any expenses for sharpening (although large-diameter leads still need to be sharpened). On the other hand, the mechanism may break, and the hardness range of the refill leads is quite small.

Also note that most collet pencils use very thin lead— up to 2 mm (the most popular diameter options are 0.5 and 0.7 mm). Such leads are great for fine work like drawing or drawing initial outlines on a sketch, but they are inconvenient in graphics and shading large areas. Devices of 5.6 mm are noticeably less common — such a lead is already able to fully replace an ordinary pencil, but it needs to be sharpened periodically. Another specific type of collet pencils are models with a working diameter of 10 mm or more. They are designed not so much for leads, but for crayons, and are often supplied in sets of crayons (for such sets, the "Collet Pencil" feature is also indicated).

A type of pencil, usually coloured, with the lead is made of a special material that dissolves well with water (like watercolors — hence the name). At the same time, unlike regular watercolors, in this case you can make a dry paint. Actually, one of the options for using watercolor pencils just provides that the drawing is first drawn in the usual way, and then blurred with a brush in the right places to obtain softness and smooth colour transitions. You can also draw immediately on a wet sheet. Another option for using pencils of this type is a preliminary sketch for ordinary watercolor: if you choose the right colours, the lines of the sketch will practically disappear in a completed picture, dissolving in the paint. With a graphite pencil, this feature does not work.

A brush may be included to the package with watercolor pencils.

The thickness of the lead (writing rod) in a pencil or each crayon in a set (see "Product Type").

The meaning of this parameter depends on the specs of the pencil. So, in traditional pencils (lead in the casing), the thickness of the lead determines only the maximum thickness of the line that can be drawn in one pass. In collet models (see above), this parameter is also necessary to search for refill leads: their diameter must correspond to the size of the lead slot of the collet. And interchangeable leads with a diameter of more than 2 mm, usually, also have to be sharpened. However, anyway, each size is good for its tasks: thin leads are convenient for precise small work, and for large volumes of shading, it is desirable to have thicker pencils — they are not only more convenient, but also do not expend so fast.

As for the crayons, their thickness primarily determines the ease of use, as well as compatibility with special collet pencils that play the role of holders.

In most cases, lead length actually refers to the length of the pencil or crayon itself (see "Product Type"). This allows, to a certain extent, to assess both the dimensions and how long the lead will be in use. In collet pencils (see above), this parameter is indicated very rarely — usually, for models for graphite lead thicker than 1 mm. If it is specified, it usually refers to the regular size of the leads produced for this pencil, or the maximum length of the lead that can fit the pencil.

A sharpener is included to the package with the pencil. Sharpeners can be designed for the pencils themselves (in common models), for refill leads (in "collets", see above), and for crayons. Anyway, use of such sharpeners is much more convenient and safer than knives or other improvised devices.

The presence of a clip in the design of the pencil.

The clip has the form of a narrow elastic plate, designed primarily to secure the pencil to thin objects — for example, the cover of a notebook or the edge of a pocket. In addition, if the pencil is round, such a device does not allow it to roll. Most models with this feature are collet pencils (see above), but there are exceptions — traditional pencils, supplemented with clip-on caps.