If the Hindustan Pencil Company could improve their quality control, these would be serious contenders in the world of pencils.I really like the core on these. They write smooth and very dark, without being really soft, which is an excellent quality for a pencil to have. There’s real potential in that. I would say compared to the ‘usual’ American #2, they are more of a #1 or B grade pencil, or a Japanese HB. The wood doesn’t appear to be cedar, but it’s a respectable substitute. Unfortunately, many of the leads in my boxes were severely off-center, and in the two pencils I used I experienced multiple breakages of the lead down within the pencil regardless of which kind of sharpener I used, which implies there are lead breakages in manufacture. The lacquer, while an attractive design (though a copy of Staedtler), is sloppily applied.I can echo the comments of other posters about the included sharpener and eraser – they’re quite good. I much prefer a long point sharpener, and while it’s made of chintzy plastic, the sharpeners work very well. That implies consistent tolerances in the sharpener body and a very sharp blade. The eraser works well.These would be my pencil of choice for reasonably priced pencils or student pencils (not everyone wants or needs to spend the money for Blackwings, Hi-Unis, Mars Lumographs, etc) but until they improve QC, I would still recommend the Mitsubishi 9850 for a little more.