I write everything in pencil because I have better control via a pen because of shaking hands. I really like that this lead is so much darker than the kind I had before and the other kind faded really easy. I haven't been using this lead long enough to speak about fading but since it's so much darker I don't think that will be a problem. Since I started using this lead not one of has broken. I did notice that on certain types of paper the leads has a tendency to smudge and get lead all over your head but generally that's not a problem. I would recommend these and the price can't be beat.