Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case Review and current sketching kits

The Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case is compact, sleek looking, and functional. It is quite stable when standing upright as a pencil holder cup. Smoothly switches between travel pouch and pen holder mode. Fair carrying capacity.
After a year of moderate use, the stitching on this pencil case has held up fairly well and remains in good condition. It usually holds a selection of premium pencils (capped Mitsubishi Hi-Uni and Tombow Mono 100 graphite pencils) securely along with an elliptical Prismacolor pencil sharpener and a couple of erasers. I tend not to put anything in the velcro pocket to allow more room for the pencils, but it is big enough to comfortably hold a tube of Pentel Ain 0.5 mm graphite lead.
I like to use pencil caps on all my pencils to protect their sharp points and maximize the useful life of the interior lining. The one minor disappointment with this case was that the interior tag revealed that it had been made in China while I was under the mistaken impression that it was a Japanese product from its description. I should have known since all of my pencil cases (Faber-Castell, Buffalo, Mead Five Star, Kokuyo) have turned out to be "Made in China" after close inspection. Found this Buffalo pencil case in Canada a few years ago, and it was my first Kokuyo Kaddy Supply Tote-style pouch I own. The top red flaps feel like canvas coated with rubberized material on the outside. This desing lacks the velcro pocket in the flaps. Good carrying capacity and stands upright when opened.The mesh in the bottom has ripped at the base, so it no longer stands up straight. It currently holds spare pens and sample tools reserved for students to try.

Relative sizes of my main two sketching cases. These are virtually permanent residents in my sketching backpack.
The compact and versatile Mead Five Star Stand N Store pencil pouch is readily available at local office supplies stores and usually priced at half as much as the similarly designed Kokuyo Campus Critz Pencil Case. I use mine to carry a selection of gel pens, brush pens, and spare ink cartridges. Very conveninet for its ability to stand upright to dispense tools and its small velcro compartment that can securely hold small items like erasers, ink cartridges, and tubes of spare graphite leads.
These are the contents of my main sketching kit that I carry everywhere. It provides all the tools I need for class demonstrations plus plenty of pencil and pen options to tackle any sketching opportunities that I might encounter. The Mead Five Star Xpanz Zipper Pouch has the largest carrying capacity of all my pencil cases, and its 3 compartments allow me to keep it all well organized and within easy reach.
Should be a no-brainer, but it is usually more efficient to pick your pencil case inner lining color so that your drawing tools stand out against it. You can be more productive if you can spot and pick your chosen pens faster. That's why I stopped storing darker colored pens and pencils in this Faber Castell black nylon pencil case and reserve it for storing my silver finish pens like the Copic Multiliner SP pens. If you look closely at the inner tag, you'll notice the "Made in China" label. Lately I realized that all my pencil cases seem to be coming from China. Even items from Japanese lines like Kokuyo and German Faber-Castell are being manufactured in China. Another sign of globalization I suppose, but I am beginning to miss the days when quality items were actually manufactured in Japan, Germany, and the USA.
While pencil tin sets are fairly slim and portable, remember to secure them with tape or rubber bands so that the contents don't spill inside your sketching bag during transit. One drawback is that these containers are not sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of frequent travel, and they tend to dent and warp rather easily.
This Real Simple brown nylon zippered pouch from Target loaded with a selection of Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens that include the Shojo and Shonen Manga sets plus black, light flesh, and couple of light grays make a very efficient portable coloring set.