Graffiti Pin Head Colored lead holders review

While teaching my cartooning lessons and doing graphite sketching demonstrations on an easel or inclined drawing board, I prefer to use shorter ergonomic leadholders loaded with sturdy 3 mm leads that allow for quicker coverage while resisting breakage. There is no need for frequent sharpening so long as the barrel is rotated periodically, and sometimes I even allow to drawing lead to get blunt on purpose for shading faster. The problem is that this leadholder size has grown increasingly rare, and that the few models available tend to be rather expensive. Thus I was quite happy to find these Graffiti Pin Head Colored leadholders listed under the Daniel Smith Outlet Pencils discounted section.
My current selection of 3 mm leadholders (clockwise starting on the lower left corner): 3.15 mm Lammy Scribble, 3.15 mm Worther Shorty, 3 mm Caran D'Ache Fixpencil, and the 3.15 mm Graffiti Pin Head Colored leadholders.
This color chart, drawn on a Hand Book Artist Journal, revealed the Graffiti colored leads to be basically thin wax crayons that can make marks on many surfaces.
The color lead points got blunt rather quickly while coloring this small doodle on Moleskine Daily planner paper.
While the colored leads can be easily re-sharpened with a KUM lead pointer, their refills are rather hard to find and wear down too quickly to be a practical coloring choice for daily use.
I find the original 3.15 mm colored leads included with these ergonomic leadholders to be more of a short-lived coloring novelty. Their crayon-like consistency makes them rather prone to breakage, jamming within the leadholder chamber, and staining the barrel and surrounding areas with their pigmented debris. The Graffiti's strong clutch jaws tend to cut deep grooves into the soft colored leads preventing them from advancing smoothly, and the colored leads often get stuck to one of the jaws. This efficient jaw pressure clamp can securely hold graphite leads ranging from the Caran D'Ache Technograph 3 mm leads to the Worther Shorty 3.15 mm drawing leads without harming them. The clutch jaws grip the leads firmly preventing no axial rotation, so they can be easily sharpened with a lead pointer and allowing great precision while drawing.
Given the scarcity of 3 mm leadholders these days, it is quite nice to have a handful of them available for sketching worry-free in the field. In case of theft or loss, it is reassuring to know that you still have a couple of spares left back at home. The Graffiti Pin Head Colored leadholders' wide natural beech wooden barrels are quite comfortable to hold and prevent slippage during long drawing sessions. Resting the colored push cap on the webbing between the thumb and index finger of your drawing hand allows great control and natural movement. While I'm not particularly impressed with the quality of their colored crayon cores, I find the Graffiti leadholder to be quite a comfortable and effective sketching tool that fits easily in a pocket on a moment's notice. Color chart of the additional colors available of the all surface drawing leads.