Comments about Prismacolor Turquoise Leads:

I have been drawing with Turquoise leads for many, many years and have probably used 2H leads more than any other. I am having exactly the same difficulty as JC from New Jersey. Under the Prismacolor branding the 2H leads are at least as soft as HB should be, if not a bit more so. In addition, the strength of the 2H leads is greatly degraded. It is virtually impossible to draw at all with a brand new, needle point on the lead, which should not be the case - and didn't used to be. And using modest pressure will break off the entire point, which wasn't true ion the past either. . . Very sad - after all this time to have an old, trusted tool wimp out on you.
It's not a matter of an odd, mislabeled box either. I buy leads several dozen at a time and all the new boxes of 2h I have on hand are pretty much the ame.

Comments about Prismacolor Turquoise Leads:

The 4B I bought is too hard. The lead is not smooth. As I draw I will hit a piece of grit in the lead. I am going to avoid this brand.

Comments about Prismacolor Turquoise Leads:

While I have not tried other brands I have used Sanford 4B's to pencil in images softly before applying watercolor. I am quite pleased with the results and have reordered.

Comments about Prismacolor Turquoise Leads:

I am having the opposite problem as the reviewer above me. I purchased 2h leads from Dick Blick with the new Prismacolor branding. The 2h lead I bought from here is way too soft I should not be able to get the same dark stroke color I would from an HB lead as I am getting from these 2h leads and that's with slight pressure. The 2h leads are also extremely grainy and are absolutely impossible (unless you have an angelically soft touch) to do any fine and light detail work without carbon residue.

I pretty much have to stick an hb sticker on these 2h boxes and use them as such. Better get your act together Prismacolor 2h lead holder lead should not feel like the soft lead in one of your colored pencils!

Comments about Prismacolor Turquoise Leads:

i'm not sure if it's being manufactured differently, but there's a definite difference in the hardness of the leads now that they are part of prisma color and not sanford. the 4b lead is more like an hb or even h. very hard. ordered two boxes to make sure it wasn't a mistake in packaging and both were the same. lead hardness is something that varies from company to company, but this is a bit extreme. the difference is clearly evident when you compare it to another lead like staedtler, where the 4b is much softer. hopefully dickblick will carry an alternative