What you're actually getting
Thirty-five pieces sounds like marketing fluff until you unbox the thing. You've got multiple mechanical pencils in different lead sizes, a clutch of spare leads, erasers, and what looks like a decent little carry case. It's the kind of set that would've made my 16-year-old self absolutely lose it during art GCSE. Proper organised, everything in its place.
The pencils themselves feel reasonable for the price. Not premium, not scratchy rubbish either. The lead feed is consistent enough that you can actually sketch with confidence, which is the bare minimum ask really.
Who this is actually for
Honestly, this is a student set or a casual sketcher's set. If you're a working illustrator with opinions about 0.3mm leads, you probably already own something better. But for a teenager getting into art, someone taking a life drawing class for fun, or a parent wanting to kit out a creative kid without spending a fortune, this hits the spot.
The Subscribe and Save price brings it down to about twelve quid, which is frankly ridiculous value for the quantity.
The one reservation
Nicpro isn't a brand with decades of reputation behind it. The quality is consistent enough for everyday use, but I'd be cautious expecting these pencils to last years of heavy use. The case is a bit plasticky too. These are tools for learning and experimenting, not heirlooms.
That said, for the price and the volume of kit you get, it's not half bad at all. The HotUKDeals community clearly agrees.
