Staedtler 700 S4M Mars Matic Technical Pen

Excellent product

Quality is Staedtler's standard. As expected.

There are few things in life that remain of good quality; that are not eroded by the need to value engineer. So I'm truly delighted with my new pens, bought to replace my old pens, still the same and possibly in a better box. Well done Staedtler!

amazing ,good price and very useful for Architecture student

The Staedtler Mars Matic Technical Drawing Pen is an exceptional piece of design and manufacture.As hard as it may be to believe (and as old as it makes me feel!) I have had this 700S4M set for nearly twenty years, purchasing it whilst undertaking my 'A' Levels in 1993!The fact that they are still going strong is testament to two things, firstly I have looked after them well and secondly they are some of the best technical pens that money can buy.This set comprises of four pens: 0.25mm, 0.35mm, 0.5mm and 0.7mm.There is also a Universal compass adapter an a Lettering joint included, these are excellent additions and used in conjunction with the pens allows for some really professional quality work (as long as you know what you're doing that is!).There is also a 22ml plastic bottle of Drawing ink, although I have to admit that mine ran out quite some time a go though!I have recently been purchasing ink from Rotring:Rotring Drawing Ink for Isograph Pens 23ml Bottle Black Ref R591017I have found it to be very effective, I have also noticed that Amazon sell an ink from Staedtler:Staedtler mars matic paper Drawing Ink. Black 23ml.It's more expensive and in my opinion I can see no discernable difference, so it's down to the individual I suppose.To finish the set off it comes in a nicely designed and sturdy carry case, it features additional pen holders to store them in an upright position when in use, and a clear lid so as the contents can be seen; I say the case is sturdy, it has lasted me a long time and it has travelled a fair bit with me, so I consider this a pretty good test!I won't go into too much detail here as to how these pens actually work, but to describe them simply I would say that they are a refillable pen that have an ink collector system that allows for a very steady and continous ink flow, something that is crucial when trying to produce high quality technical drawings.Even the pen lids are specially designed to prevent the nibs drying up.The pens are very comfortable to use, perfectly weighted in my opinion, they are 126mm long and have a diameter of 12mm at the part you hold, tapering off slightly towards the rear.Each pen is colour coded, this is because ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) recognises the four pen widths included and has set a colour code for each: 0.25 (white), 0.35 (yellow), 0.5 (brown) and 0.7 (blue); the different sized nibs then produce lines that relate to various text character heights and ISO paper sizes (other technical pens and equipment recognise the same system).One of the reasons that these pens life expectancy is far greater than standard models is that you can take them completely apart, the pen is made up of seven individual components and each can be seperated from the rest; it is absolutely vital that they are cleaned regularly, I used to service mine every week, now it is less but I still try to do it about once per month regardless of how much use they have had.I simply soak the components in warm water for an hour or so, carefully dry and put back together, I actually find it quite therapeutic!The pens are simply wonderful to use, producing such strong and clear lines, if in doubt I recommend you do a side-by-side comparison with a standard type drawing pen such as: Uni Pin Drawing Pens, Pack of 5 Assorted Tip Sizes, Black Ink, you will be left in no doubt as to their advantages (I must point out that I do also use the Uni Pin Drawing Pens mentioned and find them to be excellent value for money).These technical pens from Staedtler are very much an investment, look after them properly and who knows how long they will last you; I originally bought mine to produce technical drawings and schematics, but I have very little call to produce such work nowadays so instead use the pens to produce more artistic images.I find the pens particulary good for drawing reproductions from graphic novels and animated features.The pens can be purchased seperately and come in a wider range of sizes, but I would say that the four sizes included in this set should be enough for most jobs, they certainly have proved to be sufficient for me.There is also a professional drawing compass from Staedtler Staedtler Mars Professional Drawing Compass Set 555 03, it is a lovely bit of kit, once more superbly built (I bought it at the same time as the pens nearly twenty years a go and still have it!), and it can be used in conjunction with these pens to produce fantastic results.

I have been using it for last three years for architectural technical drawing and have to be honest I did not have great experience with them especially with 0.25 size one, pen tip was blocked somehow can't get it to work even after thorough cleaning and will need to replace it .

Excellent set of pens. Delivery when expected. Thankyou.

Bought it to change it up from the rotrings I usually use.They're good but the plastic is lighter than the rotrings so has a slightly cheaper feel to it.But draws well and all in all very happy with it.